In his crimes Lono is supported by Sukma (Rima Melati), a law student whose father has been crippled in a staged hit-and-run accident for his work as an anti-corruption activist.

After Lono's final heist, a theft from a major corruptor named Ongko (Wim Umboh) in the capital city of Jakarta, he goes to his brother's house nearby.

Sjumandjaja, who had previously written several screenplays and spent six years studying film in the Soviet Union,[1] made his feature directorial debut with Lewat Tengah Malam.

[6] The Indonesian film critic Salim Said writes that, at the time of production, it was rumoured that only two Alfa Romeos had been imported into the country, suggesting that Lono was well-networked.

[4] Said wrote that it showed several technical flaws which were not in the (much stronger), screenplay; these included mistakes such as poor emoting in dialogue and a lack of focus on the supporting actors.

[7] Owing in part to Sjumandjaja's frequent illnesses on set and his success with the screenplay for Pengantin Remadja (1971), the director reportedly considered leaving directing to focus on screenwriting.