Director: Edwin
Screenplay: Edwin, Eka Kurniawan
Based on a Novel by: Eka Kurniawan
Starring: Marthino Lio, Ladya Cheryl, Reza Rahadian, Ratu Felisha, Sal Priadi, Kevin Ardillova, Kiki Narendra, Djenar Maesa Ayu
Country: Indonesia, Singapore, Germany
Running Time: 114 min
Year: 2021
BBFC Certificate: 18
I knew nothing about Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash before Arrow Video announced their new Blu-ray release of the film. Its title caught my attention though and when I read its description on the press release I thought the film sounded like my kind of thing, so I asked for a copy to review.
Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash is an Indonesian film directed and co-written by Edwin, who has enjoyed some festival success over the years, mainly with Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly and Postcards From the Zoo. It’s adapted from a novel by the acclaimed author Eka Kurniawan, who Edwin worked closely with on the script.
The story is set in Indonesia in the 1980s and sees Marthino Lio play Ajo Kawir, a young man who’s driven by a desire to fight. This violent rage may be linked to a problem that has plagued him since early adolescence, his impotence.
When approaching a man to beat up one day, he’s stopped by the target’s bodyguard, a young woman named Iteung (Ladya Cheryl). She puts up a better fight than he’s used to and, perhaps partly through being impressed by each other’s skills, the pair fall in love.
Ajo worries his impotence will prevent the relationship from going anywhere but the usually sexually forward Iteung doesn’t see this as a problem and is too much in love, so the pair go ahead and get married.
However, the cruel and aggressive Budi Baik (Reza Rahadian), who has a troubled history with Iteung but still lusts after her, is furious about the marriage and vows to make Ajo’s life a living hell.
Ajo also faces trouble in the form of ‘one last job’ he took on to set him and Iteung up on the right foot, financially speaking. He’s supposed to kill a notorious but ageing gangster. However, the target has gone AWOL. Whilst Ajo waits for him to return, he begins to have second thoughts about following through with the job.
Added into the mix is the mysterious Jelita (Ratu Felisha), a strange-looking woman who seems to rise up from a scrap heap to aid our downtrodden heroes.
It was the mix of genres described in the marketing material for Vengeance is Mine that appealed to me. Blending romantic melodrama, indie dramedy and action makes for a strange brew but the film balances these tones effectively, without awkwardly lurching between them. Those expecting this to be a straight-up action movie from the title will likely be disappointed though.
Each aspect is well executed. Strong central performances help sell the romance, with Cheryl and Lio displaying strong chemistry together. Cheryl has featured in a number of Edwin’s films and, judging by her turn here, it’s easy to see why he continues to use her skills.
The action sequences are great too. Inspired by martial arts movies from the era in which the film is set, the fights are viscerally realised, largely eschewing elaborately choreographed moves in favour of brutally realistic dust-ups. Many of Iteung’s moves are impressive and acrobatic but they never defy the laws of physics, so remain grounded in a level of reality. The relative grace of her moves also helps sell the idea that Ayo falls in love with Iteung following their initial bout.
There’s more to the film than just fighting and genre-bending though. Set in a period when the country was run in a militaristic fashion, it explores the idea that toxic masculinity was (and perhaps still is) a defining characteristic of Indonesian men and was pushed further forward through the ruling powers of the time. The film critiques this macho attitude, a sentiment that can be shared with audiences from different cultures too.
This idea is further explored in how both the male and female protagonists suffered from a similar sexual trauma when they were young but it affected them in different ways. Ajo was emasculated by his experience but tries to overcompensate through his fighting whereas Iteung becomes more masculine (traditionally speaking) and sexually forward.
The central couple is initially able to put sex aside in favour of a deeper love and understanding but the world in which they live, with its masculine focus, soon holds them back.
As interesting and relevant as the film’s central theme is, and as strong as many of the elements feel, Vengeance is Mine did lose some momentum for me as it moved on. It remains continuously intriguing, but it has a lazy pace that makes it feel like the film is dragging its heels, particularly in the second half, when the central couple is kept apart for a good portion.
Overall then, Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash is an odd duck that might not appeal to everyone but if you can tap into its unique style there’s much to admire and enjoy. Its slow-paced, melancholic approach made it feel a little underwhelming by the end perhaps, but the film was unique and thought-provoking enough to make me keen to watch it again. Plus it’s refreshing to see a new film that truly feels unique without rubbing your nose in quirk or bombarding you with a complex narrative.
Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash is out on 19th September on Blu-Ray, released by Arrow Video. It looks gorgeous, with the analogue material (it was shot on 16mm film) carefully transferred to digital, maintaining a natural look. You get 2 audio options, stereo and 5.1. I watched with the latter and it sounded clear and rich.
Special Edition Contents
– High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
– Original lossless Indonesian 5.1 and 2.0 stereo audio
– Optional English subtitles
– Brand new audio Q&A with co-writer/director Edwin
– Over an hour of behind-the-scenes footage from the film set, organised into 13 episodes
– The World Behind Vengeance – over 80 minutes of interview featurettes with the cast and crew
– Video diaries from each day of shooting
– An hour of readings from the original source novel, featuring multiple cast and crew members
– Deleted scenes
– Theatrical trailer
– Image gallery
– Reversible sleeve feature two choices of artwork
– FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Josh Hurtado
The Q&A with Edwin provides a strong overview of his intentions and approach. It’s a must-watch, particularly for anyone without the time to go through the epic collection of cast and crew interviews.
The book readings, which run close to an hour in total, are a wonderful addition, particularly as they are enhanced by interviews with the cast and crew discussing each excerpt. They’re also illustrated by animated sequences.
The interviews and behind-the-scenes material (which is also edited with interviews) are very extensive, running to about 2 and a half hours in total. They cover a lot of bases and whilst there’s a little repetition of praise for the novel and discussions about its themes, it’s all valuable material.
The deleted scenes tend to give more backstory to characters or better explain some of the incidents in the film. They make things a little clearer but aren’t needed, so I’m glad they were cut out, as it would have made the film feel a little more conventional.
I didn’t get a copy of the booklet to comment on that, unfortunately.
Overall, Arrow’s disc provides an exhaustive set of extras for a worthy film. Fans of the more unusual side of world cinema should pick it up.
Disc/Package: