Dukun (2018) User Reviews

Underrated horror gem

[blackzinnanthemum · 8/10 · 10 April 2018]

One of the few horror flicks that have come out of Malaysia I can say I actually enjoyed. Though the movie feels a little choppy and disjointed at first, everything eventually fleshens out to an eerie, unforgettable finale. The film has a distinct David Lynch feel throughout, especially in the scenes involving Diana Dahlan's nightclub which just screams of Twin Peaks and the Black Lodge. It also has the awkward, unintentionally comedic dialogue that has become central to Lynch's style. However, I feel like the director has cut the movie way too short. Many of the characters and elements of the story have been left undeveloped and leaves the viewers with more questions than answers. I know many movies purposely do this to inspire discussion and dread within the audience, but somehow it did not work for me in this particular movie.

Overall, a firm 8/10 with strong leads from Umie Aida, Faizal Hussein, Ramli Hassan and Elyana.

Surprisingly good

[lazarus_grd · 8/10 · 7 April 2018]

Coming from a country where anything branded unislamic is banned ( as this movie was for 11 years) I was pleasantly surprised when I found the acting and directing extremely good . The plot has a few loopholes and unexplained characters but overall the loosely based storyline and acting held the movie together.

Dukun sets a high benchmark for local movies

[zelomatobap · 8/10 · 2 September 2018]

Yup,this coming from a moviegoer that never have an interest to watch local movie at cinema.Dukun marks as my first.I'm actually aware that the film is not an actual horror film like the way it was advertised in the trailer.You can see these dissapointed reviews are mostly coming out from people that actually expected this to be a movie full of jumpscares and spooky things.Firstly,Dukun is more like a crime/thriller film that mix with court room drama and some horror elements though.The first minutes of this film,it already absorp me to its own atmosphere and the mood that mostly malay movie fail to do so.The hunting ost and great cinematography actually helps the film to build the mood of an actual crime film that you will see in some hollywood film,i cant describe it properly so hope you understand this.Why does it sets a high benchmark?Production value.The cinematography,score,sets,special effects,film editing can put any local film to shame.Not to mention the acting,Umie Aida brings her best yet performance and Faizal Hussein should get a mention too.Pacing and editing is the key to make a crime/triller film good,and this film managed to do a very good job on that which suprising for a local film standard.

Final word,this film got my vote for Best Picture for the FFM award and yes including Best Cinematography,Best Ost,Best Music Score,Best Director,Best Film Editing and Best Actress.

True Mona Fandey Witchcraft Remake

[countessdaniellevondelus · 17 October 2011]

This movie explores story about Malaysian black magic practicing.

Dukun is a 2007 Malaysian horror film. The film is loosely based on the true story of the murder of a Malaysian politician, Datuk Mazlan Idris, by Mona Fandey, a once mildly popular Malaysian singer in 1993. The film was originally slated to be released in December 2006 but as of today there were doubts as to whether the film will ever be released for public screening due to the controversial nature of the film.

The word dukun is a Malay word meaning "witch doctor" or "shaman". Another term for this word is bomoh.

In 1993, Datuk Mazlan Idris, who was also a parliamentary assemblyman at that time, had apparently sought the services of Mona Fandey, her husband Affandi, and another helper Juraimi, to help him boost his political career. Mona Fandey and her partners claim to possess supernatural powers as bomohs. The assemblyman had apparently brought a substantial amount of money for this service and ritual. During their appointment Mazlan was murdered. His decapitated and dismembered body was found nearby Mona Fandey's residence. Mona and her accomplices were arrested and a highly publicized and sensational trial for Mazlan's murder ensued in 1994. They would eventually be convicted of murder and sentenced to death. They were hanged in 2001 in Kajang Prison. It was believed that Mona Fandey had uttered the words "aku takkan mati" ("I will never die") with her infamous grin just before her execution. The phrase also became the tagline for this film.

The film plot is loosely based on the true events above. In the film, the murderer and main character is Diana Dahlan, played by Umie Aida. The victim was Datuk Jefri played by Adlin Aman Ramlie. The film is narrated by Diana's lawyer, Karim, played by Faizal Hussein.

The family of Mona Fandey have voiced their dissatisfaction over the content and basis of the movie after announcement of the film release. The producers have since then denied that the film is wholly based on the true events, but that it was merely inspired by those events.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this movie to the indie horror fans out there. Dukun is 100% disturbing, blood-lusty and satanic. Enjoy!

Solid if slightly underwhelming Malay horror effort

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 7/10 · 21 August 2018]

Awaiting trial for murder, a woman accused of ritualistic acts is defended by a skeptical lawyer who tries to help showcase her powers in order to help him find his long-lost daughter, but as the trial continues and her true intentions become known he questions his judgment in taking the case.

Taken solely as a straightforward film, this has some rather enjoyable elements. One of the more worthwhile elements to this one is when the film focuses on horror which happens enough to be quite chilling at times. Starting off with the discovery of the dismembered body found in the ritualistic condition and manners offers a strong entry point that is greatly enhanced by the rather chilling sequences in the prison. Forcing the inmates in the cell with her to act in mannerisms strongly suggesting possession, from contortion and speaking in tongues to licking the cell-wall and attacking those sent in to calm them down, all of which makes for a great setup into the later half where the film provides plenty of dark rituals shown in great detail. Featuring animal sacrifice, blood rituals and dismemberment alongside tribal dancing customs and various other practices, these scenes carry quite a fine sense of darkness playing off the ritualistic actions being presented as well as offering up the quantity being showcased. The most chilling scenes that take place here are the further outbursts the possessed undergoes in her cell, shown to be visibly scratching her body and writing messages in blood which look brutal and quite graphic overall. While these help raise the film, there are a few problems. The biggest drawback is the way it plays its storyline out, since this is primarily told as a courtroom-based drama it really doesn't offer much interest for most of its running time. Sitting around listening to the two people go through the case doesn't make for a compelling watch, as not only is the technical jargon with all the different formalities and legal-speak that goes on in a trial rather boring to get through and mostly consists of watching people sitting in chairs recounting memories, a process which isn't that exciting. It's a common trope of films set in courtrooms which manages to be highlighted once again here by this one going through those motions for the majority of it's running time. That makes the flashbacks to the interactions of the witchdoctor and how she performed her rituals to feel rather disorienting and chaotic so the pacing is quite disjointed. That is what mainly holds this one back.

Rated Unrated/R: Violence and Language.

Expected more substance and relation to the real murder

[lin-16085 · 6/10 · 9 April 2018]

The real Mona Fandey case 25 years ago shocked the nation.

To me, this movie was not an adaptation to Mona Fandey case because the story line, the characters and the character's (death) sentencing is totally different.

Umi (as Diana Dahlan, the Dukun) did a great job in her acting and it is her acting that makes it a watchable movie.

There were a lot of loop holes in this movie. The guy who controls the lawyer's daughter is not a murder suspect? Why her assistant did not face the gallows like her?

The storyline can be more exciting if more suspense is created when the lawyer and the detective do the search for the lawyer's daughter. It is unclear and somehow waste of time seeing them search at places with nothing achieved as there were 'forces that is blinding their search.' That was absolutely unclear.

Bear in mind this movie was made 12 year ago. I appreciate those days when special effects were not overused. The characters of this movie are down to earth real without airbrush or Photoshop effect. The narrative and story line is slow but full of discovery.

Watch it if you have an appreciation of good old Malay movies with old scenes, buildings and vehicles.

Entertaining!

[revolutionatic · 6/10 · 17 April 2018]

I was pleasantly surprised that this movie was not bad. It was a fun and entertaining movie. I could not recall any jump scares but the show kept me interested due to its creep factor and mysterious plot.

The story is nothing ground-breaking but it was coherent. I understood what was going on throughout the movie. As cheap entertainment, it did its job.

The movie is not truly a horror movie in my opinion. It is more of a court room drama and a crime mystery with demons added on. I would liken it to the Exorcism of Emily Rose. Although horror does play a major part, it did not feel important. If the movie had kept the paranormal element vague and open-ended, I think the movie would have fared better.

As for the acting, the main character did a great job and her performance was utterly stellar.

So, if anyone wants to give this movie a try, I would recommend it if you have nothing better to do and need a quick movie to spend some time during your leisure. Be that as it may, there are better movies you could watch.

Does Dukun Receive a Welcome Invitation after 12 Years of Hiatus?

[iamianiman · 5/10 · 13 April 2018]

After a long wait, 12 years to be exact, Dain Said's first feature movie "Dukun" is finally showing in Malaysian cinemas. "Dukun" centers on Karim (Faizal Hussein), a lawyer who is in a desperate search for his lost daughter who went missing after an argument. While searching, he is assigned to defend an alleged murderer, the seductive yet sinister Diana Dahlan (Umie Aida), in court. As the two meet to discuss about Diana's trial, she reveals that she practices black magic and offers a deal to help search for Karim's daughter using illegal mystical methods.

Umie Aida, who plays the titular role of "Dukun", which means shaman, stole the show completely with her outstanding performance. She perfectly balances Diana's bipolar characteristics, switching from being seductive to lure her victims, to showing her evil possessed-like manner when she holds her ritual. Every scene involving Umie Aida is fun to watch because of her character's unexpected personality.

Not forgetting Faizal Hussein who also did a great job in portraying two different personas, one as a desperate father seeking for help to find his daughter, the other as a confident lawyer who shows no mercy when in the middle of a court battle. It is easy to sympathise with his character, knowing that his confident pose is just a façade hiding his despair.

Knowing that "Dukun" is essentially a 2006 movie, one must praise Dain Said's efforts in creating something different for the local movie industry, by making a movie with such a challenging concept that not only has an excellent social commentary but also separates itself from the typical Malaysian genre, which is primarily comedy and horror. He also purposely tells "Dukun" in a non-linear way, keeping the audiences on their toes so that they do not miss out on any important details. The director successfully captured the underground world of black magic and portrayed it in a form that is easy to understand and accessible to the audience.

Overall, "Dukun" is worth -to-not-worth the 12-year wait solely for Umie Aida's fantastic performance. Even if some dialogues seem outdated at times, you can't really blame the movie because it was made more than a decade ago. But with all the troubles "Dukun" faced, this is one movie that is sure to become the talk of Malaysians for years to come, whether it is about the movie itself or the making of it.

boring

[nurhidayahazahar · 1/10 · 11 August 2018]

Not as expected. very boring rhe first 30 minutes i closed thw movie

Dont expect too much

[aqish_poz · 4/10 · 6 April 2018]

Well, i thought i will watch such a dark story mostly about the Dukun but i was fooled by the trailer. All Diana Dahlan scenes are okay - not that scary tho only psycho if i can say. Cinema should take off the horror label for this movie on their site.

The investigation team scenes are the worst. Scripts are awkward the jokes are lame. Editing is not good. Super draggy and super boring. Feel like they just throw those conversation for the sake of film duration. It can be more compact so audience can feel the thrill in finding the truth about the case. They potrayed the scene like it was just a normal case they got everyday.

In the beginning of the movie they stated "9 months prior" to Diana's death sentence - the movie - LOL. i feel like those things only happened in weeks. The director unable to shows how much time passes after all the investigations etc.

It would be better if they actually more focus on a direction. Either the investigation process, Batak, lawyer or the Dukun. Its okay if they want to mix all these but it should be balance. All scenes should be good and able to capture audience.

Whats good is. Editing for diana dahlan scene when she doing her ritual - all those fake hands, crooked body is so damn real. Im afraid too look directly to her eyes. Haha i recite zikr continuously during this scene!

I was expecting more

[muhaini-mokhtar · 3/10 · 5 April 2018]

When I heard about the movie which is based from the true story that involves witchcraft, I was so excited and perhaps putting too much expectation. Old movie quality aside, there's too many gap to be filled. The main focus the movie is trying to show is how the continuation will be (if they're planning for Dukun 2). Some of the characters are just redundant, perhaps just to lengthen the screen time. It's more "gross" instead of "scary", which is very disappointing..