KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 7 -- Crime stories have been a fixture in Malaysian cinema for years, but Macai, the spiritual successor to 2015's Jagat, delivers a bold and uniquely daring perspective.

Directed by Sun-J Perumal and set in the fictional country of Lingapura, portrayed as bordering Singapore, the film follows a young man named Siam, who becomes entangled in the dangerous currents of street politics, criminal syndicates, and systemic power manipulation in post-Independence society.

Attending the special media screening yesterday at Lotus Five Star (LFS) Cinemas in Petaling Jaya, Malay Mail noticed how Macai brings forth a more mature evolution of Jagat, expands on its predecessor's exploration of crime, while carving out its own uniqu...