THIS is the third and final chapter of the adventures of Botak, Daim and Ayam, one-time inmates of juvenile detention school Sekolah Wira Bakti.
It comes hot on the heels of last year’s Juvana 2: Terperangkap Dalam Kebebasan, which saw the trio re-adapt to life as free men, only to be dragged back into crime by their corrupt former principal Raja (Hasnul Rahmat).
After the events of Juvana 2, Daim (Zahiril Adzim), Botak (Johan Asari) and Ayam (Adam Shahz) are recaptured by Raja and his henchmen, and the boys have also learnt the hard way that their former principal was the real mastermind behind the kidnapping of Daim’s girlfriend Sara (Shera Aiyob), Botak’s father, and another former inmate Apek’s teenage siblings.
In Raja’s hideout, Daim becomes depressed following the death of Sara, who was stabbed to death by gangster Tok Ki (Pekin Ibrahim), who has also been captured by Raja.
He is hostile to Botak and Ayam, blaming them for “dragging” him back into crime.
Botak, Daim and Ayam realise Raja has taken them for a ride, and that he is seeking revenge against fellow gang leaders Tok Jebat and Tok Ki, blaming them for his earlier imprisonment.
He also wants to take over their criminal organisation.
Via his henchmen, Raja manipulates the boys into disliking each other, and starts to use them for his human trafficking syndicate.
The trio are made to serve Raja in return for the release of Botak’s father and Apek’s siblings. But after several fist fights and kicks between the boys, instigated by Raja’s men, Botak, Daim and Ayam eventually come to their senses.
They realise that they must work together with the other boys from Sekolah Wira Bakti to defeat Raja and bring him to justice.
The boys are not alone; they are ably assisted by Tok Jebat’s beautiful daughter Nabila (Nad Zainal) who also seeks revenge against Raja for abducting and torturing her father.
As in the second movie, Johan steals the show playing Botak, the one-time bully boy of Sekolah Wira Bakti who turns over a new leaf and becomes spiritual, while retaining his fiery temper.
Botak, who appears to have gained muscles over the course of events, once again keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. He excels in silat when confronting Raja’s henchmen, and his moves are stylish and real.
Johan appears to enjoy slipping back into his iconic role, and while Botak is lean and mean, he is also a kind-hearted friend to his chums and a loving son to his gambling father.
Scenes of him praying, with tears streaming down his cheeks, are poignant and revealing; no matter how hard a man’s heart is, love conquers all.
Zahiril is also a gem of an actor playing the once-meek Daim. Initially the calmest of the boys, Zahiril’s Daim now gets to showcase his fiery side, because he is seething with revenge over the death of Sara, his fellow university student.
While he hardly fights in the TV series and the first two movies, Daim undergoes a real transformation here, pumping iron in his “prison” and subsequently joining Botak in delivering lethal punches and kicks to knock out Raja’s thugs.
As for Adam’s Ayam, he continues to shine as the best judge of character amongst the three boys. He has an innate sense of identifying baddies, and plays a key role in convincing the other Wira Bakti alumni to help him defeat Raja’s human trafficking syndicate.
Director Faizal Ishak deserves a big hand for his fantastic formula of getting the Wira Bakti boys to work together to form an effective acting ensemble.
He admitted to forcing them to live like real juvenile detention school students. They even ate the boring hostel food and slept on uncomfortable hostel beds, at a secret location in Hulu Langat, Selangor.
But they soon became close friends and enjoyed their journey as a challenging and character-building experience.
While the female cast is mostly relegated to captives, gagged and screaming teens who are sold into prostitution by Raja, Nad does a star turn as the fearless Nabila.
Stylish in black jacket and jeans, she shoots her way into evil Raja’s hideout with the ruthlessness of Jodie Foster in The Brave One.
It is truly a breakout from her comfort zone of playing lady-like characters and here’s hoping that she will take on tough cop roles in the future.
Main antagonist Hasnul is despicable as Raja. He represents the meanest of men, who does not hesitate to whip women enslaved into prostitution, and torture young men in cages.
While some fans prefer Bront Palarae’s portrayal of Raja in the TV series, Hasnul holds his own, and looks a lot more villainous than Bront. He really gives viewers goosebumps the moment he appears on screen.
While the fate of some characters from the earlier movies and TV series are unexplained, Juvana 3 brings a satisfying and timely close to the hellish ordeal of the boys of Sekolah Wira Bakti.
A well-written story by Alfie Palermo, it will go down as a brilliant piece of Malaysian cinematic and TV history.
NOW SHOWING
JUVANA 3: PERHITUNGAN TERAKHIR
DIRECTED BY Faisal Ishak
STARRING Johan Asari, Zahiril Adzim, Adam Shahz, Hasnul Rahmat, Nad Zainal, Pekin Ibrahim
DURATION 98 minutes
RATING 18