Bangkok Dangerous

Bangkok Dangerous

A genuine surprise. I had seen The Eye, and felt that while it had some excellent set pieces and scary moments, it could have been better. The American remake was average fare, not too different from this but lacking some of the tension and scares, unlike The Ring which was balls. I had also seen Bangkok Haunted, a horror movie which had atmosphere but few scares. So I came to this, knowing that the directors were stylish, but that they needed a superior, straighter story to tell if I was to appreciate them fully. This has it all. Great story, which will hold you until the end, fully drawn captivating characters, explosive and original action, strong performances, superb editing and dialogue, and packed with emotion. As I may have said, I’m a sucker for sentimentality, and real love stories, not the ones Hollywood tries to sell us 95% of the time, and this has both. But don’t be put off if you hate that sort of thing, there is a lot of violence too, and the lovers are both very attractive. So, the story, not totally original, few are these days, but too much emphasis is placed on originality, and this adds many clever twists to an old story. A deaf-mute hitman seeks revenge on those who wronged him, while protecting his girlfriend, and proving he is not simply a killer. The climax is just as good, if not better than anything in The Matrix, and this has as many stand out scenes. But enough praise. It will probably be difficult to get hold of this film, but see it if you get the chance. When it’s in a sale, buy it! Truly beautiful. Truly stylish.
Poor features let the DVD down, as a few interviews and documentaries would have been great, especially as so many Asian films are getting 2-disc releases here. The film alone is worth forking out at least 15 notes anyway. I have not yet seen Nicholas Cage’s remake of this…

As always, feel free to share your comments- is this the best movie so far from the Pang Brothers? How does it compare to the remake? Let us know!