
“Can’t kill what’s already dead.”
Ito
The Raid put Indonesian action cinema on the map and The Night Comes For Us seeks to invoke a similar magic by lifting two of its stars and placing them in a similar world of crime, betrayal and relentless violence. Timo Tjahjanto’s film is not so precisely constructed as Gareth Evans’ masterpiece, telling a broader story of a Triad enforcer being hunted after sparing a young girl’s life, seeking help from his old gang to keep her safe. The action, not the story, is the focus and there The Night Comes For Us excels with the sort of kinetic close-quarters fights that leave floors slick with blood, punctuated by detailed injury effects. Though there is occasionally novel camera work like a rig that sits behind an actor and rolls with their perspective, many of the fights blend together as they unfold in visually indistinct grey-green concrete spaces. Standout sequences include a meat-locker brawl and a three-way battle between female killers every bit as violent as their male counterparts. The Night Comes For Us may not improve on its inspirations but, if you have the stomach for it, this is a solid addition to the genre.
7/10
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