Netflix's 'greatest' gangster movie with fans all saying same thing

Irish Daily Mirror

06-05-2025

Scoring a massive hit with a 92 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, the 2018 Indonesian action flick The Night Comes for Us is an unapologetic display of pure storytelling and intensity that grabs you by the throat.
The brainchild of Timo Tjahjanto, who both penned and directed the movie, it began life as a screenplay, morphed into a graphic novel, and finally exploded onto the screen as a full-blown cinematic experience.
The film reunites Joe Taslim and Iko Uwais of The Raid: Redemption fame, along with Julie Estelle, Sunny Pang, Zack Lee, and Shareefa Daanish, delivering a powerhouse cast.
The Night Comes for Us doesn't hold back with its fight scenes – think dizzyingly brutal and gratuitously bloody – spinning the tale of ex-triad enforcer Ito (Joe Taslim) who goes rogue to save a young girl from the gang's clutches, thus putting himself in the crosshairs as his former cronies and a legion of ruthless killers—led by childhood friend and Pencak Silat sensation Iko Uwais as Arain—hunt him down.
Diving into his role, Joe Taslim opened up to Film School Rejects saying: "All the credits for choreography, I think, goes to Iko Uwais and his team. They design all the fights, the structures. He would jump in to give his ideas to shape the fights, to freshen up the tone of the movie and stuff. This movie was supposed to happen actually in 2014 and something happened so it has to be in a coma.", reports the Express. The film is streaming on Netflix now (Image: (Image: Eriekn Juragan/Netflix))
"So we trained actually three, four years ago for the movie. We refreshed the training but we changed a little bit of the choreography."
In 2022, director Timo Tjahjanto shared that while a sequel to the film "is still not official", he remains hopeful and had publicly confirmed that he has created a storyline centred around Julie Estelle's character, The Operator.
Deadpool and Cable co-creator Robert Liefeld expressed immense admiration for the film and its director, as he posted on X (the new Twitter) lauding the work: "Give Timo Tjahjanto ALL the money for Deadpool 3! ! ! ! Holee mother of God, I have seen the future of action films and it is TIMO TJAHJANTO! !".
He also highlighted the influence of Indonesian cinema on global action movies and suggested that these filmmakers should be given major comic book properties to adapt: "The Indonesian cinema is providing so much influence on action films worldwide. Give these filmmakers big comic book IP's to play with. Heck, even a stand alone Cable film under the helm of @Timobros would break the mold."
While the film received some flak for its violent content, the consensus among critics was overwhelmingly positive. One critic acknowledged the extreme nature of the violence, stating: "This is incredibly violent to the point of disturbing. Nonetheless, the fight scenes are some of the best I've ever seen. But this is a very dark and depressing story." Fans all say the same thing (Image: (Image: Eriekn Juragan/Netflix))
Another reviewer praised the film's impact on the action genre, remarking: "The Night Comes For Us is a dynamite two hours and for those of us missing the action films of old, it's a breath of fresh air."
Speculation is rife that the movie could expand into a full-blown franchise, with one critic saying: "Action fans could hardly wish for anything more than what's served up in The Night Comes for Us. The film's hardcore constituency will be wanting more of this from [Timo] Tjahjanto, and a sequel, prequel, or even franchise would not surprise from here."
Another critic was equally impressed, adding: "An utterly thrilling ride from the first second to the last, The Night Comes For Us is one of the best action movies of recent years."
Viewers are also sharing the buzz, with one delighted fan saying: "As a die-hard action fan, I went into this movie with high expectations-and it still managed to blow me away. The action sequences are intense, brutal, and beautifully choreographed. It's a full-on adrenaline rush from start to finish. This one's a must-watch for any action junkie."
Echoing the sentiments, another said: "I still come back and watch this film from time to time. I love the fight choreography. Even after watching it a few times, I still cringe on a few moments when I see blades go in places they shouldn't. This is right up there with The Raid films for me."
Taking a dig at Hollywood, another viewer praised the distinctive style of Indonesian cinema, as they said: "Quick, gruesome, stylish which personifies Indonesian movies. Iko Uwais and Joe Taslim were awesome as usual and Hollywood should learn from them."
An audience member was left totally wowed by the film's excellence, raving: "Absolutely fantastic movie. Some of the best action directing and some of the best action choreography I've ever seen. The relationship between Iko and Arian is incredibly tragic and compelling. Exceeded my expectations in every way."
The Night Comes For Us is streaming now on Netflix.