In all certainty, Timo Tjahjanto’s sprawling, bloody, rip-roaring opus of violence, penance and redemption in The Night Comes For Us is meant to be more than just a one-off for action fans. Point in fact, Tjahjanto himself hinted on Twitter about his own hopes to act on the momentum created by the film to build a cinematic world in which there is more to the story than the one led by Joe Taslim in the role of gangland enforcer-turned-bodyguard and avenging angel of death, Ito.
The film also introduces fan favorite, actress Julie Estelle – of The Raid 2 and Headshot fame – in the mix opposite Taslim for the enigmatic role of The Operator, an assassin assigned to take out leading members of Ito’s criminal underworld known as the Six Seas. She’s never formally introduced in the film and depths of her motives for appearing in the movie aren’t quite established – frankly, she’s just there to kick some ass, and she does plenty of it in spades.
Still, and especially considering all of the cryptic posting that Tjahjanto habitually does via Instagram, that leaves questions about what exactly was the Operator’s role in the film? What were her origins? And more importantly, who is controlling her? And why? For this, we may get a film out of Tjahjanto that explores this inquiry just yet provided all the numbers are there at the offices of secretive streaming service so as to validate a new installment.
Of course, this brings us to what Netflix Indonesia has just aired now in the form of a “deleted scene” in which Estelle’s The Operator reconvenes with her handler, The Night Manager, played by actor Epy Kusnandar – best known as Topan, the crimeboss who runs the porn den in The Raid 2. Here’s the wind-up and the pitch:
Shortly after her confrontation with Ito, The shadowy Operator, now conflicted, visits her overseer, the Night-Handler. This scene elaborates further the complex world behind the TNCFU universe; Foreshadowing The Operator’s mysterious employer, a yet unknown organization that has a part to play in the hunt for the Six Seas.
The clip illustrates something very much revealing about the entrenched connection between these two figures, which also may explain a bit more about the Operator’s own psyche with respect to her skillset. It’s also a hugely world-building tool as far as we’re all concerned as all this does is make us curious about what the Operator is really all about. And it makes me want this movie even more.
In the meantime, if you haven’t caught onto The Night Comes For Us – an endeavor that took Tjahjanto close to seven years to develop and complete against all odds – ask anyone who loves Asian movies and martial arts action cinema and they’ll echo similar sentiments. Watch the movie on Netflix, and then stalk Tjahjanto hardcore on Instagram until the Operator gets her day on screen too.