The Bodyguard

I saw this movie a while ago.. I must admit, it was very funny.. The idea of this bodyguard WongKom, who gets fired after the death of his client is just of those clichés.

But then later on, WongKom realises that a group of assassins are after the client's son, so that they can their hands on the fortune..

There were some funny scenes, good one liners.. Fights scenes and shoot out scenes, they were great.. Just like what you may've seen in another film ONG-BAK..

I think with this guy Petchai WongKomlao.. I think he'll be Asia's next Jackie Chan. So he used to be a comedian, unlike another Asian favourite, Takeshi Kitano.. But now as he takes the director's chair.. He really gave the film a good going over.. with all the thrills and spills of any action movie and combined with a bit of a slapstick humour just to add to all the fun..

I manage to see the behind-the-scenes featurette, which basically looks at the film on how it was made, as well as having the cast and crew interviews.. Well, not much crews.. But I must say, I've enjoyed it..

It was very good! A thumbs up! 9 out of 10!

I cannot say too much about this... errs... film (if it can be named that way)... It's simply boring: non-interesting plot, non-interesting action scenes, and non-interesting "supposed-to-be-funny" gags. The plot is a kind of never ending nonsense. I can accept things like this in some surreal and absurd humour pieces -like Monthy Piton's films, which are absolutely great- but not in a... let's say... "normal" movie. I mean, the only thing I expect from an action movie is to entertain me. If, as well as being amusing, it is a good film, so much the better. But the only thing I can say is that IT'S BORING!!! I expected to have, at least, spectacular action scenes, since Tony Jaa is among the cast... My hopes were in vain. To sum up, this is only recommendable if you have problems to get to sleep!

(2004) The Bodyguard (In Thai with English subtitles) ACTION COMEDY

Co-written, co-directed and starring Phetthai Vongkumlao as he plays the bodyguard, Wong Kom escorting his boss, Mr. Chot (Surachai Chantimatorn). And as soon as Mr. Chot exchanges business contracts, Wong Kom notices two suspicious security cameras on the ceiling and he manages to save his boss after they were firing guns towards him. It was during then several waiters were also part of the conspiracy and were pulling guns and are also trying to assassinate Mr. Chok as well. Wong Kam manages to save him up until a specific point, it is when four cars all coming at them on all four directions as both of them were attempting to run away. For some strange reason all four cars went off a ramp and crash at the same time while they were on the air, except that viewers can see no jumping ramp nowhere to be found. And from that one gun shot that it looked like was on his shoulder, Wong Kom's boss unable to make it with strong resentment from Mr Chok's adult son, Chaichol Petchpantakarn (Pipat Apiruktanakorn) and we find out he now inherits all his businesses and wealth. And at that point, I presumed he or his uncle was behind the assassinations but as it turned out, I was right about the uncle except that for the time being it's supposed to look like it was one of the board members, Songpol (Wachara Pan-Iom). To which after the father's will was read, he would then make a call to Artit (Yingyong Yodbuangarm) to capture Mr. Chok's only son, Chaiocol alive. And that does not happen until after he is being driven to an underground highway, and he is then blocked with goons going after him after executing all his bodyguards. Chaicol as a result of stumbling onto a bridge falls into one of the garbage trucks. He is then nursed back to health by the slums part of Thailand taken in by the family of Aunt Jam (Apaporn Nakornsawan) and he falls in love with the daughter who looks to be the same age as him, her name is Pok Pok (Pumwaree Yodkamol) to which none of them have no idea who he is and that he is a wealthy.

Both the action and the comedy routines are quite lame considering what viewers are offered these days. It is also another one of those movies where the makers of this movie had more fun making it than viewers had fun watching it. Throughout the entire experience, I had never laugh once for it caters to children and the action made no sense. Many of the action sequences made no sense either whereas on one scene sometime at the opening with 3 or four vehicles happen to come straight at "The Bodyguard and his boss, and their was no off ramp seen anywhere and then for some odd reason all the cars at the same time came off one crashing each other all at the same time. How is this even possible! Tony Jaa has a small appearance when goons are at the grocery store for the intention of kidnapping the teenage son, and Jaa happens to be one of the customers. That sequence alone only lasted a less than a minute.

I was lucky enough to see this movie at a film festival, and had been looking for it since. Petchtai Wongkamlao---Dirty Balls from Ong-Bak, though he was originally a stand-up comedian---is hysterical as Wongkom, and I was laughing throughout the entire film at his random antics. Most of the cast from Ong Bak was in this movie (Tony Jaa even makes a brief appearance in a supermarket), but the two have nothing else in common, despite the fact that Tony Jaa refers to Wong Kom (the bodyguard) as Humleih (Dirty Balls) only to be told "Wrong movie!" With a nod to every action movie out there, it's one of the best parodies ever, and I'd say it's one of the top Asian movies I have ever seen!

Well... what can I say? When I watched this movie I thought that it was a Thai action movie like "Ong Bak", "Born to fight" or "Chocolate". Instead of that, what I found was a comedy action (sometimes a very crazy comedy) so my first reaction was to wonder "what the hell is this?". But that was my mistake, don't you think so? After changing my expectations while I was watching the film, I found myself laughing sometimes (hysterically at a couple of jokes). Not bad if I think that I'm not so easy to laugh. But what I primarily liked was the relation between the young heir and the girl from the suburbs and her family and neighbors. That was a nice touch, obviously not very developed in a movie like this but anyway nice and likable. Not bad at all, yes... Sometimes it's silly but it has its moments too. My two sons liked it, probably more than me. But I didn't dislike it either, so I give it 6 out of 10.