Check This One Out! - The Act of Killing

Check This One Out! - The Act of Killing

 

Anwar Congo: "It's a good family movie; plenty of humor; a great story; beautiful scenery. It really shows what's special about our country even though it's a film about death."

 

      The Act of Killing is a documentary directed by Joshua Oppenheimer (The Look of Silence) and stars a bunch of bad people.

Lights, camera, kill!

      In 1965 and 1966, Indonesia went through a genocide led by Suharto, who overthrew President Sukarno. A couple of gangsters, Anwar Congo and Adi Zulkadry, were promoted from being black market theater ticket sellers to heads of the most powerful death squad in North Sumatra. Today, Anwar is considered the most "right wing" of the paramilitary group known as Pemuda Pancasila Youth. They have killed almost a million of their own people in brutal fashion. This documentary follows the leader Anwar and his group of killers in the process of making a movie that acts out their personal killings and recounts their feelings about them. They do all this in the form of their favorite types of films: gangster, western, and musical.

These people get makeup, but their victims got the real deal. Terrible.

 

      There are times where I talk about fun movies and action packed movies, but for this week's Check This One Out! I'd like to talk about one of my favorite, if not my actual favorite, documentary that I've seen called The Act of Killing. Like many significant events that has caused controversy in the past century, this genocide has two sides. The Act of Killing is one of those films that recounts the horrid and cringe worthy side by the actual killers themselves. That really doesn't happen often and that's why I urge you to see this documentary to appreciate how the filmmakers have the ability to get up close and personal with the people who have caused misery to many in their country. What I find fascinating is that the killings that Anwar and his paramilitary group commits are never shown, but instead either told in graphic detail or acted out by them in dramatic and theatrical form. There are many people who are reading this that might not like the "viewer discretion" that I give, but I can assure you that The Act of Killing is actually told by these killers and sometimes depicts threatening material to the native people in the slums of Indonesia.

Like I said, the darker side of the same coin up close and personal.

 

      The Act of Killing is an educational experience that gives a viewer the perspective from the darker side of life and it isn't pretty. However, it is an important topic because this was just recently made in 2012. These people are still in power and still haunt the residents of the communist community in Indonesia. I'm sorry that this isn't one of those reviews or suggestions that is more upbeat like how I usually write, but I would just like people to understand that with everything that's going on in the world right now with certain types of terrorism or hatred of certain people that it's important to know the other side and to stay good and optimistic. It's hard, I know. Please stay positive, everybody!

I agree! Stop the madness now!

 

The Act of Killing is not rated

Click here to watch the trailer

The Act of Killing is available on digital download, Blu-ray, and streaming services

      Thanks for reading, everybody! I really appreciate it. Please subscribe to my blog and follow me on Facebook here and Twitter here to get updates on new reviews and trailer drops. Also, if you've already seen The Act of Killing, comment and let me know what you think of it. Thanks again!