Pengepungan di Bukit Duri

Not that I complain, well maybe a bit since I expected it to be Joko's take on (or his version of) The Raid based on the trailers alone, but it's still in the realm of good enough to see on the theaters. Acting was on spot; setting? No need to doubt, it's Joko; story or plot has some kind of depth, especially on its commentary on not just racism, but more importantly, on the long term effect of bad parenting. This movie is Joko's clear attempt on visualizing the famous African proverb: "A child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth", and he succeed because I already got the message from the first viewing. So lower your expectation down, it's not about the fight scenes, it's about the message on how we should move forward as a nation in real life.

7/10.

I was really interested after watching the trailer. This is one of the few Indonesian films that stray from the usual genre of horror or drama. The director is also one of the most famous Indonesian horror director that produced some of the recent better horror movie.

The trailer promised an action pack thriller with political commentary of recent events "relevant" to Indonesia current social economic condition.

After watching the movie i feel disappointed with the execution. The action is stretched so far and between. Too many unresolved plots, the racism depicted is cartoony. The dialog is awkward and watching it with English sub its comedic. It also suffer from thin plots and many contrivances making this movie borderline unrealistic.

The run time are bloated in my opinion, cutting irrelevant plot points could easily shaved down 30-40 minutes of this film.

Its a shame, the movie have so many potential. I think the cinematography is great but the script is lacking in coherence, it starts strong but rapidly going downhill and stagger to the finish. In the end it do disservice to the whole social commentary it lauded. Its not a bad movie per se but far for great, i believe Joko Anwar could be better.

Thrilling seat-edger, but drags nowhere.

As a long-time admirer of Joko Anwar's work, I watched a critic's review ahead of this release, which described him as one of Indonesia's most distinctive and promising directors, though it also suggested that his growth as a filmmaker may be distancing him from the essence that once defined his style. Having seen most of his entire filmography, I consider Pintu Terlarang and Pengabdi Setan 2 to be his most compelling, narratively coherent, and innovative works within their competitors. I've observed his tendency to deliberately distort the plot, seemingly to provoke discussion, which can be effective if it leads to meaningful resolution. Pengepungan di Bukit Duri marks his third consecutive work where I've questioned his overall quality and growth as a well-known Indonesian director, yet the consistently high expectations surrounding his work compel me to reconsider whether my critical stance might stem from a biased perspective rather than a true decline in his creative output.

Pengepungan di Bukit Duri. Discrimination. Violence. The only elements which dominate the film to such an extent that little else emerges from the narrative. While the main message has been conveyed early on, the plot's development feels constricted, resulting in a two-hour runtime that often drags in its attempt to deliver a point of social critique. From my perspective, Joko Anwar consistently excels in crafting compelling premises and captivating the first act, which successfully keeps the audience with intrigue. However, his recent works, including this one, tend to lose strength in the second act and stall entirely by the third. It increasingly feels like his plots start with great premise, only to lose momentum midway, leaving some spectators confused and unsatisfied. By the time I reached the third act, I found myself mentally overwhelmed by a relentless stream of conflict, both from the storyline and audiovisual design, without any pause of resolution. This continuous barrage creates a draining viewing experience. The film's sensitive content teeters between feeling authentic and artificial. Its buildup and visualization of certain acts lacks uniqueness to his other work, making it feel unnecessary and repetitive.

Some characters create gaps between the smoothness of the overall delivery, specifically Diana, which raises a great question about her mysteriousness and clarity of the character. For some followers of Joko Anwar's work, you must know what this mystery is related to.

That said, in terms of technical execution, Joko and his team remain exceptional. The production design, cinematography, and overall visual coherence are executed with a level of craftsmanship that commands respect. Even when the narrative falters, the visual presentation remains captivating which reinforces a good impression of a thoughtfully-made project. The audio design, which features a throbbing bass segment, dynamic action effects, and meticulous stereo mixing, enhances the immersive quality of the film and adds emotional depth, serving as a reminder of Joko's continued strength in sensory storytelling.

About a teacher named Edwin who searches for his sister's child, who was raped. It's set in a dystopian era with riots everywhere. Inspired by the racist riots against the Chinese in 1998.

The visuals are quite impressive, with Jokan's graphic, gory scenes. From beginning to end, we see slashings, stabbings, and burnings-all of them fantastically brutal. Personally, I was watching it with a shiver of joy and wincing.

Personally, i expected plenty of action. However, the transitions between the stories felt slow, and many of my expectations felt unfulfilled. Even so, Jokan managed to deliver another jaw-dropping ending.

In the end, this film successfully depicts and critiques all forms of racial issues that have occurred in Indonesia and also portrays the deplorable morality of schoolchildren. Whether it's violence or offensive language (ajg, bgst, ngentot)-it's all truly present here.

Anyway, keep this up, Bang Jokan!

Watched on April 22nd, 2025

The Siege at Thorn High (Pengepungan di Bukit Duri) didn't hold back delivering its grim and strong message, it's in your face right from the opening scenes. This movie tells us about lots of things but the one thing that sticks out and stays with me until I have no idea when is to never stop talking about our darkest times in the past. It's basically a cautionary tale and wake-up call for Indonesia if we want brighter days ahead of us. Education is one of the most vital things that helped a nation to be at its peak and it's baffling that there's even a place for outcast students that feels more like a goddamn prison where you learn nothing else than survival. The movie throws shade on a recurring issue, which is our government seemingly couldn't care less about education being accessible for everyone while keeping green-lighting any other less urgent and more concerning programs. This is a depiction of a country on the brink of collapse where the government has abandoned its own people. Jefri is pretty much a product of the past and the future if things are still the same because the only things he knows are violence, rage, hatred, and racism.

So far, this is Joko Anwar's most well-made movie as a whole. The overall production is solid and the entire superb cast made this journey thrilling and emotional. Morgan Oey should be a leading man in more action movies. Shaky cam in fight scenes is a thing that I always hated but it's tolerable here.