I stumbled upon the 2011 Malaysian action movie "KL Gangster" here in 2022, by random chance. I have to say that the movie's cover was actually interesting enough to make me pick up the movie. And seeing that it was an Asian movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I opted to watch what the movie had to offer.
The storyline in "KL Gangster", as written by Rizal Ashreff and Syamsul Yusof, was a pretty straight forward one. However, it was also at the same time rather simplistic, even for a gangster movie. It was essentially a movie about gangsters encroaching on rival turfs, while a former gangster recently released from prison attempted to make an honest living.
Sure, the story was watchable, but it wasn't exactly rocket science here. While the movie was somewhat simplistic in its storyline, there as actually more than enough action and fighting to make up for the lack of a deeper storyline. And it would have been great, if it wasn't for the rather dubious sound effects when they were fighting.
The acting in the movie was so-so. Nothing outstanding here, but it was suitable enough for the movie, if you can stand watching Adi Putra (playing Jai) walking around sullenly, always looking downward and having an unlit cigarette in his mouth.
I am sure that there is an audience out there for a gangster movie such as "KL Gangster". I was however hoping for a bit more than what it turned out to be. "KL Gangster" is suitable for a single viewing, and that is about it.
My rating of "KL Gangster" lands from director Syamsul Yusof on a four out of ten stars.
