It comes as no surprise that the latest effort from Timo Tjahjanto is yet another bare-knuckle brawl masterpiece. The man who brought us such gems as Killers, Headshot, and the V/H/S/2 segment “Safe Haven”, which he co-directed with The Raid’s Gareth Evans, it’s become sort of an expectation that each new attempt at carving out a world where men use their fists to settle skirmishes is going to be nothing short of show-stopping. The Night Comes For Us is no exception, as it serves to prove that in this day and age where star-studded superhero flicks and CGI-filled Michael Bay movies reign supreme, the most thrilling foray into action movie madness is still just good old hand-to-hand combat and well-choreographed fight scenes.
Starring Joe Taslim as Ito, the film follows the basic structure of a hitman gone rogue with an endless stream of killers hot on his trail. An agent of the “Six Seas”, a Jakartan gang held responsible with protecting a Southeast Asian passage where illegal goods are smuggled, Ito decides he’s had enough when he duties demand him to murder an innocent little girl after the troop with whom he resides burns the girl’s village to the ground. Instead of fulfilling his orders, Ito turns his weapon on his own brethren, guns down his comrades, scoops the girl up into his arms, heads home, and prepares for the worst. And oh, rest assured, the worst is coming.
Although they once called each other brother, Ito’s longtime friend Arain (The Raid’s Iko Uwais) has now been sent to kill his longtime friend, and it’s a mission he intends to see through to the end. What follows is a long and gloriously bloody battle, filled with wall-to-wall action, cringe-inducing knife wounds, and a shocking and wonderfully creative look at how absolutely every single inanimate object in the room can be turned into a weapon if wielded properly.
Skillfully framed by director Tjahjanto, who, along with his talented cinematographer Gunnar Nimpuno, keeps the camerawork just as alive and in the moment as the fights themselves, the combat laid out by master choreographer Iko Uwais is simply astounding. Masterfully laid out, much of the most exciting moments and hardest hits land in the smallest spaces, as Uwais somehow finds a way to turn certain circumstances like a four-by-four room in the back of a truck into a perfect stage to throw some of the hardest punches ever seen onscreen.
As expected, Iko Uwais and Joe Taslim, along with The Raid 2’s Zack Lee in the hilariously titular role of “White Boy Bobby” are absolutely incredible as they mercilessly use billiard table cotton pockets filled with pool tables and janitorial caution signs and well-placed pushpins and smashed bits of wine bottles to beat the ever living daylights out of each other, but perhaps one of the most exciting and unexpected aspects of the film is just how powerful the female fighters in the film prove to be. Uwais and Taslim may control most of the runtime, but the only reason why Taslim’s Ito continues to live after coming into contact with one of these ladies is because she allows him to do so – a spectacular step forward for all womankind, and really, just a stupendous way to be these tough guys in their place.
Despite the fact that this film is filled to the brim with nonstop action, the fight scenes never feel repetitive because they’re shot so well by Tjahjanto and crew. Also, while the little girl who Ito saves from the hit squad arguably only serves as a McGuffin to move the plot forward, the emotional connection that she brings to the audience helps keep the viewer engaged in the storyline, even though, in all honesty, the story has little do with why audiences will and should show up to see this one on the big screen. Brutal, pulse-pounding, and wholly electrifying, The Night Comes For Us is undoubtedly one of the most electrifying action movies in years, thus solidifying Tjahjanto as a master of the modern day fight scene, a title which he has rightly earned.
