The Shadow Strays is an action-packed crime thriller movie from Indonesia. Set in Jakarta, this violence-ridden revenge tale is led by a highly trained female assassin protagonist.
Pasutri Gaje (2024) was the first Indonesian movie, that we reviewed in our Focus Magazine. Now, The Shadow Strays (2024) is the second Indonesian film on FM.
“The Shadow Strays” Is Strictly For Asian Martial Arts Aficionados, Who Relish High-Octane Action Scenes
Spoiler Free Review: The Shadow Strays (2024/Indonesia) Movie Review
The trailer
Proficient in the lethal arts, a young assassin rebels against her mentor to protect a boy from brutal criminals, prepared to annihilate anyone who obstructs her mission.
The storyline in brief
Only known by the codename 13 (Aurora Ribero), a young assassin prodigy is part of a formidable organization called The Shadow. When her latest mission in Japan fails, she is suspended and exiled to Jakarta, Indonesia, despite the assistance of her mentor, the veteran assassin Umbra (Hana Malasan).
While staying in a safe house, 13 befriends a young boy named Monji (Fikry), and they begin to form a meaningful bond. However, their relationship is put at risk when Monji is kidnapped by a criminal organization. Unfortunately for the kidnappers, 13 is fiercely committed to ensuring the child’s safety, prepared to take down as many adversaries as necessary.
The writer-director Timo Tjahjanto brings unique S-E Asian flavours
The writer Timo has made a young and angry female assassin – the protagonist and heroine of this S-E Asian Martial Art movie. But that is not all. The director Timo has not painted a flattering picture of the broken society we all live in. So, we get a bunch of sadist villains, who enjoy protection from the police as well as the politicians. These ruthless antagonists prey on weak and helpless people. But then, a young female enforcer challenges them all.
In this action-packed Asian movie, there are many fight scenes displaying South-East (S-E) Asian Martial Arts, Samurai Acts, Gun Fu, Sword Fights, Bombs and much more. In a way, this action film reminds us of Kill Bill and even John Wick, Moneky Man and Kill movies. Like the lead characters of these movies, 13 (Aurora Ribero) is the one-person army in it. Muhammad Irfan has done a good job as the Fight Choreography and Stunt Coordinator, as he has given us adrenaline-pumping action sequences.
The poster
This movie narrative unfolds in two primary locations: the Sea of Trees in Japan and Jakarta, Indonesia.
Key details
| Genre | Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery , Thriller |
| Original Language | Indonesian |
| Duration | 2 hours 24 minutes |
| Writer | Timo Tjahjanto |
| Director | Timo Tjahjanto |
| Fight Choreography & Stunt Coordinator | Muhammad Irfan |
| Cast | Aurora Ribero (13, Nomi), Hana Malasan (Umbra), Ali Fikry (Monji), Agra Piliang (Haga), Andri Mashadi (Ariel), Kristo Immanuel (Jeki), Kin Wah Chew (Handler), Arswendy Bening Swara (Soemitro), Daniel Ekaputra (Troika), Tanta Ginting (Kabil), Eva Celia Latjuba (Volver), Mawar Eva de Jongh (14), Yayan Ruhian (Master Burai), etc. |
| Production Company | Frontier Pictures |
| Network | Netflix |
The rating
| FM Rating | 3.25/5 |
The conclusion
Along with the rest of the ensemble cast, the lead actress Aurora Ribero has played her action heroine convincingly. However, this movie is strictly for action Aficionados. In addition, the open-ended movie ending suggests that we might see more of this character 13 (Aurora Ribero) in the future. Now, we look forward to seeing what fate holds for 13.
Featured Image of 13 (Aurora Ribero)
Poster and Featured Image of The Shadow Strays (2024/Indonesia) Movie | All the pictures are credited to Netflix.