Gundala, a masked vigilante played by well-known Indonesian actor Abimana Aryasatya, faces off against the assassin Swara Batin played by Silat master Cecep Arif Rahman at a dark and harrowing railroad crossing. The assassin just finished eliminating a group of bodyguards and only Gundala stands in the way of his target. A fight ensues, both showing their mastery of Indonesia’s native martial art of Pencak Silat. Yet in order to win this match, Gundala relies on his super strength that he obtains from lightning.
The film was recently released to USA markets in 2020 and on YouTube movies in July 2021, yet originally released in 2019 in Indonesia. The character Gundala was created in 1969 by Harya “Hasmi” Suraminata — considered as the “Stan Lee of Indonesia”. It is the first installment in the Bumilangit Cinematic Universe (BCU), a series of Indonesian superhero films. The film came on the heels of the success of Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise.
In a lawless Jakarta ruled by thugs and criminals, Sancaka (Gundala as a boy) manages to survive a dreadful childhood to realize his mission of defending the poor and underprivileged. As the first in a possible series, the movie focuses on him finding and realizing his powers and fighting off the rampant corruption in the city.
The fight scenes were choreographed by real-life Pencak Silat master Cecep Arif Rahman – who has featured in multiple martial arts flicks such as The Raid. Ben Johnson who writes for kungfumovieguide.com shares his thoughts about the film:
“The inclusion of subplots and new faces at late notice makes the story frustratingly disorientating, and have been added purely as a calculated exercise in setting up the sequel. Interestingly, considering the film is based within the realms of fantasy, most of the action is deeply rooted in realistic hand-to-hand combat, choreographed by real-life silat master and martial arts star Cecep Arif Rahman – albeit lacking the visceral crunch and wince-inducing moments you might expect to find in more R-rated Indonesian fare from directors like Gareth Evans and Timo Tjahjanto. The fight scenes are a refreshing tonic to the more CGI-laden smash-’em-ups you find in Marvel films. More rewarding is seeing a country like Indonesia – not known for its glossy, big-budget, high-concept cinema – punching way above its weight in terms of producing the kind of popcorn movie that could easily stand up against any of your standard Hollywood blockbusters. It’s far from perfect, but it’s an audacious and valid effort.”
Ben Johnson – Kung Fu Movie Guide
One of the more memorable fight scenes is when the young Gundala (Sancaka) is learning how to fight from another young street boy named Awang — played by Faris Fadjar Munggaran, who is the eldest son of the Silat master Cecep Arif Rahman. In the movie, after rescuing Sancaka from multiple attackers, Awang agrees to train Sancaka – using traditional methods of Pencak Silat training.
The movie is currently free on Youtube to watch. Be sure to click on the Closed Caption button (CC).
