212 Warrior | aka Wiro Sableng (2018) Review

“Wiro Sableng” Theatrical Poster

Director: Angga Dwimas Sasongko
Cast: Vino G. Bastian, Sherina Munaf, Marsha Timothy, Fariz Alfarizi, Happy Salma, Dwi Sasono, Yayan Ruhian, Cecep Arif Rahman, Lukman Sardi, Ruth Marini
Running Time: 123 min.

By Matija Makotoichi Tomic

212 Warrior could have been a step-up for Indonesian action cinema. Co-production with Fox International Pictures, first for any Southeast Asian movie, secured a substantial budget, and the award-winning director Angga Dwimas Sasongko was brought to the project to secure this boat has a good captain. The involvement of local talent didn’t stop there. Taking over duties of the film’s fight choreographer was silat maestro Yayan Ruhian, joined by Jackie Chan’s former stunt team member Man Ching-Chan as action director. Pairing of the two was a choice that must have put many worried minds at ease, action was in safe hands. 

On top of this what-could-possibly-go-wrong team up, 212 Warrior is based on a highly popular series of novels written by Indonesian author Bastian Tito. The role of Wiro, probably the most beloved heroic figure in all of Indonesian literature, was given to none other than Bastien’s son, former model-turned-actor Vino G. Bastian. All of this could have meant one thing only, 212 Warrior was the hottest Indonesian blockbuster to be unleashed upon the local cinema audiences in years.

Judging from the box-office figures, 212 Warrior succeeded in becoming a hit domestically, but for a spoiled western fan hungry for some hard-hitting silat action, it proves to be quite a letdown. Rather than borrowing the tried and tested spectacular fight fest formula, 212 Warrior continues the tradition of Indonesian martial arts fantasies of the 80’s, such as The Devil’s Sword or Jaka Sembung movies, replacing contemporary setting for a more fantastical one. I was wondering how these movies would look like if made in this day and age, and I have to say the answer to this question is indeed a disappointing one. 

Combining the classic good vs. evil theme with the many times tried simplistic revenge plot, as well as an obvious inspiration drawn from the classic kung fu movies, 212 Warrior doesn’t take long to reveal its flaws, and soon enough it becomes apparent that the next two hours are going to be painful to sit through. It all starts with a night raid on a small village. Enter Wiro, a boy still at a very young age, who’s parents get killed in front of him by the ruthless bandit Mahesa Birawa (Yayan Ruhian, The Raid 2). Wiro only luckily avoids the death grip himself, thanks to the white haired silat guru Sinto Gendeng (Ruth Martini, May the Devil Take You), who takes him as her student and trains him in preparation for revenge. Seventeen years later Wiro is ready, and now armed with a Dragon Axe, sets out to fulfill his destiny. While on the lookout for Mahesa, he finds out about the young prince being abducted and a planned coup d’etat that threatens the kingdom, so he decides to put his skills to good use. Helping him fight are his new friends whom he have met along the way, female warrior Anggini (Sherina Munaf) and a pig-faced fatty (Fariz Alfarazi).  

With the budget money clearly wasted on digital effects, but also invested in sets and costumes to a good result, 212 Warrior becomes another barely watchable CGI adventure. For the sake of future generations, I hope audiences will find CGI charming some thirty or fifty years from now, the way we find men in rubber suits or Harryhausen’s claymation creatures when revisiting old films today. Unfortunately, there’s almost nothing charming about 212 Warrior, and while not being treated to a good movie already, one could at least hope for an entertainingly bad one. Alas, Sasongko doesn’t have the magic touch of one Arizal or H. Tjut Djalil, as it takes a special kind of skill to make a bad movie that can entertain the fans, even if such a ride calls for an acquired taste. 

Instead, Sasongko’s piece is rather an example of a movie standing in its own way to be any better than it is, partly because it’s tragically silly. Even though that silliness is intentional for the most part, it doesn’t change the fact it’s of the kind that makes you wanna leave the theater. All the clowning in front of the camera results in a few moderately entertaining moments scattered throughout the never ending two plus hours. The one doing most of the clowning is Vino Bastien, whose performance was clearly inspired by Jackie’s brand of physical comedy and the unique flavour it gave to some of his best known comedic kung fu hits. However, Bastien is not Jackie, nor is he Barry Prima, who’s silly copy he comes across as here, and his goofing around is annoying above anything else. 

It is not so much a question of the wrong ingredients with 212 Warrior, it’s just that once cooked together for two hours, the dish served is one you’d rather spit than chew. It was Yayan’s time to shine and save what can be saved, after all action made worse films watchable. However, that’s not the case here. Yayan does look good delivering silat chops, but that’s about it. There’s not a single decent fight in the movie, and Cecep Arif Rahman’s role is less than forgettable. Action here is just as bland as the otherwise interesting characters you couldn’t care less about, or the story that fails to engage its audience.

With all this being said, it’s probably hard to believe I actually support projects such as this one, and I do hope this is the first of many to come. I also hope for a better end result next time. 212 Warrior sadly failed to meet the expectations, be it as one of the latest Indonesian action offerings, or just another one of Fox’s potential Asian hits. Projects helped coming to life with this company’s money include movies such as The Yellow Sea and The Wailing among others. Regardless of the fact Indonesia can in no way be compared to South Korea when it comes to their movie industry, how was one not to expect more? 

Matija Makotoichi Tomic’s Rating: 2/10