Bunohan: Return to Murder – Momus Review

Language: Malay

Rating: 8/10

Genre: Crime/Thriller

Director: Dain Said

Main cast: Faizal Hussein, Pekin Ibrahim, and Zahiril Adzim

Country: Malaysia

Year: 2011

I had zero idea about this gem until I discovered it on Netflix, accidentally! It was the intriguing synopsis of the movie that got my attention.

I have to admit that this movie, Bunohan: Return to Murder, is clearly one of most genre-defying movies among movies that came out from the south-east Asia.

Bunohan: Return to Murder was an official selection of Malaysia, for the Oscars!

In my opinion movies like Bunohan: Return to Murder deserves a larger and broader audience, especially those who admire the arthouse cinemas. I discovered this movie while I was searching for a decent martial arts movie on Netflix! Instead I stumbled upon it, enjoyed it, but realized there is not much action! The story revolves around three brothers; a hitman, an ambitious businessman, and a small-time fighter.

Bunohan: Return to Murder is an excellent film and a visual masterpiece. Credit should go to the amazing camerawork by Jarin Pengpanitch. He created a gloomy and daunting atmosphere for the film.

The movie is stands out in every aspect – production design, editing, sound, and so on. All these amplify the gripping tale that the writer-director Dain Said presents.

The cast did a splendid job of acting. Bunohan offers an art-house treatment, occasional non-linear narrations, and a story that takes its time to grow on you. If you are looking for a film with deeper content and a slow burning story-telling, this is the right choice.

Dain Said nails as a director and writer in Bunohan: Return to Murder, his first feature movie. Unfortunately, it is not much spoken about outside of Malaysia. I hope it reaches to more people through Netflix and it gets the attention it deserves.