11 Years of Waiting, "Dukun" Deserves Its Long-Awaited Spotlight!

 

 Before I walked into the cinema today for the 4 o'clock show of "Dukun", I reminded myself that this is a pre-produced movie of almost 11 years ago and that I should view it as my 11 year old self, not 22. So, here goes my review on Malaysia's psycho-thriller movie, "Dukun".

And, guess what? 

"Dukun" just broke Malaysian box office record of first day release with RM1.5 million! How tf did that happened? Hahaha. Okay, here goes my review on "Dukun". Note: I don't do spoilers. My review speaks more on the director, lineups, cinematography, audio system and camera works.

Dain Said is one of the directors that I look up to in the Malaysian film industry. I remember watching "Bunohan" many years ago and despite everyone saying the movie was too heavy and almost too difficult to digest, indeed it was, I took the liberty to still go to the cinema and watch the movie myself. Slow-paced but heavy with hidden values that needs to be dug deeply.

When I found out that "Dukun", which was supposed to be released in 2007, was one of Dain's earliest works, I was surprised because of how mind-blowing "Dukun" is! I'm not even exaggerating, it really is beyond my expectation.

I expected "Dukun" to have a low quality camera work, average cinematography and poor audio system since it was filmed and pre-produced in 2007 but man, I am so happy to be proved wrong! Cinematography is great, audio system is good. 

And, the cast! Yes! 

The lineup of "Dukun" is the most important element of this movie. Everyone, and when I say everyone it means even the supporting role and extras that have no lines in the movie, play their characters brilliantly. Even actor Kazar as a hangman without dialogues still portray the emotion brilliantly. Yes, I do noticed every character in "Dukun". I tried so hard to find any mistakes in this movie but damn, I can't. It's almost perfect.

I won't feed you any spoilers because I want to keep the exclusivity of Dain's masterpiece. But, if there is any flaws that I should address, it's how short this movie is. I wish it could be three hours long so that we can see more of Diana Dahlan. Umie Aida should get an award for this role, I'm serious. And maybe, the scriptwriter could develop more of the opening scene. It felt empty for me. 

But, the rest of "Dukun" is superb.

And, I have to be honest tho. Faizal Hussein as Lawyer Abdul Karim is a total bae! Aha!

Last but not least, if you're looking for ghosts, demons and devils. This movie is not the right choice. But, if you're looking for a psycho-thriller movie, ancient rituals and a touch of Alfred Hitchcock aura, "Dukun" is definitely the movie you might want to watch in the cinema.

My rating: 4/5

iMDB: 7.7/10