Silat Warriors: Deed of Death Review: Bone-Crunching Fights in Beautiful Malaysian Scenery

Release date: July 6, 2021 (Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital)
Running time: 102 minutes
Directed By: Areel Abu Bakar
Starring: Namron, Fad Anuar, Khoharullah Majid, Feiyna Tajudin, Taiyuddin Bakar, Megat Shahrizal, and Azlan Komeng.

When a reckless young gambler’s wild lifestyle of illegal betting, drag racing, and brutal street fights pits him against a ruthless criminal enterprise, his luck finally runs out. The gang shows up at his father’s home to collect on the debt, forcing his family to fight in order to save their land—and his life.

Silat Warriors: Deed of Death is an action film through and through.  It feels like the film is set up to feature all sorts of wild action scenarios.  Do you want to see people fighting in a junk yard?  Of course you do!  Do you want to see an all out house brawl?  Sure why not.  Do you want a drag race on a bridge that goes across a picture perfect Malaysian ocean?  Vroom vroom!  The film feels like it is built to get these characters into these scenarios and then let the action happen.  And the action is very well done, with some of the most bone crunching, impactful fighting I have seen.  The hits feel like they have weight to them, which is a combination of the acting and the strong sound effects in the film.  And the fights are elaborate, involving hand to hand, weapons, and all sorts of locales.  There are fights in open areas, in confined spaces, and with environmental hazards.  And what I really liked about this film is that it featured a badass female fighter as well.  It wasn't just the men doing the fighting; the female character's fights were just as elaborate and her hits were just as strong.  I loved that she took on just as many bad guys as everyone else, and handled them on her own.  And the movie also has some nice storytelling effects, like a scene where it contrasts an older, more peaceful way of doing things with a wilder, younger, more rebellious scene.  This really highlights some of the themes of the movie and lets you see the contrast between them.

But although I liked the action in the film, there was a tendency to have it feel choreographed.  Although the hits themselves looked genuine, the fights would often play out in a series of steps.  With a strong kick then followed up with a slightly too long delay by the next move.  It made the fights feel more choreographed than they should have, and although they were still impressive physical feats, it didn't feel as natural as I was hoping for.  But most importantly, the film's story is pretty convoluted.  It is a double edged sword as the movie tried to fit in all these varied action sequences (which showcase not only fighting, but also some drag racing and car scenes) but this causes the story to feel convoluted and disjointed.  Like the choreography, it feels like a series of steps or scenes rather than a coherent story.  It is a shame as I liked the characters and the scenarios, but without a stronger story I just didn't' feel that connected to the overall film.  But that being said, there is a lot to like about Silat Warriors, especially if you are a fan of hard hitting fight sequences.

Silat Warriors: Deed of Death showcases some brutal hand to hand combat with a variety of fighters and scenarios, while also showing off some beautiful Malaysian scenery.

Rent it.

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Silat Warriors: Deed of Death is available on VOD, Digital, DVD and Blu-ray on July 6, 2021.  It is also available to stream on Hi-Yah! now!

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