Headshot
Description
An amnesiac tries to piece together his violent history in this vigorously brutal flick starring Indonesian martial arts master Iko Uwais (The Raid, 2011). Found bruised and battered on a beach, a young man is brought to a local island hospital and put under the care of comely med student Ailin (Chelsea Islan). A Melville fan, she calls him Ishmael, and together they try to piece together his history. It’s a race against time, though, because crime legend Mr. Lee (Sunny Pang), who has full knowledge of Ishmael’s past and a vested interest in curtailing his future, has diabolical plans for them both. The two directors of Headshot, known collectively as the Mo Brothers, show an expert talent for the genre, unveiling a multi-layered plot alongside some very visceral action sequences. From the bruising prison escape that opens the film to a rapid-fire punch-out in a forest, the fight choreography (credited to “Uwais Team”) pulls no punches and uses a variety of imaginative weapons as Ishamel draws ever closer to the insanely wicked Mr. Lee and the truth of their history together. Featuring a memorable supporting cast of villains, including badass knife-wielder Rika (Julie Estelle), Headshot is an absolute knockout. —Rod Armstrong
Kimo Stamboel knew he wanted to make films since he was a child, but his parents made him go to business school first. He met Headshot co-director Timo Tjahjanto during a film production course at the School of Visual Arts in Sydney, and they proceeded to work together on several projects including Macabre (2009) and Killers (2014), calling themselves collectively the Mo Brothers. He cites works by Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Stanley Kubrick, and Alfred Hitchcock as influential to his own process.
Timo Tjahjanto became interested in films as a teenager, beginning with Hollywood blockbusters and then branching out to cinema of all genres. He has cited the humanitarian themes in Akira Kurosawa’s work and Roman Polanski’s explorations of personal fears and phobias as influences on his own filmmaking. He has just started pre-production on his first solo feature, The Night Comes for Us, which will also feature Iko Uwais in a lead role.
Trailer
//player.vimeo.com/video/207678761?autoplay=1Film Details
Language Indonesian
Year 2016
Runtime 117
Country Indonesia
Director Kimo Stamboel, Timo Tjahjanto
Producer Mike Wiluan, Sukhdev Singh, Wicky V. Olindo, Shinjiro Nishimura
Writer Timo Tjahjanto
Editor Arifin Cuunk
Cinematographer Yunus Pasolang
Music Fajar Yuskemal, Aris Prayogi
Cast Iko Uwais, Chelsea Islan, Sunny Pang, Julie Estelle