Marlina The Murderer In Four Acts review: A beautifully shot 'Satay Western'

Writer/director Mouly Surya’s beautifully shot Marlina The Murderer In Four Acts is, I hope, the first of many Satay Westerns.

Timothy’s Marlina turns renegade shortly after Markus (Egy Fedly) – think Indonesian Lee Van Cleef – calmly strides in to inform her that her farm is his for the taking.

He will soon be joined by seven friends who will take all her livestock and, if they have time, “sleep with her” making her “the luckiest woman in the world”.

Marlina, it turns out, has a very different take. After a blood-soaked ending to the first chapter, she hits the road with some gruesome evidence of the crime while being pursued by two gang members.

Fans of Spaghetti Western pioneer Sergio Leone may find the pace a little slow but everyone should enjoy the beautiful vistas, hard-bitten script and great score – a blend of Ennio Morricone and Indonesian folk.