SILAT WARRIORS: DEED OF DEATH: Areel Abu Bakar’s Celebrated Malaysian Martial Arts Thriller Nabs June And July Release Dates On Hi-YAH!, And On Digital, Blu-Ray And DVD
Director Areel Abu Bakar’s debut breakout actioner, Silat Warriors: Deed Of Death, proved to be a hit with some deserving prospects. It was last month when our own Cathy LaFrance managed to sit in for an online zoom discussion sponsored by NYC-based Columbia University’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month organization, and took a great deal of note down about the film’s history, meaning and much more. Here’s an excerpt:
Director Abu Bakar, who spoke courtesy of the translator, said he was initially derided for deciding on a martial arts film. Most Malaysian films tend to be romances or family dramas, which are less expensive to make. Also serving as the movie’s cinematographer, Abu Bakar had a lot riding on this endeavor. He cast many first-time actors, 90 percent of whom are practicing martial artists who were trained in silat. But his risk seems to have paid off. He recounted the warm reception to the film in Malaysia itself, with citizens coming to theaters wearing more traditional Malaysian garb — and remembering their silat heritage.
Cathy LaFrance, @FCSyndicate
The film proudly screened for audiences on hand for the 19th New York Asian Film Festival which garnered praise for Abu Bakar last year, earning the movie the Daniel A. Craft Award for Excellence in Action Cinema. I reviewed the film for its festival entry previously titled as Geran from its local 2019 Southeast Asian release and you’re welcome to take a gander at my review here. For now though, Well Go USA’s release of Abu Bakar’s celebrated feature debut should more than suffice with an exclusive Hi-YAH! release on June 4, followed by a disc release on July 6.
Read on:
When their younger brother brings a ruthless criminal gang to their door, a family must fight together against the threat in the action-packed martial arts epic SILAT WARRIORS: DEED OF DEATH, which will debut exclusively on the martial arts streaming service Hi-YAH! on June 4, before hitting Digital, Blu-ray™ and DVD July 6 from Well Go USA Entertainment.
In addition to actors Namron (One Two Jaga, Dukun, Redha) and Fad Anuar (Dollah Superstar, TV’s “KL Gangster: Underworld”), first-time film director Areel Abu Bakar selected much of the talent from martial arts training facilities and competitions in order to give a sense of realism the exciting action sequences. His first-time actors include Khoharullah Majid, Feiyna Tajudin, Taiyuddin Bakar, Megat Shahrizal and Azlan Komeng.
SILAT WARRIORS: DEED OF DEATH won the Daniel A. Craft Award for Excellence in Action Cinema at the 2020 New York Asian Film Festival, the first Malaysian film to win the award.
Synopsis:
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.
Native New Yorker. Been writing for a long time now, and I enjoy what I do. Be nice to me!