Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts is a brilliant female-driven arthouse/grindhouse rape-revenge Western that manages to endear, repulse, emotionally stir, mesmerize and propel in the best of ways.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Sep 23, 2020

"Marlina" is a film with very few faults, that manages to present a completely different take on the western, through an artful, meaningful and quite entertaining approach.

| Oct 27, 2019

"The film stands out in its treatment an active female protagonist not immediately supplanting male power, but slowly struggling to assume it."

| Original Score: 10/10 | May 29, 2019

Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts is simple at a glance, nuanced under scrutiny, and is a damn fine time at the movies.

| Original Score: 9/10 | Mar 8, 2019

Not quite a Western or a revenge flick. Where those genres indulge in violence for a bit of schlocky fun, Marlina is a lot more ponderous, though it is hard to tell whether it takes itself seriously.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 14, 2019

A drama as steeped in gender politics as tense thrills underneath a western lens of gorgeously static wide-angles, a mesmerizing score, and brilliantly emotive performances.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Nov 11, 2018

It's a visually eloquent and atmospheric drama which throws light on the dark patches of society.

| Nov 3, 2018

Marlina is an honest, enthralling, and visually stunning film about womanhood and survival.

| Sep 19, 2018

Surya is successful in making Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts a story that can happen anywhere, thus making the heart of the story one of universal appeal. The film is quiet but it flows.

| Aug 30, 2018

The Indonesian feminist outlaw western you never knew you needed in your life.

| Aug 24, 2018

To its credit, the film eschews excess gore and mayhem, largely making its points in more subtly incisive ways.

| Jul 5, 2018

It might seem a polemic passing as a folktale.

| Jul 5, 2018

A delightful work of feminist art. The high plains drifter comes around again.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Jul 3, 2018

As a drama, Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts is often melancholy and occasionally hilarious. From a filmmaking perspective, it is ultimately triumphant.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Jun 29, 2018

Director Surya's feminist rape-revenge fable hits the bullseye even if it's more about grief than celebration.

| Jun 29, 2018

Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts recalls the oaters of Sergio Leone and his brethren, all right, but it upends the usual male concerns for some serious and satisfying feminist payback.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jun 28, 2018

Marlina The Murderer keeps its focus tight and its storytelling sharp.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 28, 2018

It's one of those features from a distant part of the globe that seems like it may have been created primarily for Western art houses and festivals, where its exemplary direction and feminist theme are indeed likely to win Surya new fans.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 24, 2018

Feminist Western you should've been waiting for! Focusing on violent behavior and its impact on women...straddles tradition and modernity, distinctive look, strong females.

| Original Score: 9/10 | Jun 23, 2018

Working with the cinematographer Yunus Pasolang, Ms. Surya gives "Marlina" a stark, steady, captivating look that keeps you largely engaged even when the story and your attention drift.

| Jun 21, 2018