Movie Details

Dukun

Karim is a conflicted lawyer searching for his lost child, Nadia. Desperate, he makes a deal with an alleged murderer, Diana Dahlan, who promises to help him find his missing daughter. The matter only gets worse and Karim risks losing everything when Diana links Nadia`s disappearance to darker secrets.

Language: Malay
Subtitle: English
Classification: PG13
Release Date: 19 Apr 2018
Genre: Horror / Thriller
Running Time: NA
Distributor: Cathay Cineplexes
Cast: Umie Aida, Faizal Hussein, Adlin Aman Ramlie, Namron, Sofi Jikan
Director: Dain Said
Format: 2D

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Review
Writer: Dini Azri

Writer Ratings:
Overall:
Cast:
Plot:
Effects:
Cinematography:

Watch this if you liked: "Interchange", "Primal Fear", "Silence of the Lambs"

The Good, The Bad, and the 12-year wait:

After a long wait, 12 years to be exact, Dain Said's first feature movie "Dukun" is finally showing in Malaysian cinemas. "Dukun" centers on Karim (Faizal Hussein), a lawyer who is in a desperate search for his lost daughter who went missing after an argument. While searching, he is assigned to defend an alleged murderer, the seductive yet sinister Diana Dahlan (Umie Aida), in court. As the two meet to discuss about Diana's trial, she reveals that she practices black magic and offers a deal to help search for Karim's daughter using illegal mystical methods.

Umie Aida, who plays the titular role of "Dukun", which means shaman, stole the show completely with her outstanding performance. She perfectly balances Diana's bipolar characteristics, switching from being seductive to lure her victims, to showing her evil possessed-like manner when she holds her ritual. Every scene involving Umie Aida is fun to watch because of her character's unexpected personality.

Not forgetting Faizal Hussein who also did a great job in portraying two different personas, one as a desperate father seeking for help to find his daughter, the other as a confident lawyer who shows no mercy when in the middle of a court battle. It is easy to sympathise with his character, knowing that his confident pose is just a façade hiding his despair.

Knowing that "Dukun" is essentially a 2006 movie, one must praise Dain Said's efforts in creating something different for the local movie industry, by making a movie with such a challenging concept that not only has an excellent social commentary but also separates itself from the typical Malaysian genre, which is primarily comedy and horror. He also purposely tells "Dukun" in a non-linear way, keeping the audiences on their toes so that they do not miss out on any important details. The director successfully captured the underground world of black magic and portrayed it in a form that is easy to understand and accessible to the audience.

Overall, "Dukun" is worth the 12-year wait solely for Umie Aida's fantastic performance. Even if some dialogues seem outdated at times, you can't really blame the movie because it was made more than a decade ago. But with all the troubles "Dukun" faced, this is one movie that is sure to become the talk of Malaysians for years to come, whether it is about the movie itself or the making of it.

Trivia:
• Despite the rumoured cuts and reedits, only a single line was removed from the movie.

• "Dukun", which was made in 2006, was digitally remastered to give an updated feel for today's audiences.

• The movie was previously banned as it was alleged that it featured certain disturbing scenes that were deemed unsuitable for public viewing.

Cinema Online, 06 April 2018
   
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Classification
Effective 15 July 2011
G - Suitable for all ages
PG - Suitable for all ages, but parents should provide guidance to their young
PG13 - Suitable for persons aged 13 and above, but parental guidance is advised for children below 13
NC16 - Suitable for persons aged 16 years and above
M18 - Suitable for persons aged 18 years and above
R21 - Restricted to persons aged 21 and above only