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Directed by: Ifa Isfansyah
Starring: Christine Hakim, Nicholas Saputra, Reza Rahadian, Eva Celia, Tara Basro, Aria Kusumah, Landung Simatupang, Whani Darmawan, Slamet Rahardjo, Darius Sinathrya, Prisia Nasution
Running Time: 112 minutes
Running Time: 112 minutes
Original title: Pendekar Tongkat Emas
A certain move in the martial arts that can be the ultimate weapon, betrayal, a prime weapon, disciples vs teachers, loyalty and a mysterious stranger posessing a certain skill that can help the protagonist win the battle, those are elements of a good martial art stories.
Once upon a time, before the fire nation attacked, I mean before the time of social media, martial art stories written on pulp papers are a hit in Indonesia. Kids and adults love those stories that fires up imagination. But those time is long gone.
Once upon a time, before the fire nation attacked, I mean before the time of social media, martial art stories written on pulp papers are a hit in Indonesia. Kids and adults love those stories that fires up imagination. But those time is long gone.
It was also decades since the last time Indonesian movie scene filled with local martial arts movies. In the 2010 you can count only several Indonesian movies with martial arts in it, and they were mediocre. Most Indonesian movies relies heavily on pre sold ideas such as adapted from popular books.
So this one, titled The Golden Cane Warrior in English, comes as a fresh of breath air since it is not an adaptation from a popular book. It is, by all means, original. But it also means that the stakes are high, thus this is why Ifa put marquee name in it.
So this one, titled The Golden Cane Warrior in English, comes as a fresh of breath air since it is not an adaptation from a popular book. It is, by all means, original. But it also means that the stakes are high, thus this is why Ifa put marquee name in it.
Without explaining where and when this happened, the audience must accept that this is some sort of pseudo past in Indonesia. Cempaka (Christine Hakim) is the golden cane master. She has four students; Biru (Reza Rahadian), Gerhana (Tara Basro), Dara (Eva Celia), and Angin (Aria Kusumah). Her students were the offsprings of her enemies. When Cempaka decides to give her golden cane, that's when the story got interesting.
As a film, this one is good. But it also pose a serious problem, most actors here are not martial arts actors/actresses, so they have to train really hard to fight with cane. But in the acting department, they are good. I think it is not a problem at all, although most action happened in close up, I can see that their training really pays off. But in years to come, Indonesia really need several martial arts actors/actresses that can really act. An all in one package.
The pseudo past is good, I don't mind that it does not specify at certain time or area in Indonesia. Some might question why do these people use cane not swords or other weapons, and why does the style looks like a wushu? Why cane? There are no explanation apart than this from of martial arts with cane can defeat other weapons.
Perhaps this is the personal choice made by the scriptwriters, and perhaps by this they tried to fire up the martial arts genre in Indonesia. But I am a bit pessimistic since not all Indonesian movie producers wants to go through long and arduous process of training and location hunting for just a movie. Most just want to make more with less production cost but this is an example how going the extra mile will get extra credit from the audience.
As for the visuals, I like how the cinematography blend with the story. Some beautiful establishing shots seamed smoothly into the film without trying to show off. Ifa Isfansyah, also a director of Sang Penari, proves that he can tell a simple and beautiful story that can engage common people. If you wonder, the location is in Sumba, East Indonesia. In conclusion, The Golden Cane Warrior is a visual gasm journey with a simple story.
