Headshot

Vertical Entertainment | Release Date: March 3, 2017

6.8	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 31 Ratings

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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

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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.

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CameAug 20, 2019

Headshot is super awesome and entertaining. Iko Uwais kick's ass as the rest of the cast. The R rated works brilliantly since this film is bloody fun.

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janwe04Mar 12, 2022

I love this movie so much. Iko Uwais is my favorite actor, and he had a perfectly designed role in this!

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