Wonderful character development!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

When criminals and baddies of every kind stalk the streets of Indonesia, only one man can stop them in their tracks: Rambu (O'Brian), of course. The man his enemies call Rambu is actually an unemployed dude with a wicked fashion sense named Alex Terambuan. But to criminal mastermind John White (Gavin, who is credited as "John Smith" in the end credits) and his hordes of goons, he is an "Intruder" into their evil business. So they kidnap, rape and murder his wife Ella (Warokka, credited as "Angela" in the end credits). At one point he even gets Rambushed by the bad guys (hence the Prerequisite Torture Sequence). Luckily Ella gave him a red scarf to remember her by before she was abducted. After he wraps it tightly around his forehead, Rambu goes out for revenge. Can anything stop a Rambu on the rampage? Find out today! The great and mighty Peter O'Brian returns in his second film after the awesome The Stabilizer (1986) - and The Intruder has the same kind of utterly winning, infectious, nutty charm. The entertainment value of this movie is off the chart, as it delivers the goods and then some starting with the great opening scene and not really ever letting up. The whole outing has energy (sped-up fights will do that), exotic flavor, and general insanity that viewers just have to love. Why he has a cricket ball (?) that returns to him like a boomerang is just one of the many brain-teasing questions this movie will confront you with.As we will learn from Rambu, only suckers don't undo the first 4 to 5 buttons on a shirt. Actor Craig Gavin has only ever appeared in two movies in his career - and both of them were playing villains to Peter O'Brian's heroes. Who could forget him as Greg Rainmaker in The Stabilizer? Seeing as how both movies were made in 1986, we suspect he uses the same white suit here as he did there. It's a shame he wasn't in more movies, he could have had a career. But as for The Intruder in general, even the dubbing is enjoyable on its own. You could watch this movie with your eyes closed and still have a great time. But if you did that, you'd miss all the great hair, clothes, high-quality explosions, and references to a certain Stallone movie that shall remain...well, not nameless, but let's just say one vowel different.It's always great when filmmakers are so proud of a name they came up with, they say it excessively throughout the movie. A classic example is Best of the Best 2 (1993), where the name "Brakus" is said countless times. Here, it's the same thing, the name "Rambu" is uttered endlessly throughout the movie by just about every character. And the more they say it, the funnier it gets. While American audiences may only know director Jopi Burnama because Troma took one of his movies and re-dubbed it into the unfunny Ferocious Female Freedom Fighters (1982), that's a shame, because he may just have an Arizal-level of talent but no DVD distributors want to take a chance on his output. Where's Mondo Macabro on this? Rambu remains a sparkling gem in the rare 80's international action canon. Don't be afraid to draw 'second blood' and seek it out soon.

"You really love to look for trouble, don't you man". These words, spoken by our hero's doomed best friend Bobby, are at the heart of this haunting psychological urban western. Not since the days of John Ford's collaborations with John Wayne has there been such a persuasive portrait of the mental anguish suffered by the men who exist outside of societies remit, forever condemned to stalk the badlands.Men like Alex Tarambuan, or Rambu to his friends. As essayed with skill and clarity by Peter O'Brian, he is a man unable to hold down any job, such is the rage and bitterness inside, which he regularly takes out on the pitiless criminal element, personified in a brilliant opening scene by his nemesis, "Charlie the Hit-man". Totally reliant on his long suffering girlfriend Jenny (a touching, sensitive performance from Yenni Farida), he is absolutely one of the outcasts. This world, located on the outskirts of downtown Jakarta (viewed briefly in one stunning cityscape), has no need for men of honour, dignity and simplicity like Rambu.After the horrendous rape and subsequent murder of Jenny (an sadistically elongated sequence, staged with great skill and precision by director Jopi Burnama in one of many bravura set pieces), Tarambuan turns his grief into unholy anger, and decides to do the impossible – take on single handed outrageously evil crime lord John White (a sinister, glowering Craig Gavin).What follows is nothing short of an existentialist journey into Rambu's psyche, with O'Brian's unflinching performance as a man driven by emotions he barely comprehends himself coming to the fore. At this point, some extremely fine performances emerge from the intense din – the legendary Dana Christina is magnificent as Clara, hard bitten moll to White; Harry Capri, pilling on the sexual ambiguity as Steven, personal assistant to the shady Mr Andre (Kaharudin Syah, on typically fine form, this time blitzing his goody goody "Stabilizer" image).But the stand out is undoubtedly Adang Mansyur, as Rambu's mirror image nemesis Charlie. He's detestable certainly but also rather pathetic (witness him bitch slapped by his superior in one shocking scene), but played with great empathy by Mansyur. He is symbolic of the hierarchal structure of the crime network portrayed. When his grimy villainy is replaced by Craig Gavin's more measured approach as White, the film looses a certain spark. Having said that, Gavin has some choice moments - a scene of wanton intimidation and attempted rape on the daughter of local big cheese Hendrick (curiously never seen) resonates with mania and menace.And despite the emphasis on character through action and a decidedly anarchic, intentionally messy feel, some of the action set pieces are up there with the best. Indeed, a second act rescue competes with the village raid in Coppola's inferior "Apocalypse Now", if you replace helicopters with adapted milk floats, and underlines Burnama and screenwriter Deddy Armand's feel for combining heart stopping action with a sense of the surreal.Burning with intensity and genuine fire, "The Intruder" has enough ideas to fill several movies. Full of twists and turns, unexpected ambiguity (witness the extraordinary homosexual overtones in a scene between O'Brian and Capri, two master's at work ala De Niro & Pacino in Michael Mann's "Heat") and award worthy acting, this is an experience you won't want to miss.

This sets the standard for all other B-Movies and contains everything: great action, amazingly funny dubbing, dubious script continuity, characters who influence the plot but don't actually appear in the film, an outstanding soundtrack and super evil villains. Rather than attempt to sum up this Herculean effort by the likes of Peter O'Brian and Craig Gavin, I've listed the main 10 things that this film has taught me:1) The best way to pressure people is to kidnap their young and beautiful daughter. 2) Random Australian soap stars may appear during battle scenes. 3) You shouldn't store the only things you own in a basket, they will be destroyed. 4) Lead pipes are often supplied at dinner evenings should you wish to destroy the tables. 5) If you're the hero, it's fine to allow the villain to shoot at you from point blank range before whistling for assistance as it's likely the gun will be unloaded. 6) Don't be alarmed, the sound of footsteps may continue even after you sit down. 7) "Why?" is a perfectly reasonable response to questions regarding your constant involvement in other people's problems. 8) In the space of 24hrs following the brutal murder of your wife, it is fine to start pulling other woman and also 24 hours is about the time it takes between meeting someone and declaring that they're "like a father" to you. 9) If your name is Bobby and you have a very minor role as the Hero's friend, there's a very good chance you'll die. 10) Always inform people that they've cut you when they attack you with a knife, this may not be clear to them. Watch this! You won't be disappointed!!

This is possibly the most daunting task I have ever undertaken. My unbridled love for this film urges me to write a review, yet as a mere mortal with only an A-Level B in English, I fear my poorly worded ramblings will not do this work of art justice. The Intruder, known simply to its admirers as "Rambu" follows the exploits of "Alex Termabuan, aka Rambu", an "unemployed bum" who "loves justice and hates crime". If one were to have a criticism of this film, it could be that possibly the best scene is the opening one, but such arguments could go on for days, nay, weeks, and would be quite fruitless. I think i'll avoid going into massive detail on the film, or i'll be here all day. Know this, this film affected not only myself, but my friends/co-appreciators so much that recently, we took the liberty of actually calling Parkit Films in Indonesia, in the hope of speaking with legendary director Yopi Burnama. Unfortunately, after being patched through to the "English speaker", it emerged that she could say only "yes" and "ok". But fear not, we have been thwarted only temporarily, and the logistics of a trip to Indonesia in search of Cast, Crew and Memorabilia are being examined. Not only does this film make me laugh out loud every time I watch it, my conversations are littered with quotes from the film, and it's a great hangover cure. As described by a fellow fan Bob, Rambu is "a hard-hitting,action packed, psychological thriller." Anyone interested in viewing this film will find it almost impossible to find, so please do not hesitate to contact me. Also, legendary fans Shep and Bob actually produced a theme tune to the film, containing the backing music and a plethora of the best quotes from the film. Other reviews will hark back to classic scenes, such as the "tennis ball projectile", or the battle of the Tuk-tuk's versus the motorcycle's. I simply don't have the time to go into detail on my favourite scenes. This review is merely to pay homage to what is the greatest film I have ever seen. Thankyou for reading, I'm off to watch it again.