The Golden Cane Warrior Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Christine Hakim, Tara Basro, Nicholas Saputra

Director: Ifa Isfansyah

Format: Blu-ray, Dolby, NTSC, THX, Widescreen

Language: Indonesian

Subtitles: English

Region: Region A/1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: November 3, 2015

Run Time: 111 minutes

 

 

        The Indonesian film industry has seen a boom in recent years, primarily due to the success of a few influential films in the international marketplace. This includes the financial success of the action franchise which began in 2011 with The Raid (the sequel was funded in part by selling the rights for a Hollywood remake currently in the works), as well as the critical reception to Indonesian-based documentaries, The Act of Killing (2012) and The Look of Silence (2014). But each of these movies, however successfully they worked within the Indonesian film industry, was directed by foreign filmmakers. The Golden Cane Warrior, on the other hand, proves that an Indonesian director can also create a technically polished film.

 

        The storyline for The Golden Cane Warrior is fairly generic as far as martial arts movies are concerned. There are many of the typical characteristics; a martial arts Master with a secret technique to teach, loyal disciples as well as those which will betray her, and a climactic showdown serving as revenge for that betrayal. Master Cempaka (Christine Hakim) carries the mysterious Golden Cane staff, which holds secret powers that she intends to teach her chosen disciples. When she chooses a weaker disciple named Dara (Eva Celia) to pass on this gift, two others named Biru (Reza Rahadian) and Gerhana (Tara Basro) plot a way to steal the weapon for themselves.

 

        In typical martial arts fashion, Dara must train and seek revenge against Biru and Gerhana in a final showdown. The Golden Cane doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but rolls along with proficiency and polished visuals we have only recently begun to see in Indonesian films. This along with the well executed action choreography make for an entertaining genre picture that fans will appreciate. It should also be mentioned that the film progressively has females in two of the crucial hero roles. I look forward to seeing what comes next from Indonesia, especially if they continue this winning streak.

 

Entertainment Value: 8/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 7.5/10

Historical Significance:  6/10

Special Features: 0/10



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