Two years after the last installment of his Merdeka (Freedom) trilogy, young American screenwriter-director Conor Allyn is now back with action-packed Java Heat, which was shot entirely in Yogyakarta and Central Java.

In the movie, prominent local actors Ario Bayu, Atiqah Hasiholan and Mike Lucock share the screen with Kellan Lutz (of Twilight fame) and Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke.

Although funded through foreign investment, Allyn refused to label the movie as an import. “It’s a co-production between Hollywood and Indonesian film companies,” he said.

Woven in Java Heat are stories of robbery, murder and terrorism. In the movie, Jake (Lutz), who is in Indonesia posing as a grad student, is among the key witness of a suicide bombing at the charity event that apparently claimed the life of a Javanese noblewoman, the Sultana (Hasiholan).

Interrogation and investigation by a devout Muslim police officer, Hashim (Bayu), leads to both of them being a target of a terrorist attack, in which the American saves Hashim.

Despite having suspicions as to how a grad student can be very skillful with weapons, Hashim cooperates with Jake. They find out that the Sultana did not die in the bombing. Her corpse is that of another woman.

The woman whose corpse was used in the con is a part of a criminal syndicate. Jake later finds that Malik (Mickey Rourke), a jewel thief he has targeted for a long time, is also on the island, but has yet to discover his connection in the matter.

In the meantime, Hashim’s wife and children were kidnapped. After a series of violent encounters involving gun fights and explosions, Jake and Hashim forge a bond between them.

Tensions increase as Jake and Hashim arrive at Borobudur Temple, which is being used for a Vesak ceremony. They find out that the Sultana is being held hostage by Malik in exchange for a piece of priceless jewelry.

Allyn, who worked on Java Heat with his father, Rob Allyn, said that the production team spent US$15 million for the movie. The Allyns also previously worked together for the Merdeka trilogy between 2009 and 2011.

Allyn said that one of the highlights of the production was the shoot on top of Borobudur. “Permission to film in the temple was really difficult to obtain, because Borobudur fell under many authorities, such as UNESCO, the Yogyakarta government and the Magelang government. It was a long process,” he said.

A cast and crew of around 500 actors were involved in the shoot. “Among those, only two actors [Kellan and Mickey] and around 15 crews were American; the rest of them were locals,” explained Allyn.

Ario Bayu said he had a great time filming the movie. “I got to act with Mickey Rourke, who I think is really a great actor,” Ario said.

More than 18 months has passed since shooting completed. “I can’t wait for it to hit the screen. I hope the audience will too,” he said.

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