Genre: Drama / Thriller
Running Length: 1:20
Cast: Zahiril Adzim, Rosdeen Suboh, Ario Bayu, Asmara Abigail, Timothy Castillo, Iedil Putra, Azman Hassan, Amerul Affendi
Director: Nam Ron
Screenplay: Ayam Fared, Pitt Hanif, Nam Ron
What's this movie about?
ONE TWO JAGA, an indie film produced by Bront Palarae and directed by Nam Ron, is an important local release post GE-14. It's the first film in Malaysia that PDRM (Royal Malaysia Police) has approved which depicts the corruption within the Malaysia's police force.
The title of the movie is taken from the chant of the children game, "Police and Thief". For those old enough to remember, it goes something like, "Police and thief one two jaga. Police mati, pencuri jaga!"
The plot of this crime drama threads on grey morality; that thin line between the good and the bad, as it deals with police corruption and illegal immigrants.
Highlights!
- Finally a local movie which doesn't preach at you. I like how corruption is depicted here - it is what it is as a way of life as characterized by the partnership of Hassan, a senior cop and Hussein, a rookie. Also the similar approach is used effectively to chronicle the story of Sugiman-Sumiati, a brother and sister from Indonesia who works as foreign workers in Malaysia.
- Good performances from the main and supporting cast especially from Zahiril Adzim who plays the rookie cop, Ario Bayu the hardworking foreign labourer and Amerul Affendi a loose canon with a heart. (Interestingly, Zahiril, Amerul and Iedil Putra have acted together in Pekak, a 2016 local production which I enjoyed)
Lowlights
- Pacing issue. I have no problems with slow burn thrillers but the uneven pacing somehow made the film draggy and boring during some parts.
- Too many characters. Perhaps the problem with the pacing has got to do with an unnecessary story dedicated to a cash-strapped Filipino immigrant (Castillo). The filmmakers could have omitted that whole story line altogether and focused on the stories of Hassan-Hussein and Sugiman-Sumiati.
- Bleeped out dialogues and blurred out images. If only the censorship board allowed these parts to pass through, it could have showcased a more realistic day-to-day life of our characters.
ONE TWO JAGA is a mashup of Denzel Washington's Training Day and the current foreign labourers situation in Malaysia.
Despite an unnecessary side plot and the uneven pacing, the third act redeems itself. Not as explosive as Denzel's "King Kong ain't got sh*t on me!" conclusion in Training Day but it's memorable nevertheless.
The intertitle ending reminded me of the alternate Infernal Affairs cut which markets like us and China got. Personally, it's not the ending I wanted. That said, this movie is definitely an important stepping stone for more gritty and realistic Malaysian cinema to come.
RATING: 7.5/10
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