The Golden Cane Warrior Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

The Golden Cane Warrior Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 4, 2015

There are a ton of interesting factoids about Indonesia, including tidbits like its size (thousands of islands), population (fourth biggest in the world), and even location (the islands that comprise the nation sit on both sides of the equator). Other data points include the prevalence of both volcanoes and nutmeg in the nation, but one area where there seems to have been at least somewhat of a deficit is in Indonesia’s film industry. Despite the fact that enterprising creatives have been making movies in Indonesia since at least the mid 1920s, few if any of the island nation’s efforts have really resonated worldwide. That lack of recognition may have begun to change with the release of The Raid: Redemption and its followup The Raid 2, though some who have been paying attention to Indonesia’s cinematic output might also want to include Merantau, a prior collaboration between The Raid’s director Gareth Huw Evans and star Iko Uwais in that fairly short list. Both of the Raid films featured a traditional Indonesian martial art known as Pencak Silat, albeit in a contemporary setting, something that may have at least slightly divorced the hand to hand combat style from traditional historical underpinnings that have informed films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Now Indonesia has offered up The Golden Can Warrior, a film that may not have the more florid sensibilities of outings like the Ang Lee spectacular but which is set resolutely in an ancient if unspecified past. The Golden Cane Warrior never shirks in the action department, but it’s a curiously ruminative affair for films of this ilk, starting with its meditation (delivered via voiceover) about what it means to be a warrior, where only one combatant can walk away with their life still intact. That gives The Golden Cane Warrior a bit more of an emotional anchor than many martial arts films sometimes manage to attain, though director Ifa Isfansyah also offers a number of set pieces to keep adrenaline junkies happy, while also serving up some jaw dropping vistas of various Indonesian locales.

Aside from its country of origin (which is also its setting), The Golden Cane Warrior starts out somewhat unusually by positing an elderly martial arts expert who just happens to be—female. That character is the wisened Cempaka (Christine Hakim), whose soubriquet is indeed The Golden Cane Warrior due to her mastery of a technique using a titular golden cane in a move that is guaranteed to vanquish any and all opponents. Cempaka has taken in several children of foes she has decimated through the years, training them to be the “next generation” of martial arts heroes (and heroines). However, only one of her acolytes can assume the mantle of Golden Cane Warrior, and therein lies some of the drama that the film explores.

The Golden Cane Warrior soon reveals that two of Cempaka’s charges have actually been plotting against her. Those are Biru (Reza Rahadian) and Gerhana (Tara Basro), who have perhaps divined that Cempaka has already pretty much made up her mind to appoint Dara (Eva Celia) as her rightful “golden cane heir”. When the nefarious machinations of Biru and Gerhana take Cempaka out of the picture, Dara bonds with Angin (Aria Kusumah), the fourth (former) student who had been under Cempaka’s tutelage. That sets up a relatively balanced set of pairs of combatants, with one male and one female on each “team”.

However Dara’s real goal is to learn the Golden Cane technique, something that Cempaka was not able to impart to her before certain other events intervened. That sets Dara and Angin out on quest to find a mystical teacher who evidently had some kind of past connection to Cempaka. The two ultimately come under the protection of Elang (Nicholas Saputra), who not so surprisingly has a connection to both Cempaka and the specially powered mystic they’ve been seeking.

Though The Golden Cane Warrior does in fact feature some martial arts sequences, those searching for a nonstop action blockbuster might be disappointed by the film's relatively more interior focus (despite some luscious exterior Indonesian footage). The film is probably better approached and/or appreciated as a character study told within the confines of a historical martial arts opus. The fighting therefore serves the plot and characters rather than vice versa.

While never very revolutionary or even innovative, The Golden Cane Warrior manages to create its own rather satisfying mood, one that is tied to the natural world in a very appealing way. The film repeatedly cuts to awe inspiring views of various lush Indonesian locations, at times introducing tiny human characters within them as if to emphasize how ultimately meaningless even the way of the warrior can be. That perhaps peculiar dialectic actually helps to reinforce a kind of humility that underpins characters like Cempaka and Dara, warriors who smite foes but who then offer mercy to the families of the fallen.

The Golden Cane Warrior Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Golden Cane Warrior is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. This Red shot feature boasts an attractively sharp and precise looking image, one that benefits immensely from some really spectacular location photography. Depth of field in some of the wide exterior shots in outstanding, providing views that seem to stretch on for miles. While not really aggressively color graded in any meaningful way, occasional scenes have a slight greenish or yellowish tint, neither of which detract materially from detail levels. In bright, natural lighting, detail is excellent. Some of the VFX and CGI can look a bit soft at times, but is never overly problematic. Contrast and black levels are both strong and consistent, and there are no issues with image instability.

The Golden Cane Warrior Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Golden Cane Warrior features a nicely immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track in Indonesian. While battle scenes are rife with surround activity, there are also quite a few more subtle moments where simple elements like the flutter of breezes through forest leaves creates significant immersion. One of the best features of the film is the very evocative ethnically tinged score by popular Indonesian composer Erwin Gutawa. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly on this problem free track.

The Golden Cane Warrior Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (1080p; 1:54)

The Golden Cane Warrior Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Golden Cane Warrior tells a pretty hoary tale of good versus evil, with a plucky heroine managing to overcome significant odds to find both herself and her destiny. It's nothing that any martial arts fans (heck, any film fan) hasn't seen a hundred (or more) times before, the The Golden Cane Warrior manages to be unexpectedly compelling in its treatment of this oft told tale. Helped immensely by its often gorgeous locations, the film may not really traffic in any new ground, but it manages to carve a path through the wilderness rather than falling into any dangerous ruts. Technical merits are generally strong, and The Golden Cane Warrior comes Recommended.