That’s a quote from Patrick Rothfuss’s bestselling novel ‘The Wise Man’s Fear’. It is also an apt description of the story of ‘Walid’, a new action film from homegrown studio Layar Pictures.
Directed by Areel Abu Bakar, the movie tells the tale of Walid (Megat Sharizal), a kind-hearted teacher in what appears to be a rustic village by the Thai border.
Walid leads a relatively quiet life, teaching kids how to read and recite the Rukunegara, until he unexpectedly encounters Aisha (Putri Qaseh Izwandy) a shy girl from a discriminated minority. After Aisha displays a strong love of learning, she and Walid soon form a close bond.
Things become complicated for Walid after a sinister syndicate, led by the charismatic Pak Ku (Namron) kidnaps some of the children from his class, including Aisha. The teacher is forced to trade books for butt-kicking as he and his friends work together to track down the evil men involved, and rescue their victims.
This culminates in an epic, tense showdown between good and evil, reflected in an almost one-hour long striking showcase of silat. All the film’s scenes are choreographed and performed by actual practitioners!
Director Areel Abu Bakar explained that the long action climax was meant to symbolise the long crusade against human trafficking by all agencies involved.
According to him, silat was not often celebrated on the silver screen, and he hoped this film would create more awareness about the deadly beauty of this timeless art globally.
“We at Layar Pictures are trying to provide an opportunity for martial arts practitioners to be more involved with the film industry. This is one of our ways to introduce our local culture and heritage at an international level,” the director said at the film’s Malaysian Gala Premier Night at the Starling Mall here recently.
Walid recently set a milestone for local cinema as the first Malaysian film to premiere in the United States. It was screened at New York’s Cinema Village from July 28 to Aug 3, before heading to the Laemmle Glendale movie theatre in Los Angeles from Aug 11-17.
“I am very grateful for this opportunity. I think it must have been arranged by God. I had no plans to go there at first,” said Areel, who also directed 2019’s Geran (titled ‘Deed of Death’ in English).
“I’m now not thinking about this film until its release date, when Malaysians can finally watch it. Then I can hear all their responses and reviews, hear what they like or don’t like. I hope this film will keep moving forward, to the level of ‘Geran’ or further.”
All Walid’s main cast, which also include Yusran Hashim, Khoharullah Majid and Feiyna Tajudin, are familiar with at least the basics of silat. Lead actor Megat, for example, has been practising it since he was 14, and even represented his state in the sport three times.
Megat said he was grateful to Areel for casting him as Walid. What was striking about the character, he said, was that he did not have the ripped physique most people associated with action movie leads.
“He’s very much like most people you would see out there. But these people can also be heroes,” said Megat, a theatre and film performer whose previous films include Shadowplay (2019) and Bunga Untuk Mama (2022).
“It would be good if we could see more variety in casting. Many of our actors are very talented. Some of them may be built a bit bigger, but it doesn’t mean they can’t do action movies. I hope directors give more actors a chance, and don’t just cast the same names over and over.”
The film’s cast and crew said they were glad to finally share the story of Walid with Malaysian audiences.
“’Walid’ has had a great start, which we hope will lead to even better things. Hopefully, everyone can support this little film and help bring it to greater heights,” Megat concluded.
‘Walid’ is showing in Malaysian cinemas nationwide from Sept 14.