Hello Movie Maniacs
An action movie need not have a convoluted plot. There is no need for over the top action scenes loaded with VFX. Sometimes all that an action movie needs is a tight story line and believable characters.
Ben and Jody, an Indonesian action film has all those ingredients as mentioned above.
Credits
- Directed by – Angga Dwimas Sasongko
- Lead Actors – Ben (Chicco Jerikho), Jody (Rio Dewanto)
Plot
The story revolves around two friends who find themselves imprisoned by a gang of illegal loggers who are working at the behest of an evil company. Their motto is to scare away the villagers who are protesting to protect their coffee farms from the company.
An atypical sequel
This movie is a sequel to 2 movies starring the same characters Ben and Jody. The precursor titled “Filosofi Kopi (2015)” was a motivational drama story about two friends finding their dream come true. The sequel released in 2017 was a road trip adventure movie. This sequel is an action drama which makes it really appreciable that the entire genre of the franchise has been changed with such ease.
A realistic movie
There is no forced drama or deliberate attempt at pushing a love angle. The story flows quite effortlessly and is seeped in the ground realism. None of the character looks unnatural and exaggerated. The negative characters are not made to look cartoonish. Even the action scenes have been shot in such a way that they look believable. The lead protagonists do get hurt and there is no display of enhanced machismo.
Final Verdict
Overall it is a decent one time watch action movie. It may not be palatable for those who are used to watching over the top action sequences in Hollywood, or South Indian movies. It will also be not palatable to those habitual of watching overly melodramatic Bollywood fare. Yet, if you are looking to watch an action movie with ease, Ben and Jody will not disappoint you.
