The Best Action Thriller You’ve Never Heard of Is Hailed “Pure Carnage” as It Unleashes First Footage

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A new martial arts thriller is generating buzz after premiering at Fantastic Fest. Critics are calling it one of the best martial arts films in recent years – a truly memorable revenge story packed with incredible action and fight choreography you won’t soon forget.

The film, titled Ikatan Darah (also known as Blood Ties), is a new production from Iko Uwais, the star of The Raid, through his company, Uwais Pictures. Along with another film, Timur (which Uwais directed and starred in), Ikatan Darah aims to bring the same intense action and incredible fight choreography as his previous hits, The Raid and The Night Comes for Us. And judging by what we’ve seen, it absolutely delivers.

Directed by Sidharta Tata, Ikatan Darah features Livi Ciananta as Bonnie, a former martial artist who must confront dangerous loan sharks. She’s trying to save her brother from mounting online gambling debts that threaten their family. The film also stars Derby Romero, Ismi Melinda, T. Rifnu Wikana, Abdurrahman Arif, Rama Ramadhan, and Agra Piliang. You can watch the trailer below.

‘Ikatan Darah’ Promises “Balls to the Wall Action”

The new action film, Ikatan Darah (Blood Bond), features a strong female lead, Mega, played by Livi Ciananta, who battles numerous enemies to rescue her brother’s soul. Early reactions at Fantastic Fest were overwhelmingly positive, with many viewers sharing their enthusiasm on Letterboxd.

The film takes around 30-40 minutes to establish the story, but then delivers an intense and action-packed 70 minutes. Sean Chandler, giving it a near-perfect 4/5 rating, praised the film’s high-energy martial arts, noting it’s a style rarely seen recently. Kelvin Hatle, also scoring it 4/5, said the film keeps building to new climaxes and is incredibly exhausting—in a good way. Movie Talk With Brock simply described it as non-stop, over-the-top action.

I have to say, I was really blown away by this action thriller. Jazzmin Crawley over at Dread Central gave it a fantastic 4.5 out of 5 stars, and her description really hit the nail on the head. She compared it to a roller coaster – a slow build-up for the first twenty minutes, then just pure, relentless thrills with incredible martial arts and some seriously impactful action. It’s a non-stop ride at 200 miles an hour, and I completely agree!

‘Ikatan Darah’ is a gripping story of revenge, packed with action, incredible stunts, and memorable fight scenes.

Although not yet widely released, Ikatan Darah is adding to a fantastic year for action films from smaller studios. Along with Timur from Uwais Pictures and the soon-to-be-released The Furious, it’s a great time for fans who love discovering new action movies.

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2025-11-07 18:39