With a resounding 92 per cent score on Rotten Tomatoes, 2018 Indonesian action thriller The Night Comes for Us is a masterclass in raw storytelling and visceral intensity.
Written and directed by Timo Tjahjanto, the project was originally conceived as a script, then adapted into a graphic novel, before eventually culminating in its release as a film.
Reuniting Joe Taslim and Iko Uwais, who iconically appeared together in The Raid: Redemption, The Night Comes for Us also stars Julie Estelle, Sunny Pang, Zack Lee, and Shareefa Daanish.
Packed with intensely brutal fight sequences that are immeasurably high on gore, The Night Comes for Us is centred around a former triad enforcer, Ito (Joe Taslim), who betrays his gang to protect a young girl from the crime syndicate, resulting in him becoming the target of the triads and the legions of deadly assassins sent his way, including his childhood best friend, Arain, portrayed by the indomitable poster boy of Pencak Silat — Iko Uwais.
Addressing his preparation for the film, Joe Taslim said in an interview with Film School Rejects: “All the credits for choreography, I think, goes to Iko Uwais and his team. They design all the fights, the structures. He would jump in to give his ideas to shape the fights, to freshen up the tone of the movie and stuff. This movie was supposed to happen actually in 2014 and something happened so it has to be in a coma.
“So we trained actually three, four years ago for the movie. We refreshed the training but we changed a little bit of the choreography.”
In 2022, director Timo Tjahjanto shared that while a sequel to the film “is still not official”, he is hopeful. Tjahjanto had publicly confirmed previously that he had developed a story for the sequel that focused on Julie Estelle’s character, The Operator.
Deadpool and Cable co-creator Robert Liefeld showered high praise on the film and its director as he took to X (formerly Twitter) to commend the movie.
Although criticised for the violence and gore depicted on screen, the actioner floored critics across the board, with one saying: “This is incredibly violent to the point of disturbing. Nonetheless, the fight scenes are some of the best I’ve ever seen. But this is a very dark and depressing story.”
Another critical review of the film added: “The Night Comes For Us is a dynamite two hours and for those of us missing the action films of old, it’s a breath of fresh air.”
Conjecture regarding the film evolving into a franchise ran abound, with one critic saying: “Action fans could hardly wish for anything more than what’s served up in The Night Comes for Us. The film’s hardcore constituency will be wanting more of this from [Timo] Tjahjanto, and a sequel, prequel, or even franchise would not surprise from here.”
Another review said: “An utterly thrilling ride from the first second to the last, The Night Comes For Us is one of the best action movies of recent years.”
Audiences were left equally thrilled after watching the film, with one viewer commenting: “As a die-hard action fan, I went into this movie with high expectations—and it still managed to blow me away. The action sequences are intense, brutal, and beautifully choreographed. It’s a full-on adrenaline rush from start to finish. This one’s a must-watch for any action junkie.”
Another audience review said: “I still come back and watch this film from time to time. I love the fight choreography. Even after watching it a few times, I still cringe on a few moments when I see blades go in places they shouldn’t. This is right up there with The Raid films for me.”
One viewer felt that Hollywood has a lot to learn from Indonesian action films, as they wrote: “Quick, gruesome, stylish which personifies Indonesian movies. Iko Uwais and Joe Taslim were awesome as usual and Hollywood should learn from them.”
And one audience member couldn’t stop gushing about the movie’s brilliance: “Absolutely fantastic movie. Some of the best action directing and some of the best action choreography I’ve ever seen. The relationship between Iko and Arian is incredibly tragic and compelling. Exceeded my expectations in every way.”
The Night Comes for Us is streaming on Netflix.