The Hong Kong cinema has long been a source of influence on American and European films and their directors. You’ll see it in Quentin Tarantino’s homage towards retro martial arts flicks in the “Kill Bill” series or the Wachowski brothers’ blend of serene characters and stylish action sequences in “The Matrix” trilogy, which reflects the style of director John Woo who began his career in Hong Kong.

The story revolves around five young friends, Ale (Fathir Muchtar), Jarot (Vino G Bastian), Lukman (Dion Wiyoko), Sadat (Ali Syakieb) and Jago (Dallas Pratama). They grow up together in the village and become its unofficial tough guys as they protect it from outside and inside threats.

But being young and intimidating, the quintet also occasionally partake in less friendly activities such as village brawls. During a rough soccer match with some men from a neighboring village, tempers flare and a fight erupts. One man from the other village pulls out a knife to stab Ale, but not before Jarot smashes a rock into his head.

The would-be attacker is killed, and Jarot is sent to prison where he is beaten and raped. Adding to his misery is the fact that none of his four best friends visit him.

Jarot is eventually released, but his friends’ apathy has left him bitter and full of pent-up animosity. He decides to join a drug-dealing, Chinese Triad styled-gang called Naga Hitam (Black Dragon) — his old group’s sworn enemy. This puts him at odds with his former comrades, and eventually leads them all to a tragic fate.

“Serigala Terakhir” relies on the dependable storyline of friends who become enemies. This could have turned the movie into a cliched action flick, or into a fulfilling story of redemption and tragedy, depending on the idea’s execution.

The final product sits somewhere between those two extremes. Bastian’s descent from young ruffian to a bitter, brooding man searching for revenge is the movie’s strongest point.

But thankfully, the biceps-fueled aspect of the movie is not as prevalent as the previews and promotions would have you believe. The introduction of the quintet in their rowdy, shirts-off days is believable. And so are the fighting and shooting scenes.

Meanwhile, the accompanying conflicts, such as Jarot’s forbidden love affair with Ale’s sister, enhance the story rather than distract from it. “Serigala Terakhir” works because the movie knows the oddness of its premise. (Indonesian Triads — really?) But instead of trying to defend the realism of the story, the movies focuses on the emotional evolution of its characters. (10/11/09 JakartaGlobe)