REVIEW: ’13 Bombs’ Delivers An Engaging Plot

When a bank truck is hit by terrorists, but no money is taken, a series of events begins that could crash Indonesia’s entire economy. But what do cryptocurrency pioneers Oscar (Chicco Kurniawan) and William (Ardhito Pramono) have to do with the plot? That’s what they’d like to know as they find themselves caught between the terrorists and Indonesia’s elite anti-terror unit in 13 Bombs (13 Bom di Jakarta), directed by Angga Dwimas Sasongko and written by Mohammad Irfan Ramly and Angga Dwimas Sasongka.

The greatest strength of 13 Bombs lies in its plot. The film does a great job crafting several different narrative lines into its two-and-a-half-hour runtime. At its core is the terrorist plot. The film establishes early on that the terrorists are unhappy with the explorative financial system the world runs on. Tired of being ground down by a system that only helps the rich get richer, they want to tear down what doesn’t work so something new can flourish.

While most of us can understand this desire, the means the terrorists resort to spiral out of control. Their actions continue to grow in scope and danger, bringing harm to more and more people they profess to be fighting for. This soon begins to create rifts within the cell itself.

A layer of tragedy is also added to the plan when 13 Bombs reveals what the terrorists believe will replace the current system, resulting in a fairer financial environment. Terrorist leader Arok (Rio Dewanto) is obsessed with a concept that we all know to be false. Like many, though, he is swept up in promises that won’t be fulfilled, especially if the core financial system collapses.

More tension comes to the film through the anti-terror unit’s side of the plot. With internal strife between agents, pressure to get rapid results, and the possibility of a mole in their unit, the government agency the story focuses on brings a lot to the story. These arcs play out well, with special care given to the mole plotline. Who ultimately plays informer for the bad guys is well obfuscated and cleverly revealed.

The anti-terror unit also houses a wide range of personalities. From near-villain characters who will see order maintained at any cost to ones as interested in justice as results, the film brings a lot of variety to the unit. These personalities clash well, furthering the drama of the narrative.

The final core elements of the plot are Oscar and William. How they and their crypto startup figure into the evolving situation is fascinating. The film also does an excellent job of allowing the duo to play the “everyman” role in the narrative. Detained, shot at, and threatened throughout the film, the pair are always in over their heads. This keeps them as the sympathetic core of the film. You always feel bad for them as they struggle to find a way to escape terrorists looking to capture them or government officials more interested in throwing them in jail than listening to what they have to say.

The only time the plot gets hurt is when it fails to clarify what is going on. A couple of odd transitions leave the viewer in the lurch, wondering what’s happening. While the scenes eventually explain themselves, how they do it hampers the story rather than creating the interesting narrative flow it’s trying for.

While the plots that draw the viewer through the film come together well, the rest leaves more to be desired. The action rarely exceeds a basic level of adequacy. The various shootouts and occasional melee fights are fine. They keep the events clear to follow and allow viewers to appreciate some of the harder hits they deliver while accomplishing little else.

The acting also falls into the just fine category overall. While no scene-ruining acting portrayals exist in 13 Bombs, no one ever feels like they are elevating their roles. This keeps the film from becoming something more than it ultimately ends up being.

The final element that is a bit of a mixed bag is the cinematography. There is a smattering of foul shots in this film. They quickly took me out of the moments they appeared in as my focus shifted from what was going on to why a given shot was allowed to be in the final product.

All told, 13 Bombs manages to come together as a fairly good film. While it lacks in some areas, the overall plot and drama of the film help carry it past many of these underwhelming elements.

13 Bombs is streaming now on Netflix.