SYNOPSIS:
Deaw is a Special Forces police officer who witnesses his
partner and friend murdered in a drugs bust that went terribly
wrong. Feeling disheartened with his life as a protector he
decided to join his sister and a troupe of elite athletes
on a government sponsored charity event close to the borders
between Burma and Thailand.
Everything
was going well. Deaw was once again happy and fulfilled until…
A
group of guerillas armed with a nuclear missile take over
the sleepy village holding it hostage. The ransom, the release
of General Yang one of the world’s most wanted drug
lords. The clock is ticking, can Deaw and the athletes rescue
the village from the mercenaries? Can they save Bangkok from
the imminent nuclear threat?
MOVIE
REVIEW
If
you are wondering why there is a recent onslaught of movies
from Thailand, you may want to recall a certain Tony Jaa who
broke out with a surprise hit called Ong-bak in 2003.
The
genre not only caught on in the American market (check out
the movie is promoted in the west), it also brought with it
the production of more action flicks featuring big explosive
sets and traditional Muay Thai boxing. This 2004 flick goes
as far as promoting itself as a movie “directed by the
legendary martial arts choreographer of Ong-bak and Tom Yum
Goong”.
Yes,
it got us looking forward to how much more groundbreaking
this action thriller can be, compared to the others we had
seen before.
The
100-minute movie begins with an explosive opening sequence
where a drug bust goes wrong, and one of the officers gets
brutally murdered. His partner becomes depressed and goes
to a small village on a charity mission.
But
things would not be exciting for us viewers if the bad guys
had not threatened the sluggish village with a nuclear threat
that may destroy Bangkok. As ridiculous as it sounds, this
part of the plot actually helps to spice up the movie quite
a bit.
As
far as the genre goes, this movie does not offer more, but
neither does it offer less. There are quite a few violent
and bloody scenes, earning it its NC16 rating from our friends
at the censorship board. The action scenes are exhilaratingly
choreographed, and the fighting sequences will keep you at
the edge of your seats.
This
movie also has an interesting aspect which makes it somewhat
memorable in its own way. Director Panna Rittikrai seems to
be a patriotic Thai, considering the many shots of the Thailand
flag in full glory in the movie. The revolutionary scenes
where the villagers go out full force to fight the bad guys
are also something which we did not expect initially.
As
for the male lead Dan Chupong, his performance is remarkable,
so we can only wish him the best, and that his fame will spread
to the west like a certain Tony Jaa.
MOVIE RATING:
Review
by John Li
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