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:
5 high-heeled Thai femmes are right smack at the centre of
this brain-dead action comedy that is all flash, and stuff
of lecherous pipe dreams. Quite obviously marketed as a Thai
spoof of the Charlie’s Angels franchise, the main selling
points are its bevy of girls. And their largely commendable
assets. But of course, that includes their extensive weaponry.
Although it’s more a take on McG’s ditzy Angels
than the late Aaron Spelling’s archetype, “Chai-Lai
Angels” (or Dangerous Flowers) remains quintessentially
Thai. Right down to its comedy and stinging colloquialisms
that retains its vulgar but charming jab at Thai society.
Lotus,
Rose, Poy-sian, Na-wua and Kulap are names of flowers (you
can surmise its titular inspirations) and code-names for each
of these alluring agents. Through their collective ambrosial
delights, they are called Chai-Lai, which roughly translates
to ‘beautiful’ in the film’s native language.
Each armed with a unique skill set, and a shared knack for
teasing butt-thrusts that are usually followed up with an
acrobatic assortment of ninja kicks, spins and Olympic-worthy
(aided by wires of course) gyrations that Mary Lou Retton
would turn green at. The quintet is assembled together by
the cranially challenged, wig obsessed Somrak (this version’s
Bosley) played by “Tom-Yum-Goong” alum, Mom Jok
Mok. And their mission? To recover the daughter of a Japanese
tycoon who could possibly lead the way to a prized item.
The
rudimentary premise is never its focus, unlike the comedic
tropes in its over-the-top action sequences and insanely cheesy
spread-eagle poses atop moving vehicles and contraptions that
are almost always accompanied with precariously positioned
towels and casually revealing swimsuits. They are action figure
Barbies for men. Put them in enough titillating costumes and
inane situations that tickle our fancies and you’ve
got one of the most libido-driven drivel this side of Asia.
The
film’s silly absurdist humour should draw in a few crowds,
eager to repose and ‘strip off‘ reality’s
rigour and submit to the Angels’ (or Flowers’
as it were) slapstick gags and incessantly shallow claptrap.
It’s worth a chortle or two when illogical and preposterous
characters show up, wielding guns with an unlimited amount
of ammo as our harebrained heroines respond in kind. Its soft-core
temptations and innuendos grow bolder as it progresses, which
could have either appeared overly reaching or adequate for
its comedic schtick. Thankfully, it’s the latter as
the blazing and distracting gunfire dies down and its eccentric
supporting characters finally get down to the business of
actually being funny.
There
are some neat camera shots of the city’s skyline and
tranquil rural areas that are intruded upon by its fleeting
action sequences. There are also shots that are harried and
too squeezed together to make sense of the scene while expressionless
close-ups are unnecessarily used to mask budgetary constraints.
There’s an infinitesimal air of transcendence about
gender politics in this effort when the crimefighters battle
off hordes of suited male minions. But that’s easily
glazed over when the gals waltz in with skimpy outfits and
randomly flash their crotches at unsuspecting cronies.
Movie
Rating:
(A passable action comedy that gets the blood pumping to the
right places…)
