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IMDbPro

The Act of Killing

  • 20122012
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 57m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
38K
YOUR RATING
The Act of Killing (2012)
A documentary that examines a country where death squad leaders are celebrated as heroes, challenging them to reenact their real-life mass killings in the style of the American movies they love.
Play trailer2:13
2 Videos
59 Photos
  • Documentary
  • Biography
  • Crime
A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and l... Read allA documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
38K
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • Joshua Oppenheimer
    • Anonymous
    • Christine Cynn
  • Stars
    • Anwar Congo
    • Herman Koto
    • Syamsul Arifin
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Joshua Oppenheimer
    • Anonymous
    • Christine Cynn
  • Stars
    • Anwar Congo
    • Herman Koto
    • Syamsul Arifin
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 142User reviews
    • 249Critic reviews
    • 91Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 55 wins & 46 nominations total

    Videos2

    Theatrical Trailer
    Trailer 2:13
    Theatrical Trailer
    The Act of Killing
    Trailer 2:13
    The Act of Killing

    Photos59

    The Act of Killing (2012)
    Anwar Congo in The Act of Killing (2012)
    Anwar Congo in The Act of Killing (2012)
    Anwar Congo in The Act of Killing (2012)
    The Act of Killing (2012)
    The Act of Killing (2012)
    The Act of Killing (2012)
    The Act of Killing (2012)
    The Act of Killing (2012)
    The Act of Killing (2012)
    Anwar Congo in The Act of Killing (2012)
    Anwar Congo in The Act of Killing (2012)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Anwar Congo
    Anwar Congo
    • Self - Executioner in 1965
    Herman Koto
    Herman Koto
    • Self - Gangster and Paramilitary Leader
    Syamsul Arifin
    • Self - Governor of North Sumatra
    Ibrahim Sinik
    • Self - Newspaper Publisher
    Yapto Soerjosoemarno
    Yapto Soerjosoemarno
    • Self - Leader of Pancasila Youth
    Safit Pardede
    • Self - Local Paramilitary Leader
    Jusuf Kalla
    Jusuf Kalla
    • Self - Vice President of Indonesia
    Adi Zulkadry
    Adi Zulkadry
    • Self - Fellow Executioner in 1965
    Soaduon Siregar
    • Self - Journalist
    Suryono
    Suryono
    • Self - Anwar's Neighbor
    Haji Marzuki
    • Self - Member of North Sumatra Parliament
    • (as Marzuki)
    Haji Anif
    Haji Anif
    • Self - Paramilitary Leader and Businessman
    Rahmat Shah
    • Self - Member of Parliament
    Sakhyan Asmara
    • Self - Deputy Minister of Youth and Sport
    Barack Obama
    Barack Obama
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    • Directors
      • Joshua Oppenheimer
      • Anonymous
      • Christine Cynn
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The co-director, as well as 48 other members of the film crew in 27 different positions, are credited as 'Anonymous' because they still fear revenge from the death-squad killers. The 41-year-old Indonesian who shared directing credit with Joshua Oppenheimer and Christine Cynn, could only wonder, 'How could these people tell these horrible stories so lightly and so proudly? You just want to challenge them right away. But you have to keep telling yourself to be patient, to let them tell the story the way they like. Because then we can learn something about the whole system of destruction.'
    • Quotes

      Anwar Congo: Did the people I tortured feel the way I do here? I can feel what the people I tortured felt. Because here my dignity has been destroyed, and then fear come, right there and then. All the terror suddenly possessed my body. It surrounded me, and possessed me.

      Joshua Oppenheimer: Actually, the people you tortured felt far worse, because you knew it's only a film. They knew they were being killed.

      Anwar Congo: But I can feel it, Josh. Really, I feel it. Or have I sinned. I did this to so many people, Josh. Is it all coming back to me? I really hope it won't. I don't want it to, Josh.

    • Crazy credits
      The name "Anonymous" appears 49 times under 27 different crew positions in the credits. This was done to protect the identities of those crew members who feared retribution from the former Indonesian death squad leaders.
    • Alternate versions
      The 115-minute version is generally the theatrical version. It was presented at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals. The 159-minute version competed at the CPH:DOX festival and won its main award. It is also the main version being released in Indonesia.
    • Connections
      Edited into P.O.V.: The Act of Killing (2014)
    • Soundtracks
      Theme for the Act of Killing
      Composer: Karsten Fundal

      Published by Edition Wilhlem Hansen

      Performed by Clara Bryld, Andreas Estrup, Frederik Teige, Katinka Fogh Vindelev

      Technician: Lars Falck

      Recording Studio: Copenhagen Studios

    User reviews142

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Mindblowing In A Million Ways
    I have *never* seen anything like The Act of Killing. It is a documentary of sorts about the Indonesian death squads who killed millions of 'communists' in the 60s. Director Josh Oppenheimer worked with the squad leaders to make a 'film' about their involvement any way they wanted to make it. The result is staggeringly, devastatingly honest. I watched almost the entire the film with my jaw on the floor and my heart in my throat.

    The massacres are so impinged upon the collective consciousness of Indonesia, even today, that it appears to permeate every aspect of every person's life. These squad leaders are still feared and celebrated, and their actions are institutionally supported, so, as a result, they get to run around patting themselves and each other on the back for their atrocities. It's bizarre on the highest order, and, though I wouldn't have thought of it, there probably isn't a better way to treat the subject matter than the way this film does.

    There are some scenes that are actually hard to watch, too real, even when they're not. Watching Chinese immigrant shop owners getting shaken down by gangsters for money was particularly sad, as was seeing confused, scared children cry ceaselessly after participating in hyper- realistic reenactments of massacres.

    Too often, when it comes to documentaries, people implore, "you have to see this one," citing its social, economic, personal, governmental, or scientific importance. Well this film is one everyone should see. It's really hard to believe sometimes that people like these death squad leaders really exist and travesties like this really have and continue to happen.

    This film absolutely blew my mind. It is unquestionably one of the very best documentaries I've ever seen.
    helpful•64
    12
    • schadenfroh
    • Jan 8, 2014

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 8, 2012 (Denmark)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • Denmark
      • Norway
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • Indonesian
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Акт вбивства
    • Filming locations
      • Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia
    • Production companies
      • Final Cut for Real
      • Piraya Film A/S
      • Novaya Zemlya
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $486,919
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $27,450
      • Jul 21, 2013
    • Gross worldwide
      • $726,324
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 57 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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