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Merantau

Merantau

Action · Drama · Thriller · 2009

In Minangkabau, West Sumatera, Yuda a skilled practitioner of Silat Harimau is in the final preparations to begin his "Merantau" a century's old rites-of-passage to be carried out by the community's young men that will see him leave the comforts of his idyllic farming village and make a name for himself in the bustling city of Jakarta.

Movie details

Merantau

“Every journey must begin with one small step.”

2009 Action · Drama · Thriller 2h 14m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

In Minangkabau, West Sumatera, Yuda a skilled practitioner of Silat Harimau is in the final preparations to begin his "Merantau" a century's old rites-of-passage to be carried out by the community's young men that will see him leave the comforts of his idyllic farming village and make a name for himself in the bustling city of Jakarta.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Merantau?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Gareth Evans

Written by

Gareth Evans

Iko Uwais

Iko Uwais

Yuda

Chika Jessica

Chika Jessica

Astri

Christine Hakim

Christine Hakim

Wulan

Mads Koudal

Mads Koudal

Ratger

Yusuf Aulia

Yusuf Aulia

Adit

Alex Abbad

Alex Abbad

Johni

Yayan Ruhian

Yayan Ruhian

Eric

Court is in session

Put Merantau on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.