“Java Heat,” the Hollywood production set in Indonesia, is set to open in the country’s cinemas on Thursday.
The $150 million action film features Twilight star Kellan Lutz and male lead Mickey Rourke alongside Indonesian actors Ario Bayu, Atiqah Hasiholan, Verdi Solaiman, Rio Dewanto and Mike Muliadro.
Director and screenwriter Conor Allyn said that even though it is action packed, the movie mostly features things that have fascinated him as an American living and working in Indonesia.
“Java Heat” is the first feature film solo directed by Allyn, who previously co-directed the second and third installments of the “Merah Putih” trilogy together with renowned Indonesian cinematographer Yadi Sugandi.
The movie follows the story of Jake (Lutz), a teacher assistant who survives a bomb attack. This makes him the main witness to the death of Sultana (Atiqah), the daughter of the Sultan (Rudy Wowor).
A detective in the Indonesian National Police’s counterterrorism wing, Detachment 88, Hashim (Ario), is suspicious of how Jake could have survived the explosion but before he can examine things further, both of them are attacked by a group of terrorists led by Achmed (Mike).
Jake and Hashim realize that instead of distrusting one another, they must team up to save themselves from the terrorists.
In between fast-paced action sequences, “Java Heat” is actually a display of religious and cultural differences. Allyn said he wanted to showcase the physical beauty and social culture of Indonesia in the movie.
“The movie also features cultural exchanges between an American who knows nothing about Islam, and an Indonesian, how they become friends,” he said.
Even though the movie is classified as a film in English, “Java Heat” uses several different languages. Dialogues are mainly delivered in English and Indonesian, but there are also Arabic and Cantonese parts.
Even though most Indonesians in Yogyakarta, where the movie is set, speak Javanese, Allyn decided not to feature the local language in order not to make the movie more complicated.
Allyn, who wrote the film’s script with father and executive producer Rob Allyn, wanted to display the value of Pancasila and the diversity of Indonesia as seen from a foreigner’s point of view.
Conor and Rob Allyn incorporated the diversity of Muslims, Christians and Buddhists into the movie mostly through the differences between Jake and Hashim.
Rob Allyn added that the buddy-cop film is a metaphor for the relationship between the East and the West, between Indonesia and America.
“It is a joint effort between Hollywood and the Indonesian film industry to show the sort of things that people in America and the West don’t understand about Islam and Indonesia,” he explained.
There are a lot of gunfights in the film, including one action sequence that takesplace at the Borobudur temple, a Unesco world heritage site.
Asked about this alarming sight, Allyn said that even though the film is cultural, it is still an action movie.
“We were just trying to show the difference between ancient culture, which means traditional responsibility, and modern weaponry,” he said.
Actor Ario added even though “Java Heat” seems like a movie heavy on the issues of terrorism and pluralism, it was still a fun, buddy-cop movie.
“In the end, it’s no longer about these religions, but about partnership from these main characters,” he said.
Both the Allyns were screenwriters for the “Merah Putih” trilogy.
Rob Allyn, for his part, said this latest project brought together he and is son, with Conor writing the first draft and thinking up twists for the story.
Conor has spent the majority of the past five years in Indonesia during the production of the “Merah Putih” trilogy and Rob has been here about 10 years.
“We just think of things that are striking and visually stunning, such as the traditional market, all those tunnels in Yogya and folks’ way in everyday life,” he said.
A couple of weeks ago, illegal copies of “Java Heat” appeared on the Internet and are now sold at Jakarta DVD shops.
At a screening and media conference in Jakarta on Wednesday, Conor Allyn said he was not surprised people had access to these illegal copies. He said he did not know where the illegal copies came from, but because “Java Heat” is an international movie, he guessed “probably Europe.”
“If anything, it just shows me how excited Indonesians are for ‘Java Heat’ to come,” he said. “[Even though] I want people to see it in the cinema.”
Source: Jakarta Globe Via: KLutzOnline
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