I don’t often recommend double-features: But the aforementioned “Time to Hunt” and the director Adrian Teh’s Malaysian fighting film “Wira” would make a great pairing. They both equally blend savage action with brutal social commentary.
With a script by Anwari Ashraf, “Wira” follows Hassan (Hairul Azreen), a prodigal son returning to his dead-end village to help his stubborn father (Hilal Azman) and headstrong brawling sister (Fify Azmi). Returning from a seven-year stint in the army, Hassan finds his family in debt to Raja (Dain Said), a local meth-dealing mob boss. Years ago, the corrupt Raja squeezed the town into poverty, pushing its native residents into a crime-riddled high-rise. Hassan also once worked for Raja, fighting for bloodthirsty attendees in the drug lord’s gladiatorial boxing ring. Hassan must team with Zain to battle Raja if they want a better future.
Resembling “John Wick,” “Wira” features full-shots (by the cinematographer Yong Choon Lin) and minimum cuts (by the editor Lee Pai Seang) for fluid hand-to-hand sequences. The film’s high point comes in a slashing, careening tussle wherein Hassan takes on a horde of Raja’s goons on his own.