AllMovie

Welsh director Gareth Evans delves into the world of Indonesian martial arts with his adrenaline-fueled action film Merantau. The title refers to a centuries-old Sumatran custom wherein adolescent males must leave their rural villages and prove their manhood abroad before being allowed to return home. Teenage Yuda (Iko Uwais) has travelled to the big city of Jakarta for his merantau but soon finds himself in trouble when he helps a young stripper named Astri (Sisca Jessica) escape the clutches of a human trafficker, Ratger (Mads Koudal). Luckily for Yuda, he's skilled in the martial art of silat, leading to plenty of high-kicking action.