Merantau (film)

Merantau
Directed by	Gareth Evans
Produced by	Ario Sagantoro
Written by	Gareth Evans
Starring	Iko Uwais Sisca Jessica Christine Hakim Donny Alamsyah Yusuf Aulia Laurent Buson Alex Abbad Mads Koudal Ratna Galih Yayan Ruhian
Distributed by	Merantau Films
Release date(s)	6 August 2009 (2009-08-06) (Indonesia)
Running time	135 minutes
Country	Indonesia
Language	Bahasa Indonesia

Merantau is an Indonesian martial arts film released on August 6, 2009, produced by Merantau Films, directed and written by Gareth H. Evans, and starring Iko Uwais. It introduces a variant of Silat known as "Silat Harimau" (Tiger Silat) and a Minangkabau tradition known as Merantau.^[1]

Plot

To follow the Merantau tradition, Yuda, a Minangkabau from West Sumatra, a master in the art of Silat, leaves his home to seek experience and success. He plans to teach Silat to the children of Jakarta. He finds that the address where he was meant to stay has been torn down, so he becomes homeless. His wallet is stolen by a child named Adit. Chasing the thief, Yuda then encounters the thief's sister, Astri, quarrelling with her boss, Johnny. When Johnny begins abusing Astri, Yuda intervenes. Yuda saves Astri but instead of gratitude, he is rebuked because she had become jobless as a result. Yuda becomes Astri's protector as two high-class European thugs chase after her with the intent of enslaving her in the foreign sex trade. Yuda must fight to save Astri.

Cast

• Iko Uwais as Yuda
• Sisca Jessica as Astri
• Christine Hakim as Wulan
• Mads Koudal as Ratger
• Yusuf Aulia as Adit
• Alex Abbad as Johni
• Yayan Ruhian as Eric
• Laurent Buson as Luc

Production

Cinematographer/Director of Photography: Matt Flannery.

Using Camera with medium P2

Coreography : 6 months from May–November 2006 Shooting 4 months

First shooting: 7 hours and 62 takes

Close the road in front of Pondok Indah Mall, Jakarta from 10 pm to 5 am for 3 consecutive days

Promotion

• Todd Brown (4 May 2009). "Nearly Three Minutes Of Extreme Ass-Whuppery! The Trailer For Merantau Arrives!". TwitchFilm.net. http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/nearly-three-minutes-of-extreme-ass-whuppery-the-trailer-for-merantau-arriv/. 

Reception

The movie had a mostly positive reaction from cinema critics.^{[2] [3]}

The film also received film awards such as the Audience Award, Honorable Mention at Fantastic Fest 2009^[4] and Best Film at Action Fest 2010^[5]

References

1. ^ "Gareth evans and iko uwais talk merantau". Twitch Film. http://twitchfilm.com/interviews/2009/02/gareth-evans-and-iko-uwais-talk-merantau.php. Retrieved 2011-03-21. 
2. ^ Brown, Todd (2009-07-23). "PiFan 09 Review: MERANTAU". Twitch Film. http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/pifan-09-review-merantau/. 
3. ^ Kurniasari, Triwik (2009-08-02). "`MERANTAU' revives Indonesia's martial arts in film". The Jakarta Post. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/08/02/merantau039-revives-indonesia039s-martial-arts-film.html. 
4. ^ "Jury Winners & Audience Winner at FANTASTIC FEST 2009 Announced!". Ain't It Cool News. http://www.aintitcool.com/?q=node/42562. Retrieved 2011-07-06. 
5. ^ Marsh, James. "News: UNDISPUTED 3, 14 BLADES and MERANTAU Win At Action Fest 2010. Chuck Norris Declines Lifetime Achievement Award!". Twitch Film. http://twitchfilm.net/news/2010/04/undisputed-3-14-blades-and-merantau-win-at-action-fest-2010-chuck-norris-declines-lifetime-acheiveme.php. Retrieved 2011-07-06. 

External links

• Official website
• Merantau at the Internet Movie Database