Ikatan Darah

Nothing particularly special here aside from the The Raid-style fight choreography, which is easily the film’s strongest aspect. The plot feels thin and generic, and the main character lacks the kind of presence that makes me sympathize with him. The villains and overall storyline are also painfully cliché.

One thing I genuinely liked, though, was the lawn mower scene—it felt more intense than most of the actual fight sequences in the movie. Another thing: I honestly couldn’t find any real connection between the title and the story itself. Throughout the film, I kept trying to understand how the title related to what was happening onscreen. What exactly was this movie trying to say? In the end, it mostly just comes down to Bilal’s impulsive behavior because of gambling.

One extra star for Macan, though—exactly the kind of cliché villain I still enjoy watching.