The Night Comes for Us isn’t a horror film, though the title suggests otherwise. It’s an action thriller from director Timo Tjahjanto, who previously helmed the segment “Safe Haven” in V/H/S 2 with Gareth Evans, Killers with his partner Kimo Stamboel (billed as the Mo Brothers), and Headshot with Kimo as well. The Night Comes for Us is a solo outing for him, and he proves without question he’s a talent to be reckoned with. The film premiered on Netflix October 19th, so you have no excuse not to run home and watch this brilliant piece of action cinema.
Ito (Joe Taslim) is a Triad enforcer who finds himself in a tough position. He and his associates are sent to wipe out a small village for interfering in their business. They do so and the sole survivor is a child named Reina (Asha Kenyeri Bermudez), who he’s supposed to kill. When it comes time to pulling the trigger, he turns his weapon around on his own men and saves her. After having crossed the family, he calls in a few favors and tries to do what he can to get Reina to safety. The Triad family calls in all of their henchmen to kill them, including an old friend of Ito’s, Arian (Iko Uwais), who will be rewarded handsomely if he successfully takes him out.
The story is actually pretty generic, but I’m of the mind that in an action, the story isn’t always that important. The story is just a setup to bring the audience what they’re watching the flick for in the first place: action. The Night Comes for Us delivers top-notch action like most have never seen before. During its two hour runtime, I’m pretty certain that eighty to ninety minutes is pure, insane, and brutal action. I opened this piece with a comment about it not being a horror film, which it isn’t, but it is one of the most bloody, gruesome, and gory movies you’ll see this year. When someone gets punched, they blood, not a trickle, blood sprays everywhere. Limbs are broken, severed, and even blown up on many occasions. I even yelled out “Holy shit!” at least three times while sitting in my living room alone on my couch.
Iko Uwais not only starred as the main villain, but he also served as action coordinator. He has really outdone himself on this picture and gone to help create something unique. Filmmakers in the states tend to miss the point of expertly choreographed fights and shoot using close-ups and quick cuts. Cinematographer Gunnar Nimpuno expertly captures the action by following it closely with the camera using wide shots so nothing is ever missed.
Uwais is mostly known for his good guy roles, but in The Night Comes for Us, he’s terrific as the bad guy. He and Joe Taslim have shared the screen before in the Gareth Evans’ masterpiece The Raid: Redemption. The two have a terrific chemistry and when it comes down to the final confrontation, the tension built up between the two truly comes to a satisfying conclusion. The supporting cast is just as exciting, especially The Raid 2 alumni Julie Estelle and Zack Lee. Tjahjanto is an exciting talent to watch and whatever he does next will most certainly catch my attention.
The Night Comes for Us is an exhausting and violent action masterpiece, a movie to revisit as much as possible. Since it’s a Netflix Original, my question is: will it get a physical media release in the United States? Even though it’s just a click of a button away, this is a film I want a physical copy of and if it’s not released here, hopefully an import will be available. Until then, it’s currently available on the streaming service, so don’t hesitate!
