Merah Putih ("Red [and] White") is a movie, directed by Yadi Sugandi (director of photography for Laskar Pelangi and The Photograph), brought out in Indonesia in 2009.

Janur Kuning (Young Yellow Coconut Leaves), Enam Djam di Jogja (Six Hours in Yogya), Serangan Fajar (The Dawn Attack) and Cut Nyak Dien are just few of many war movies screened in cinemas years ago, portraying the spirit, struggles and courage of Indonesians in fighting the Dutch and Japanese colonialists to gain independence and freedom.

The film was inspired by the real-life experiences of the brave cadets massacred in Lengkong, and all the men and women who fought for a free and united Indonesia between 1945 and 1948.

There is also a cocky and elitist playboy Marius (Darius Sinathrya) and his best friend Soerono, who is a priyayi (Javanese aristocrat), as well as the Balinese Hindu street Dayan (T. Rifnu Wikana).

Shot in 35-millimeter film, Merah Putih gathered a topflight team of special effects and technical experts with experience in Hollywood films, including the British special effects guru Adam Howarth (Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down), stunt supervisor Rocky McDonald (Mission: Impossible 2, The Quiet American), make-up and visual effects artist Rob Trenton (The Dark Knight), and weaponry expert consultant John Bowring (The Thin Red Line, X-Men Origins: Wolverine).

A scene about the cadets attacking a Dutch convoy on a bridge, for instance, took six days and hundreds of takes because it involved gunfights and several blasts.

Despite a series of fighting and explosions scenes, you won't find a spectacular amount of action in this film, especially if you are a war movie lover.