While it can be discouraging to have to sort through all of the chaff on Netflix to find something worth watching, exceptional content does occasionally rise to the top. That is certainly the case this week, as the Indonesian action thriller The Shadow Strays jumped up the streamer’s top 10 movies chart, making it the latest of many international hits for Netflix.
“After nearly botching a mission, Codename 13, a prodigal assassin, found herself suspended from further duties,” Netflix explained in the synopsis for the movie. “The killer teen meets Monji, a young boy who lost his mother to a crime syndicate. When Monji disappeared, 13 turned on setting a path of destruction to find her only friend… even at the cost of defying her mentor and the organization she belongs to; The Shadows.”
You might not have heard of this movie until right now, but writer and director Timo Tjahjanto has made a name for himself in the horror scene. The Indonesian filmmaker previously directed May the Devil Take You as well as segments in V/H/S/2 and V/H/S/94.
There have only been a limited number of reviews at the time of writing, but they’ve been largely positive, praising the relentless action. “Creative methods of killing and maiming are Tjahjanto’s specialty, and they fly at the viewer at a furious pace,” reads AV Club’s review.
As long as you don’t mind over-the-top bloodshed and a somewhat bloated runtime (2h 25m), it is clear that there’s plenty of fun to be had in The Shadow Strays.
Tjahjanto recently announced that he will be directing Nobody 2, the sequel to the 2021 action film starring Bob Odenkirk as a former government assassin. If you want a sneak peek at what he brings to the table as a director, why not start here?
