Since The Raid, it has been clear that you can expect really good action from Indonesia. This is also shown by a new film by a director who has already directed an action hit on Netflix. It seems to pay off as the film is currently at number 2 in the Netflix charts.
What film is it about? On October 17, 2024, the film Codename 13 (original title: The Shadows Stray) premiered on Netflix, and fans of action cinema might know the director, Timo Tjahjanto, as he has made an action film for Netflix, specifically The Night Comes for Us, a film that also made it onto our list of action movies for adults.
Indonesian cinema is particularly known for its hard-hitting and brutal action, with the most famous titles probably being The Raid 1 and 2. Brutal action also seems to attract great interest, as Codename 13 is currently ranked number 2 among non-English films worldwide and also holds second place in the Netflix charts in Germany (via Netflix).
You can find a trailer for the film here:
A new film for fans of The Raid and John Wick
What is Codename 13 about? 13 is a young assassin fulfilling contracts for a syndicate. However, a job in Japan goes wrong, and she loses. She meets a young child named Monji, who has lost his mother to a syndicate.
The boy seems to be quite valuable, as her old syndicate is after Monji and kidnaps him. 13, however, wants to save him and stands against her syndicate. Now she plans to try to get him back, risking everything for that purpose.
As seen in the trailer, the film promises one main thing: hard-hitting action. Everything is utilized: fists, firearms, or swords; everything seems to be used in the action sequences for the fight.
The film is also currently well-received by critics and audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 89% from 18 critics. Most viewers also seem to enjoy it, with the film receiving a user score of 84% from over 50 user reviews.
Where can you watch the film? Since October 17, 2024, the film has been available on Netflix and is likely only available there as a Netflix Original. It is still unclear whether a DVD or Blu-Ray release is planned, but based on experience, that seems unlikely. Fans of intense thrillers should check out this film: God is a bullet: In the new thriller rated 18, a star from Game of Thrones hunts down evil Satanists.
