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Last updated: 05 Jun 2026 at 08:21 UTC

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Review of by David G — 02 Jan 2013

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After being blindsided by last year's outstanding The Raid, I was eager to check out director Gareth Evans'/star Iko Uwais' debut feature Merantau. It's a solid debut with some great fight sequences and stunts and one hell of a ballsy ending but - and I hate to say this - it's really nothing special.

The story is very conventional (naïve country boy moves to big city, takes a stand against gangsters) and you'll be getting a bad case of deja vu from the damsels in distress and evil white men who want nothing more than to chug expensive whiskey and exploit the locals.

If you're a fan of The Raid though and haven't seen this, it's well worth checking out. Iko Uwais is a joy to watch in action and as an added bonus, the guy can act too!

This review of Merantau (2009) was written by on 02 Jan 2013.

Merantau has generally received positive reviews.

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