The Night Comes For Us (2018)
Available on Netflix. So I saw this pop up on Netflix yesterday and just dived straight in today without watching the trailer, research or anything. The thumbnail of Iko Uwais and Joe Taslim was enough to draw me in. What I was not prepared for though was a 2 hour onslaught on the senses. Previously for me, the bar had been set by The Raid. Has this film surpassed it? In terms of sophistication and production, yes.
Without boring you too much about the story, Taslim stars as a Triad member who falls foul of the gang by sparing the life of a young girl during a routine village execution. Uwais stars as the Triad fixer sent to track them down and eliminate them.
The Indonesians sure know how to put a martial arts film together. The raw, yet intricate fight sequences look so damn good when not choreographed to death like in some Chinese movies. Whether they're in a butcher's shop, living room, police van, on a pool table, the way they are able to use almost any object lying around to inflict pain or death is just mind-blowing. Slicing, dicing and limb-breaking is relentless once it gets going. I think I must have been wincing for an hour straight. The film doesn't skimp on the violence and gore but even then it is still not too over the top. It features similar set pieces that you may have seen before, such as in The Raid films but done with a creative, original and shocking twist.
The look of the movie is great. The sub-titled dialogue is minimal but well put together. The only negative was when they would strangely start speaking English in a few scenes. Personally, I prefer my martial arts films to be sub-titled. The acting is brilliant throughout and the physical demands that these guys must put themselves through is a credit to the art of film-making. No annoying wirework on show here. What you get is visceral, in your face, graphic, unadulterated violence delivered with flawless skill, grit and realism. Some of the stunts are just incredible. Special effects are amazing, absolutely amazing.
The henchmen, of which there are plenty as expected are completely disposable and used just to showcase how many ways it is possible to take out the trash. The smackdown between the three women is great in its gruesome gruesomeness. That being said, the film still manages to show some heart as people make the ultimate sacrifice to protect a girl in which they really had no vested interest. That remains one of the mysteries of this film. Perhaps they are looking for some sort of redemption in the utterly corrupt and evil criminal world they live in. The story builds up to the eventual meeting between Uwais and Taslim, culminating in an eye-watering 15 minute showdown that is bruising, epic and intense in its goriness. Easily on a par, if not arguably better than both of the Raid movies final showdowns.
Anyway, I've rambled long enough. I'm gutted this didn't get a cinema release. It would have been awesome on the big screen and seems such a shame that a film like this won't get the attention and recognition it deserves. By far, the best film I've seen all year. I'm disappointed that Gareth Evans doesn't plan to do a Raid 3 movie, but if he does, he could certainly learn a thing or two from the director of this film.
I'm giving this a 9.75/10.
I get mine through work at a discounted price, which works out at £12 per month. Probably one of the best value items I own right now. 