Ben & Jody – Great Entertaining Action-Adventure
Director: Angga Dwimas Sasangko
Writer: Angga Dwimas Sasangko, M Nurman Wardi (Screenplay)
Starring: Chicco Jerikho, Rio Dewanto, Hana Malasan, Aghniny Haque, Muzakki Ramdhan, Luna Maya, Yayan Ruhian
Plot: Since deciding to leave Filosofi Kopi, Ben has lived in his hometown and actively defending farmer groups whose lands have been taken over by the Company.
Runtime: 1 Hour 54 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Ben & Jody starts as Ben (Jerikho) is working with his hometown to help defend against a company looking to take the land. When Ben disappears sudden, his best friend Jody (Dewanto) returns in search of answers, only to find himself captured by the same group holding Ben, ran by the ruthless Aa Tubir (Ruhian).
With the pair amongst the captives, they work with the others to search for a way out of the encampment, knowing the consequences if they get caught, but knowing it is their best way to survive.
Thoughts on Ben & Jody
Characters & Performances – Ben has left his friend and business partner to support his farmer hometown as they are fighting back against a company trying to take their land. He is doing everything in the legal way, but he is taken by the company, forced into working for them. Jody is the friend and partner still running the coffee shop in the city, he wants to support his friend and have him back with them in the business, he goes searching for his friend when he goes missing, finding himself in the same encampment. The pair work better together, with Jody’s smarts and Ben’s can-do attitude, they look to find a way to escape and rescue the other workers. Aa Tubi is the man holding the people prisoner to work for him, he is ruthless, but loves coffee, which is the only way the friends can see to get under his skin. This being the third film in the series, you can see the chemistry built up between Chicco Jerikho and Rio Dewanto, as they shine as a unit in this movie. Yayan Ruhian as the villain is always going to turn heads because of his ruthless relentless fighting styles he holds.
Story – The story here will follows the friends and business partners as they are reunited in difference circumstances after getting captured and thrown into a labor prison, needing to work together to escape, in hopes of rescuing the others trapped under the ruthless leader. Being the third addition to the series, the pair will find themselves enter into a different world, with the first being a drama and the second being an adventure journey, now we are in the action world, so we don’t have built up action stars for the story, more realistic people wanting to fight for what is right. It is refreshing to see a story about people looking to survive, without having the pure action skills to make this happen.
Themes – Ben & Jody is an action-adventure movie that takes the Ben and Jody into a new genre, away from the drama environment they are used to. We are seeing the pair thrown into a jungle environment, needing to fight back against a camp who is holding workers hostage to do their work for them. We will get some fight sequences, with Yayah Ruhian shining in them, knowing any scene where he hits, is going to feel like it hurts.
Final Thoughts – Ben & Jody is a hard-hitting genre turning chapter in the adventures of the pair.
