The story begins in 1860 California and transitions to Java in the Indonesian Islands some six months later, just long enough to establish that a pair of brothers learned enough cowboy skills in the American West to take on villains in their home country. Traditional shoot 'em ups are interspersed with exciting martial arts choreography, some of which is quite stunning and brutal. A couple of knife throws finding their mark are also well staged and delivered, but for the life of me, I have to wonder why film makers can't get their players to learn the proper technique of shooting a bow and arrow. This is the second film in recent months I've seen in which a character, Kiona (Pevita Pearce), grips the arrow with her fingertips instead of placing the nock of the arrow between index and middle finger. With a very taut bow, one wouldn't be able to pull back on the string with fingertips. A minor nit-pick I know, but it just seems a silly thing to get wrong. That other film by the way, was 1974's "Devil's Possessed".
The villain of the story is a maniacal Dutch landowner (Reinout Bussemaker), with the usual assortment of thugs employed as henchmen. Younger brother Suwo (Yoshi Sudarso) dispatches a couple of those handily in a fierce saloon fight. I have to say, that crazed looking wild woman was my favorite, too bad she had to leave the picture so soon, but she had it coming. That battle resulted in Suwo returning the skull of a dead son back to his grieving elderly mother, a feel good moment for the oppressed citizens of the village.
A minor twist in the story occurs when Uncle Arana (Tio Pakusadewo) reunites with his wife, presumed dead, but forced into servitude by villain Van Trach. Arana finds her beaten and raped by the master, portending an ominous outcome for both sides. I guess one isn't supposed to question how older brother Jamar (Ario Bayu) made a comeback from getting shot three times by Van Trach at the finale, but it just wouldn't do for the pair of heroes to both wind up dead. In keeping with time honored movie Western tradition, the brothers say their final good byes and ride off into the proverbial sunset, but I wonder in this case if it was into the East.
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