Timo Tjahjanto is a filmmaker with the intuitive understanding that, in human nature, we’re at our angriest when we’ve taken a blade to the shoulder in a fight to the death. I don’t know how he knows this, but it does make sense, and in his latest film, it comes up a lot. For reference, The Shadow Strays could be described as a sequel to 2018’s The Night Comes for Us, though in spirit, it’s more like a prequel to that film’s own – tragically unmade – sequel, Night of the Operator, which would’ve spun off Julie Estelle’s assassin character. I was so stricken dumb by the “bones tearing through flesh” style of The Night Comes for Us that I didn’t realize how much I loved it until subsequent, wide-eyed viewings. I’ve watched Julie Estelle’s big fight scene so many times that I know every beat by heart. And so, the experience of The Shadow Strays is relatively unique for this movie-goer. Tjahjanto said, “Want more?” and I said, “I-I didn’t even know that was an option.” … More Mouthguard Recommended | The Shadow Strays (2024) Review