Poster for The Warrior Against Blind Swordsman
Jaka Sembung ("The Warrior") is a series of Indonesian martial arts action-fantasy films, based on the comic book series of the same name by Indonesian artist Djair Warni, starring Barry Prima in the lead role.
Set in Dutch-occupied Indonesia in the 17th Century, a young warrior and freedom fighter, Parmin (Barry Prima) takes a stand against the Dutch oppressors. When Parmin becomes an icon of resistance known as "Jaka Sembung" ("The Warrior"), and a thorn in the Dutch's side, the Dutch decides to hire local sorcerors and practitioners of the dark arts to deal with Jaka Sembung and the resistance.
Four movies were made in the series, all of them starring Prima:
- Jaka Sembung (1981) - First movie in the series. Parmin escaped from a Dutch East Indies-owned slave mine and earns himself his Jaka Sembung title as the resistance's leader, until the governor, Commander Van Schram, decides to hire an invincible warrior, Kohar, and a dark sorceror, Ki Hitam into their service.
- Si Buta Lawan Jaka Sembung [The Warrior Against Blind Swordsman] (1983) - Jaka Sembung returns in the sequel, now famed in Indonesia as Jaka Sembung ("The Warrior"). The Dutch - led by a new governor, Commander De Mandes - managed to enlist assistance of Soca Indrakusuma, a legendary blind martial artist from "Gunung Iblis" ("Devil's Mountain") only for Soca to sympathize with the locals' plight.
- Jaka Sembung Dan Bergola Ijo / Bajing Ireng dan Jaka Sembung [The Warrior vs. the Ninja, The Warrior 3] (1985) - Bajing Ireng, a Just Like Robin Hood-esque female thief, inevitably crosses paths with Jaka Sembung, and they're manipulated by the Dutch to fight each other before they team up to face a common enemy.
- Jaka Sembung Dan Dewi Samudra [The Warrior and the Sea Goddess] (1990) - Jaka Sembung has been captured by the Dutch and sentenced to slavery aboard a fluyt headed for Australia. However, the hero unexpectedly runs into Nyi Roro Kidul, the Sea Goddess of Indonesia who unexpectedly falls for Jaka Sembung and wants him in her underwater palace forever.
Jaka Sembung (1981) contain examples of:
- Attack the Mouth: This turns out to be Kohar's sole weakness, after the villain shrugged off multiple blows from weapons and absorbs bullets like nothing. While fighting Jaka Sembung, Jaka Sembung arms himself with a bamboo pole, which Kohar snaps with a chop; Jaka Sembung then shoves one of the pole's pointed end into Kohar's mouth and successfully penetrates to the other side, killing him.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: After Kohar announced to the Dutch that he's going to claim the bounty on Jaka Sembung, Commander Van Schram then orders Kohar to test his strength by subduing a buffalo. Kohar obliged, gleefully demonstrating his Super-Strength by beating the buffalo into submission before killing the animal with an audible Neck Snap, while gloating the whole time.
- Bald of Evil: Kohar is a balding, muscular brute and the first major enemy Jaka Sembung needs to take down. He's also the film's only bald character.
- Breath Weapon: Besides his unstoppable strength, Kohar can also breath fire, publicly blowing flames at a "Wanted!" Poster of Jaka Sembung displayed in a town square, to the horror of the surroudning townspeople. He uses this ability a few times when fighting Jaka Sembung.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: After Jaka Sembung was defeated by Ki Hitam, Van Schram subjects the hero to being chained up, beaten by his goons and crucified through the palms for no reason other than to highlight his evilness. Surti tries to release Jaka Sembung to no avail, so Van Schram orders Jaka Sembung's eyes gouged out.
- Defector from Decadence: Maria, the only child of Van Schram, betrays her father after rejecting his callous treatment over the Indonesian populace, and in fact the film teases her eventual defection in an early scene where she looks out the balcony of her father's palace, in disgust when seeing her father gloating while watching Kohar killing a buffalo. Van Schram is not happy when he finds out.
- Dismemberment Is Cheap: When fighting Ki Hitam the last time, Jaka Sembung managed to de-limb and sever the sorceror's hands and legs multiple times, only for Ki Hitam to re-attach his parts.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Commander Van Schram, despite oppresing the local populace, does care for his daughter Maria and is absolutely heartbroken when realizing he accidentally shot her when trying to shoot Jaka Sembung in the final battle.
- Eye Scream: When Jaka Sembung's lover Surti tries breaking him out of a Dutch prison, to no avail, Commander Van Schram decides to further humiliate Jaka Sembung by ordering his eyes dug out. Jaka Sembung and Surti eventually escapes, but Surti was mortally wounded in the process; the village guru then decides to carve out Surti's eyes and use his magic to transplant her cornea into his so he can return to battle.
- Forced Transformation: Having defeated Jaka Sembung in combat, Ki Hitam uses his dark arts to transform Jaka Sembung into a pig, with a lingering shot of Barry Prima's nose replaced by a realistic-looking prosthetic pig snout before the rest of him follows. For added insult, the hero is a Muslim where pigs are a non-halal animal.
- Four Eyes, Zero Soul: Commander Van Schram is the bespectacled Dutch governor stomping on the Indonesian locals and ordering his men to kill and imprison locals indiscriminately to flush out Jaka Sembung, though its subverted that he still have some love for his daughter.
- Half the Man He Used to Be: In the climax, Jaka Sembung managed to slice Ki Hitam with his golok, separating him from the waist. But Ki Hitam's Dismemberment Is Cheap ability applies even when he's cut in two, until Jaka Sembung holds his parts in both hands and tells his resistance allies to burn Ki Hitam's upper and lower in separate fires, enough to finally destroy him.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Surti realize Jaka Sembung has been forcefully transformed into a pig and is to be mauled to death by Commander Van Schram's dogs. She reveals herself to throw open the courtyard doors so that Jaka Sembung can flee, getting herself shot by Dutch riflemen in the process. However, she survives long enough to help Jaka Sembung (as a pig) reunite with his guru.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: The film likes to portray the rifle-wielding Dutch soldiers (those guys in uniforms, as opposed to the local, hired goons who use close-range weapons) as hilariously terrible shots, with plenty of moments where they line up and fire away at rebels, and barely hit anything (unless the plot requires them to, like in Surti's case). Taken to the extreme in the final raid on Van Schram's palace - a few dozen Dutch soldiers firing in a row at a horde of rebels cuts to... two or three rebels falling over, while the rest keeps on charging (are they aiming for the ground?).
- Implacable Man: Kohar, whose flesh is bulletproof and impervious to blades and other weapons, shoving his way through the Dutch soldiers and hired goons with ease to declare himself as the "champion" eager to claim the bounty on Jaka Sembung's head.
- Losing Your Head: After hacking off Ki Hitam's limbs and legs only for the villain to rejoin his appendages effortlessly, Jaka Sembung hacks off the sorceror's cranium... only to find out Ki Hitam's Dismemberment Is Cheap abilities applies for decapitations.
- Mind over Matter: Ki Hitam doesn't need to fight anyone hand-to-hand, since he can grab and lift his opponents with his mind. When the Dutch High Commisioner orders a demonstration of his powers, Ki Hitam gleefully lift the Commisioner into the air and turns him around in circles comically, leading to the latter freaking out."Let me down! I believe you!"
- Plunder: In the final battle outside Van Schramm's courtyard, some of Jaka Sembung's followers can be seen stealing and wearing the top-hats of fallen Dutch soldiers, because they looked "cool".
- Suave Sabre: Most of the higher-ranking Dutch captains and generals wields sabres in close combat, rather than using bayonets, likely as a symbol of authority. The film notably climaxes with an intense weapon duel, between Van Schram's sabre and Jaka Sembung's golok.
- Working on the Chain Gang: How Parmin (before obtaining his title as Jaka Sembung) is introduced, working in a set of mines owned by Commander Van Schram alongside hundreds of imprisoned Indonesians, superimposed over the opening credits. Parmin organizes a Slave Liberation, escapes, and starts opposing the Dutch.
- Would Hurt a Child: One of Van Schram's sergeants orders his men to snatch a child from his mother, holding the a child at gunpoint, in an attempt to force Jaka Sembung to reveal himself. Jaka Sembung intervenes in the nick of time with a Diving Kick (from a nearby rooftop!) and kicks the sergeant's pistol out of his hands.
Si Buta Lawan Jaka Sembung contain examples of:
- Big Badass Battle Sequence: The sequel begins with the Dutch testing out their new cannons on a village, before Jaka Sembung leads a group of rebels to stop them. Cue a massive battle between the rebels and the Dutch right over the opening credits.
- Blind Weaponmaster: Soca Indrakusuma is a blind swordsman whose skill with a weapon is on par with Jaka Sembung, capable of battling the hero matching toe-to-toe.
- Decapitation Presentation: Soca presents Jaka Sembung's decapitated head to Commander De Mandes, to claim his bounty. However, he was betrayed by Commander De Mandes a quick scene later and steals the hero's cranium, to be re-attached with some Indonesian black magic.
- Heel–Face Turn: Soca, though in this case it's because he's betrayed by his employers.
- Human Pincushion: In the opening battle, Jaka Sembung and the rebels defeats the Dutch, with the Dutch captain fleeing despite being hit by archers. The captain arrives at the new governor Commander De Mandes' palace sporting half a dozen arrows on his back, blurts out a warning that Jaka Sembung is back, and dies.
- Karmic Death: Commander De Mandes, who decides to enforce his rule over the locals with his brand-new Dutch cannons, are eventually killed when one of his cannons blows up with him beside.
- Knows the Ropes: Soca takes on a henchwoman skilled in rope-fu, who restrains him by the waist and swings him around a bit during the final battle.
- Neck Snap: De Mandes' aide and lackey was killed by Jaka Sembung in the final battle, via getting his neck broken by the hero's legs.
- Our Hero Is Dead: Not only did Soca defeat Jaka Sembung, he also managed to relive the hero of his head! And the movie's barely thirty minutes in! ...obviously, it's not going to last, Soca later steals Jaka Sembung's cranium for him to be revived.
- Stupid Evil: Soca managed to defeat, and outright kill, Jaka Sembung. Commander De Mandes, rather than paying Soca his fee of 1000 gold pieces and be done with it (ending the whole franchse right there), instead decide to renege his deal by ordering his riflemen to ambush Soca. He fails, of course, so that Soca can steal Jaka Sembung's head and seek the village witch to revive the hero.
- Sword and Gun: Villainous example in the finale, when Commander De Mandes leads his men to attack, holding his sabre in one hand and a flintlock pistol in another.
- Throwing Your Sword Always Works: Jaka Sembung takes out a Dutch soldier in the final battle by throwing his golok, stopping the soldier from lighting a cannon aimed at the resistance.
Jaka Sembung Dan Bergola Ijo contain examples of:
- Bare-Handed Blade Block: A traitor tries attacking Bajing Ireng from behind with his golok, only for her to stop his blade with both her hands. Before twisting it around making him stab himself.
- Balls of Steel: While fighting Demang Asmara, Jaka Sembung is beaten to the ground after all his attacks are shrugged off. Lying on his back, Jaka Sembung decides to kick upwards and land a few hits under the belt, only for Demang Asmara to gloat away. Cue Jaka Sembung going Oh, Crap!
- Eye Scream: In the final battle, Bajing Ireng plucks out a mook's eyes with her fingers.
- Implacable Man: Demang Asmara, a muscular giant who fights bare-chested who at one point rips out a tree trunk as a weapon, a Suspiciously Similar Substitute to Kohar from the first film.
- In a Single Bound: Bajing Ireng, taking a page from old ninja films, has the ability to jump to rooftops from ground level unassisted, using this ability to escape from guards easily.
- Just Like Robin Hood: Bajing Ireng is a black-clad crusader who spends her night dressed like a ninja, infiltrating the mansions of Dutch governors to steal their gold and redistribute them to the poor.
- Literally Shattered Lives: Once Jaka Sembung found the pulse point on Demang Asmara and penetrates it, his enemy is no longer invincible, and instead becomes extremely brittle and fragile. Jaka Sembung's finishing kick somehow leads to Demang Asmara breaking to bits as if he's made of clay.
Jaka Sembung Dan Dewi Samudra contain examples of:
- Interspecies Romance: Between Jaka Sembung the human and Nyi Roro Kidul the Sea Goddess. They don't end up together.
- Made a Slave: Jaka Sembung is a slave on a Dutch galley in the film's opening, and how he reached his current predicament is never explained. But then a run-in with the Sea Goddess allows him to return to Indonesia to deal with his captors.
- Parting the Sea: Nyi Roro Kidul, being the Sea Goddess, naturally parts the seas when revealing herself in the climax.
