East Timor’s jungle swallows screams in Timur, Iko Uwais’ directorial debut that turns a true 1999 rescue into a heart-pounding war cry. Uwais stars as Captain Timur, the elite Kopassus commander who defies orders to extract Aussie journalist Maya (Yasmin Jasem) and her crew from militia crossfire. What starts as a stealth op explodes into a 72-hour gauntlet: monsoon-soaked ambushes, machete duels in burning villages, and a helicopter extraction that’ll make your palms sweat.

 Uwais choreographs chaos like poetry—silat flips through bamboo, a single-take church siege that snaps bones in rhythm, and a final bridge standoff where rain and tracer fire paint the night red. Aufa Assegaf’s rookie sniper and Jimmy Kobogau’s grizzled sergeant ground the squad’s brotherhood; their banter cuts deeper than bullets. The true-story spine—East Timor’s bloody independence vote—lends weight without preachiness, while the jungle itself becomes a snarling beast.

It’s The Raid meets Black Hawk Down with soul: 108 minutes of relentless momentum, zero fat. Uwais proves he’s not just fists—he’s a filmmaker with fire. Hits theaters Dec 18. Bring earplugs and courage.

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