2/5 stars
Writer-director Angga Dwimas Sasongko (Filosofi Kopi) looks to get in on the action with his new politically-minded terrorist thriller.
Unspooling against the backdrop of an economically unbalanced Jakarta, where fat-cat politicians manipulate monetary policy at the expense of a vast struggling underclass, 13 Bombs sees the city brought to its knees by a terrorist group’s reign of incendiary terror.
An armoured car is targeted in broad daylight, but the heavily-armed attackers leave its payload of banknotes untouched, mercilessly killing those who were guarding it.
Via video link, the gang’s Robin Hood-style leader, Atok (Rio Dewanto), demands a hefty ransom – to be paid in Bitcoin via a newly launched cryptocurrency platform – or they will trigger a baker’s dozen of explosive devices they have hidden around the city.
Receiving the demands, the Counter-Terrorism Unit immediately detains the two young tech bros who created the platform, but they too appear to be mere pawns in an elaborate scheme, staged not to make money, but to avenge an exploited underclass and recalibrate the country’s economic imbalance.
It’s a ridiculously ambitious premise, and Sasongko’s intentions of staging a high octane urban terrorist drama that addresses pressing social injustices quickly buckles under the weight of its lofty themes.
Foremost amongst the film’s missteps is to invest too much screen time in the plight of digital entrepreneurs William (Ardhito Pramono) and Oscar (Chicco Kurniawan), the young men responsible for creating the crypto platform, Indodax.
Their youthful, everyman status is clearly positioned as an attractive entry point for audiences, but they remain unsympathetic and largely ineffectual throughout, apart from some convenient, last-minute hacking skills.
The female characters are more interesting. Dedicated CTU agent Karin (Putri Ayudya) breaks protocol and goes after the bad guys singlehanded, after being sidelined by her demanding superior (Rukman Rosadi).
Eventually she allies with Agnes (Lutesha), a feisty and infinitely more adept friend to the Indodax boys. Karin also calls upon colleague Gita (Niken Anjani) to get her hands dirty, and the film is always more compelling when they are on screen.
Ultimately, 13 Bombs finds itself torn between the desire to champion the plight of the common man and its obligation to ensure justice is served. Despite a few interspersed set-pieces, the film fails to find its spark.
13 Bombs is streaming on Netflix.