Baan Muay Thai

I love Korat, Thailand and was looking forward to see the scenes shot in town. Yeah. The trouble is, this isn't really a conventional movie.

There were a few moments that were bad enough to be a little good. But there are also a lot of shots of traffic. A couple shots of an airplane that seemed to be pirated from the in-flight view-cam.

The guy arrives in Thailand for no reason, stays with a family who have known him for years but act like strangers, resumes training with his old coach who has groomed him for a decade but offers basic training in stepping forward and lacing on gloves. There follow a lot of scenes involving his adopted Thai family that seem real-that is, they seem like what you would really hear if you pointed a camera at Thai people who had never acted and told them "say something".

I am half way through (watching the movie) but taking a break to write this. Awful. I haven't got to any real fighting and can't make any comment about the quality of the Muay Thai. I haven't got in any sort of fight since high school: I lost (but she cheated).

If you are looking for a full on Muay Thai action movie look elsewhere. That's not to say there isn't real action but the heart of this lovely film is the metaphorical and physical journey that Max goes through. If you enjoy journey movies with a satisfying out come filmed in a beautiful country this is for you. The fact that there maybe an element of autobiography to the story makes it more intriguing. We look forward to seeing his future work.

A refreshing, cliché free Muay Thai boxing movie with fascinating glimpses of both the sport and the country it originates from. Nicely paced with an unexpected ending that packs quite a punch!