Headshot

Vertical Entertainment | Release Date: March 3, 2017

6.8	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 31 Ratings

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JamesFrankelJun 18, 2017

Don't expect anything close to The Raid: This one is much boring.
I think in essence, it tries to be an 'emotional' action movie, with more focus on characters, drama, etc. than the actual action, and that's how it turns boring: The story isDon't expect anything close to The Raid: This one is much boring.
I think in essence, it tries to be an 'emotional' action movie, with more focus on characters, drama, etc. than the actual action, and that's how it turns boring: The story is pretty bland and mediocre and the characters are just not interesting enough to care for. The action scenes suffer a lot from this, which also in general are rather slow-paced and full of moments where 'suspense' is supposed to be created, but it doesn't work. There are lots of cheap chinese kung-fu movies where the action scenes are much more fun to watch than the one's in Headshot.
Raid 2 was also somewhat slow-paced and with lot of non-action scenes, but later, it did deliver, which Headshot just doesn't. It's just another mediocre action movie that you don't need to watch, especially, if you're hoping for something even distinctly as fun as the Raid movies.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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andrewmakatsariMar 4, 2017

Headshot is a brutal, stylish and extravagantly adrenaline-filled joy-ride, full of inventive and energizing camerawork and fantastic choreography by its lead star, as well as a touching tale of a man in conflict between his nature and theHeadshot is a brutal, stylish and extravagantly adrenaline-filled joy-ride, full of inventive and energizing camerawork and fantastic choreography by its lead star, as well as a touching tale of a man in conflict between his nature and the way he was nurtured, that gives the film enough emotional depth to justify the extreme displays of violence.

The Mo brothers can already be praised for being ballsy enough to allow our leading man to act beyond his chops of kicking ass and taking names, Iko has a troubling past, one that he himself is not too proud of and there are many instances where he's genuinely sad and regretful when his former compatriots slaughter dozens of innocents to lure him out, and his quest for redemption, identity and ultimately the one person who cared enough not to judge him at his most vulnerable state and to take him as a person trying to change his ways is captivating and touching really, you root for this guy beyond him being played by a charismatic presence, you root for him because the script is clever enough to give just enough angelic feathers to the devil, to turn Iko's character both into Ishmael and the white whale, the allegories to Herman Melville's novel are clear and impactful. The rest of the cast, most reoccurring from Iko's Raid films, do a fantastic job as well, Zack Lee and David Hendrawan play eccentric Tano and Tejo, literally brothers in arms, who are probably the most ruthless and sadistic of villain Lee's gang. Lee himself being played masterfully by Singaporean Sunny Pang, whose cheeky, cold but always appealingly cool antagonist gets a great backstory and lots of moments to shine, while his knowledge of kung fu, gives him an edge of experience and a feeling of reverence, like an old man unbounded by age and motivated by anger and revenge. Hammer Girl(Julie Estelle) and Baseball Bat Man(Very Tri Yulisman) play Rika and Besi, experts in close quarters combat, both give enduring performances that unveil more about Ishmael and his true self, while the doctor that had the fortune or the misfortune of taking in a man with a harsher, rougher and more treacherous past than that of Jason Bourne, is sympathetic and honest, Chelsea Islan did a great job of being a damsel in distress that stood strong when most in her situation would fall and even managed to pull some tricks out of her sleeve too.

Sleeves get pulled, eyes get gouged, bodies get burnt, throats get slit, bones get broken, typewriters get used A LOTTA AWESOME **** HAPPENS OKAY ?! Featuring creative choreography by Uwais and sharp cinematography by Yunus Pasolang, The Mo Bros prove to be just as adept at crafting action sequences and rocking the action genre as their Welsh Indonesian auteur Gareth Evans, maybe a little rougher and less steady but just as clear and even more vicious. Each and every fight feels different and extensive to the point of climactic and nerve-racking meltdown, the film's unending use of everyday objects made for everyday life duties being used as tools of deadly fatalities is thrillingly satisfying, telephones, lighters, spent bullets, paper cutters turned machetes and machetes themselves, all of these objects used in a fashion Bourne would use(had he not been a **** and been directed and taught by people with balls of steel and muscle for martial artistry) is immensely entertaining. The police station fight is screeching with tension and buildup with lee's gang coming in hard and fast taking out the whole police department as our lead protagonist is tied to a table with a machete wielding psycho, this is superb action film making by setting the stakes and establishing the constant destruction of the environment around the character as an effective way of designing new and seemingly inescapable death scenarios, so when the character comes out victorious in the end, you feel a wave of calm and relaxation wash over but also further alarm as you know that things are far from over. The last 40 minutes of the film is an ascending and ever evolving gauntlet of one on one boss battles, where the films drops guns and holds no bars as we see savage skillful beat downs between characters that used to be tight like family, it's heartbreaking if it ain't bone-breaking first, Besi, Rika and Lee have different fighting styles outside of the now infamous Indonesian Pecak Silat(which is still very prominent in the film) and seeing the mashup of different martial arts and how they expose weaknesses and get crushed by the strengths of one another is enthralling and intricate, making Headshot a great example of not only how to do action but how to vary it too.

Headshot is another great genre piece from a country so deft at making them, full of strong performances from the cast, impeccably visceral choreography and kinetic camerawork, and detailed, hard-hitting choreography, The Mo Bros crafted one of the best action films that can proudly stand beside The Raid films.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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back_in_1939Mar 3, 2017

it might be Ordinary.the Fighting scenes was Mesmerezing.but the Dialogue & Drama Sequences was Turd.unnaturally.Mo Bro shoul learn more how to write Dialogue,even they're knew how to Pitch a Good Idea.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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LeZeeFeb 4, 2018

No matter what, the bad past always hunts you down!

Like everybody, I was anticipating 'The Raid 3', instead I got this one. Iko Uwais is not just a rising star, he is making Indonesian films internationally recognised. But seems as fastNo matter what, the bad past always hunts you down!

Like everybody, I was anticipating 'The Raid 3', instead I got this one. Iko Uwais is not just a rising star, he is making Indonesian films internationally recognised. But seems as fast he's rising, as fast he's sinking. The reason is heavily relied on martial arts. In real life, he himself an artist too. But taking into the account like from Tony Jaa, and Hong Kong, Chinese film industries. That's a one generation thing. To keep the industry on the float in the long term, it takes good stories and performances, alongside good production.

'The Raid' duology was good, but not lucky anymore. Basically, this is the same pattern with different characters and situations compared to those two titles. The stunt fans might enjoy it, but what terribly lacked in this film was the a good story. The majority of the film goers, including film critics believe in that. Hence it did not deliver as expected. By the way, this is a generation of CGI film like 'Mad Max: Fury Road'. Yet some kids from the 90s still love to see a pure martial art films.

It is an action packed film. A gangster theme. The day when a notorious gangster leader named Lee escapes the prison, a young man was found unconscious on the beach, then he was treated by an aspiring young doctor. Lee finds out about this amnesiac man and sends his finest men to retrieve him. But nothing goes as planned. The confrontation between them slowly restores his lost memory. Defeating all the fighters, he's set for the final standoff against Lee which will bring an end to the narration.

❝You saved me before. I need you to save me one more time.❞

The production was good, though the performances were ordinary. Because all the focus were the action sequences. At least I expected decent dialogues. It was a weird romance platform, a sub-genre. Romance can blossom anywhere, anytime, but weakly developed to believe it the least. Not the best martial art film too. There were some twists in the narration, but none were surprising enough. The film would have achieved a better result if it had done well in the stunt parts. I'm sure there will be some people who would like it or liked it. I usually like martial art films, but not this one, not my cup of tea.

Sometimes the opening does not matter if the rest of the tale recovers well. Very clichéd initiation, but it did not get better. Especially the conclusion was a big let down. The entire film was leaned on Iko's role. Also the character Lee was too much hyped. In between them, the rest of the cast was discarded. Overall, I don't think they have missed an opportunity in here, because I felt nothing were designed so well to be a decent film at any level. From familiarity to the predictability, the storytelling never had the upper hand to get better. Some people think it is worth watching at least once, but according to me not. All I would say is it's your call.

4.5/10… Expand