Mondo Cane

The Golden Cane Warrior (2104) is another one of those streaming martial arts movies that I watch when Ms. Spenser is working. Since the dialog is in another language, it doesn't distract her. Usually that language is Chinese, but this one was different. When I heard "Terima kasi" ("thank you" in Bahasa), I realized that this was an Indonesian film.

It is pretty much the usual martial arts film - an old woman has defeated many enemies and trained their children in martial arts. She tells one that she will inherit the Golden Cane, which makes a warrior unbeatable. This causes two of her other students to turn on her and steal the cane. It's nice to see an equitable mix of men and women in this world, but other than that, this is pretty standard stuff. There is some ikat cloth but not a lot of Indonesian feel to it. I would have liked to see some kris (wavey knives) fighting, some gamelan music, etc.

Still, a good little movie, with some nice cinematography, and decent acting. The fights aren't the greatest, but not too shabby. Well worth a watch.

Update: I'll admit it, I visited Indonesia a few times in the 80s - maybe 20 days total. As a result, I have an immense knowledge of Indonesian culture. I had a terrible time resisting the temptation to load this review up with every Indonesian think I know about - like pencak silat, Barong dance, shadow puppets, nasi goreng, and bir Bintang. I hope you appreciate my restraint.