Upon learning that “Budak Flat” is a gangster flick, one can’t be blamed for thinking: “Oh no, not another local gang-war movie!”
But give Amazon Prime’s first original Malaysian film a chance, and you will find a gritty story that’s really about the broken relationship between two brothers, set against the backdrop of a people’s housing project (PPR) flat in Kuala Lumpur riddled with vices.
Co-directed by Eugene Lim, Woo Ming Jin and Faizal Ishak, the 144-minute feature immediately sucks you into its shady world of drugs and criminal activity in what is possibly the Bronx of KL.
From the cool colour tones to the use of Malay gangsta songs, it’s quite easy to buy into the world of “Budak Flat”. The opening song – rapper Aman RA’s 2018 “BudakFlat” – that accompanies quick cuts of dilapidated PPR flats and its residents quickly sets the scene.
The conflict centres on the rivalry between Aman (Zahiril Adzim) and his older brother Riz (Pablo Amirul), both delinquents in their own right. Aman’s gang engages in the sale of illegal goods, whereas Riz, much to Aman’s disapproval, operates a drug ring.
The situation escalates when Aman is falsely accused of murder and must choose between telling the truth and avoiding a future he would rather not face.
“Budak Flat” sheds light on a world the everyday urbanite does not often see or chooses not to see. It portrays Malaysians from a lower-income community, the sort of lives they live, and the lengths some would go to – even mothers – to make some extra cash to escape the daily grind.
It also shows that some criminals may not be purely rotten but are driven to questionable lifestyle choices out of circumstance. And the film depicts betrayal and dishonour among thieves on a Shakespearean scale.
As the embattled siblings, Zahiril and Pablo bring a certain rawness and edge to their characters while retaining their humanity. Moments that could’ve been easily overdone are handled with restraint, heightening the drama.
Meanwhile, Nabila Huda, who plays one of the main supporting characters, grounds the film with her honest performance.
“Budak Flat” moves at quite a quick pace, aided by fast cuts and a high-octane soundtrack. Besides gangsta hip-hop and rap songs, the film’s intense and uptempo score amplifies the danger and is reminiscent of Hans Zimmer’s “Dunkirk” soundtrack.
That said, the movie is not without its issues. For one, it relies too heavily on flashbacks to give context to Aman and Riz’s rivalry, among other things.
Used sparingly, this narrative device could have provided more convincing “aha!” moments; and more breadcrumbs in the dialogue could have given the audience a chance to piece things together for themselves.
And despite some solid performances and characterisation, the script occasionally suffers from cringeworthy writing. In one scene, Aaron Aziz’s criminal kingpin gives Aman an ultimatum and follows it up with the line “tick, tock, tick, tock”. Clichéd and annoying!
In another scene, Aman rallies his people and declares before the rival gang: “If I die, I’ll die protecting my home, my place, my people because we’re flat boys!” Then the two sides butt heads and a big fight ensues.
This is almost like an “Avengers, assemble!” moment that doesn’t quite land.
Despite these grievances, “Budak Flat” is a solid-enough gangster film that sheds more light on the human condition than criminal activity, bringing heart to an otherwise violent story. It’s definitely a great start for Amazon Prime Video’s Malaysian originals.
‘Budak Flat’ is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.