Bodyguard

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!

(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 only watched this because of the cast from Ong Bak was in it and to my great surprise it was one of the funniest movies I have seen. I was not expecting much because I thought it would just be plain silly and not so funny. But I was not so wrong, it was silly, but so funny that sometimes I found myself cleaning the floor when I was rolling on it. In such movies you have begin it on a high and they surely managed it with the shootout. And during the rest of the movie I never took the smile of my face. That's how comedies should be! Great job by Petchtai Wongkamlao and fantastic cameo appearance by Tony Jaa. But the best was the bald guy who ends the movie really on a high.

The Bodyguard (2004) is a movie I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline follows a bodyguard who is fired when the man he is hired to protect is murdered by a rival gang. Despite being fired, he seeks revenge for the murder in hopes of redeeming himself from his mistakes and to ensure the son of the murdered man stays alive. This movie is codirected by Panna Rittikrai (Ong Bak 2 & 3) and Petchtai Wongkamlao (The Bodyguard 2) and also stars Wongkamlao (Ong Bak), Tony Jaa (Ong Bak) and Pumwaree Yodkamol (The Protector). The storyline does a great job of not taking itself too seriously and focuses on the comedic content, crazy one-liners and cartoon like characters. The action scenes are just okay, but the props and choreography are clever. The final fight scene is awesome and definitely worth a viewing. This is one of those movies that is filled with it or miss elements. This isn't a waste of time but isn't worth going too far out of your way to see it either. I would score this a 5/10.

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!