SYNOPSIS:
Five undercover agents, or “Chai Lais", are tasked
with foiling the evil plans of an international crime syndicate.
All heroines in their own right, they must use all of their
ingenuity and skill to fight their evil nemeses as they arrive
in Thailand to pursue the key to their national treasure.
MOVIE
REVIEW
Sometimes,
all we movie audiences ask for in a show is enjoyment. Simple
enjoyment. Smile-inducing enjoyment. No-brainer pleasant enjoyment.
What the filmmakers give, we take. We just want to have a
good time watching a movie.
And director
Poj Arnon sure knows how to give that to the audience, especially
those of the male species, with his latest work.
The 97-minute
movie showcases five crime-fighting ladies (three prettier
than the other two) who are tasked to save the daughter of
a rich businessman. The plot also involves some prized jewel
and some really nasty villains.
Many will
be quick to regard this movie as the Thai version of Charlie’s
Angels, where ass-kicking female spies are sent by a useless
man to save the world. The similarity in plot is there, but
this movie smartly contextualizes the whole situation for
Asian audiences.
The Thai
campiness is a sure-win source of enjoyment. While the guys
can ogle at the ladies’ long limbs, the girls can cheer
at their oh-we-are-so-determined girl power and spirit. At
the end of the day, there won’t be any argument of whether
a flick like this demeans any gender.
And there
is no need for this serious talk too, because the key word
for this movie is “enjoyment”. From the impressive
car chases to the exciting fight scenes, this movie makes
for one enjoyable popcorn entertainment. We are not even concerned
about the formulaic plot anymore.
The dialogue
is nonsensical, the lines are silly. But it works - you’d
know that you smile at the exchanges between the characters.
It helps
that the cast are pleasing to the eyes too. Much has been
said about the prettier three of the five leads. But the one
actress that steals the show is the cock-eyed baddie (and
presto, her real identity is given a twist at the end of the
movie!) Her flair for comedy is, well, pardon the pun, spot
on.
With
wacky characters, a no-brainer storyline, a group of visually-pleasing
cast, what’s there not to enjoy in this movie? Come
on, it is time we relax and enjoy movies, the way they were
meant to be.
MOVIE
RATING:
Review
by John Li
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