Without hitting theaters, Netflix releases the best action movie of 2024, a production that makes the most of the fiercest choreography in contemporary cinema.
The social revolution that brought Indonesia to the polls in 2004 has given us one of the best action movies of 2024, if not the best. As crazy as this union of concepts may seem, that change in the Asian country started to be felt abroad when, after the censorship ended, local filmmakers began to tell their stories.
Timo Tjahjanto, who managed to study in Australia to avoid the legal limitations that the arts faced in his homeland, returned determined to build a career behind the camera. After a good collection of titles, he released the epic double feature in 2018 of the terrifying “May the Devil Take You” and “The Night Comes for Us,” a new gospel of carnage that could now be surpassed by a spectacular, wild, and heartbreaking title.
“The Shadow Strays” debuts directly in Netflix’s movie catalog, set to become the best action film of 2024. Timo Tjahjanto continues to prove that he is the most capable active director in maximizing the potential of contemporary cinema’s most ferocious choreography. His mastery of the camera follows the protagonists’ blows without losing speed, adding an extra rhythm to the work of exceptional stunt performers. Among them, Aurora Ribero and Hana Malasan stand out, two magnetic actresses who, after months of intense training, deliver impressive performances throughout a frenetic and irresistible runtime.
With references ranging from “A Bullet in the Head” (John Woo, 1990) to “Kill Bill” (Quentin Tarantino, 2003/2004), the plot of “The Shadow Strays” follows a young assassin who decides to help her neighbor, a boy who has lost his mother to one of the most powerful and dangerous criminal organizations in Jakarta. The constant flight from the past intertwines with the relentless quest for vengeance in a story that is now fluidly told, thanks to its aptly minimal ambitions.
Tjahjanto’s kinetic filmmaking has evolved since he premiered “Macabre” in 2009 alongside his colleague Kimo Stamboel. He has mastered the craft with enviable skill, honed through excellent action films like “Killers” (2014) and “Headshot” (2016). His gripping storytelling captivated audiences during that double feature in 2018. The Indonesian director also delivered one of the best recent horror films with the sequel “May the Devil Take You Too” (2020) and began his relationship with Netflix through the entertaining “The Big 4” (2022). Now, he prepares for a definitive leap into the U.S. market with two of the most exciting productions of 2025: “Nobody 2,” a direct sequel to “Nadie” (Ilya Naishuller, 2021), starring Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, and Sharon Stone, and “Last Train to New York,” a remake of the essential “Train to Busan” (Yeon Sang-ho, 2016).
