Malaysian war drama "The Ghost and the Gun" heads to Netflix worldwide

Netflix will stream "The Ghost and the Gun" around the world, starting 28 November. The Bahasa Malaysia-language war drama had already played in cinemas before it reached the streaming service, according to Variety, which reported the deal on 13 November.

The story is set in Malaya in 1948. British forces are pulling out of the country, and they leave behind one Malay soldier and one British soldier. The two men have to face their wartime pasts while they defend a village that armed rebels have targeted.

Malaysian actor Fabian Loo leads the ensemble. The cast also includes Hazman Al-Idrus, Asmara Abigail and American actor Brett Tutor.

The film is the third feature from Indian filmmaker Anshul Tiwari, who is based in Singapore. He previously directed "Before Life After Death" and "Bayaar." Abhi Kumar wrote the screenplay. Debasmita Dasgupta, Mikail Chowdhury, Tim Willrich and Bo H. Holmgreen are the producers.

Shooting took place at Viking Sunset Studios in Bali. The production built 14 sets to stand in for 1940s Malaya. A cinematographer from India worked on the picture, a Malaysian team in Kuala Lumpur handled sound and colour, and a British composer wrote the score.

The people who made the film came from many places. Cast and crew came from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, India, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. That mix is a common shape for productions that cross borders, where a single film draws on several national film industries.

Before the Netflix deal, the film had a nationwide cinema release in Malaysia. It also had a smaller theatrical run in Indonesia. A theatrical run means a stretch of screenings in cinemas, before a film moves to television or streaming.

For viewers who missed it in cinemas, the film will be available on Netflix from 28 November. Netflix has not, in the reporting so far, given viewing figures for the title, so there are no numbers yet on how many people will watch it.