Blu-Ray Review: The Act Of Killing

By Brad Henderson

I really wouldn’t even consider this a review; I consider this a plea for people to watch a recently released documentary called The Act Of Killing. It’s been on many Top 10 lists this year and when I first heard the buzz about it, I was expecting to see something else. I’m not sure what that was, but in my mind I was expecting something not so gut-wrenching.

I know there are films that will make you angry or sad, those that will make you cry, or feel good or bad. Maybe the lead character dies and we get emotional, or the bad guy dies and we are happy our hero lived. If a fictitious movie can make you feel like that, what can a documentary do? What if you found out something horrible had happened and no repercussions came about? What if the killer was still on the loose and was never tried? In film it’s all pretend and we don’t feel it much after the film finishes. But what if you were watching a real life event? Would it anger you that the killer got away? The Act Of Killing is a film that will infuriate you to no end. After watching it you won’t shake it. You will still have that weird feeling in the pit of your stomach.

I honestly couldn’t believe what I was seeing and hearing and that I didn’t actually know anything about this prior to this documentary. We know the bad things that have happened in the world like the Holocaust, Sandy Hook, 9/11 and the list goes on and on. We know about all them because they’re publicized by the media and we can’t get away from it.

I’m sure there are plenty of terrible things that have happened in this world that I don’t know about. Do I want to know them all? No, but maybe if there were something I could do about them, I would try to help.

Back in the 1960s in Indonesia, the government asked gangsters to go after communists and basically execute them. There were no questions or trials; there were just executions. No one did anything about it and people were too scared to even think about revolting. There were a few “head” executioners and The Act Of Killing delves into their lives after this so-called war.

In the documentary we watch these gangsters/executioners talk about that time, how powerful they were, and how they’re still praised and worshiped to this day. It’s disgusting that they are still highly recognized and considered heroes in Indonesia.

All this is happened and no one knew anything about it until now. Yes, I imagine that there are people who already knew about this and what was going on, but it wasn’t out there like it is now. This film crew dedicated part of their lives to document this story and they’re probably also risking their lives by bringing it to everyone’s attention.

This is probably the ballsiest move ever in the history of filmmaking and the documentary world. The Act Of Killing should shed a lot of light on these cruel, inhumane people so perhaps they can pay for what they’ve done.

So I’m asking you, as a human being, to watch this film. I don’t care if you aren’t a film lover or even if you dislike documentaries. The Act Of Killing is a film that needs to be seen by everyone. This may be the most important film ever made because it feels like it wants and needs to get a message out. It’s almost like a cry for help. These filmmakers discovered a crime and want to help to prosecute the individuals responsible.

Recently, the film Blackfish came out and unveiled the awful events that have taken place at Sea World. Now there is an outrage and people are trying to fight against the things that are happening there. See what one little documentary can do? Now let’s see what The Act Of Killing can accomplish.

The Act Of Killing was released January 7 from Drafthouse Pictures and Cinedigm.