Chocolate

Though the English subtitles on the copy I watched were nearly indecipherable, it seemed to me that the point was that her autism allowed her to absorb the fight skills of whomever she watched, and though the filmmakers couldn't afford to include clips from Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li movies in the film, I thought it was clear that - in addition to watching Tony Jaa movies, she had been watching Bruce's, Jackie's and Jet's. In the ice-house scene, she's clearly mimicking Bruce, just as she's clearly mimicking Jackie in the next scene with the locker doors and the knee-slide under the glass table. Then, in the next scene, she does some pole fighting that looks to be modeled after moves by Jet Li, and then, she starts doing some Tony Jaa knee and elbow work. She also defeats the spasmodic guy by almost instantly memorizing his style, and then she watches (her dad?) take on a bunch of baddies in a sword fight, and immediately picks up a couple of bludgeons, using them just as he did his sword.

In other words, I thought the mimicry was not only intentional, but intrinsic to the plot.

Well, I’m Thai and there is something foreigner needs to know is that no matter what, Thai people will only (I meant ONLY) opted for action movie over everything else. So I guess the studio mostly made this kind of movie just for the marketing scheme.

For what I see this isn’t that bad of an idea, only which it has not been executed that properly. How can anyone complain about its story, it is like a bloody riff off Kill Bill plus Rain Man, and I see no one complain about that.

For what I see the movie has some potential (too much riff off) but it was an Asian action flick, so I won’t go serious on it. At least I feel the story has something more than trying to bring back the statue head to the village (Talk about Ong Bak). Zen was trying to get her money back to look after her sick mother.

Anyway the real action seems nice but much slower than men so it looks kind of odd and set up for each frame of shot. But it still work, cause if the series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer can make it big, this will put girls into an awe. Jeeja is so cute!!! A fight scenes seem a bit too long.

The acting was so-so as expected, Thai actors are never was good, even years in the business; they are still as horrible as they first day on the job. Why this movie will work more than anything else was the casting of a female protagonist: Jeeja. A girl that kick ass; girls always love that. And she is so cute!!!! Did I say that already???

The direction and editing was so-so but at least there are no repetition of each stunt from different angles shot which he did in Ong Bak, which I must say dated and lame!! So that is good news. The used of cartoon like in Kill Bill add some coloration to the movie. The score was alright. And the set was very set up.

One thing that is definitely Thai is that, it is always darn hard to get your many back once you loan it out.

Last Words: Don’t take it too serious; don’t make Fight Club out of Rambo. The movie is pretty alright for what it is.

Recommendation: Yes, why not, it was fun.

Reason To Watch: Fight, female protagonist, Jeeja!!!!!

Reason Not To: Close minded, Riff-off, Can’t stand girls beating up men.

Rating: 7/10 (Grade: C+).

Please Rate Y/N After Read.

Note: Check me out as the "Asian Movie Enthusiast" on YouTube, where I review tons of Asian movies.

Chocolate is the perfect "acid test" to determine who are fans of action movies and who are not. How so? Let me explain. A true fan of action movies has the ability to overlook some flaws in film-making (e.g., script, acting, character development, etc.) if the action sequences are exceptional enough to make up for them. This is no different from fans of art-house dramas who can overlook minimal content if the film can portray everyday life in interesting ways. With that said, Chocolate is one of the best examples of an action movie that has such extraordinary fight sequences that they easily overpower any deficiencies in the script.

An autistic girl with martial arts skill attempts to collect on the debts of her sick mother. This movie has a mediocre script, and requires some patience from the viewer to slug through the early moments. Once the 30 minute mark arrives, however, the viewer is treated to one of the most amazing displays of asskicking by a female protagonist in the history of action cinema. Virtually all of the remaining 50 minutes is devoted to high quality choreography and bone-crunching maneuvers. The settings and scenarios change frequently, thereby avoiding any feel of repetition or monotony. This is brainless action at its very finest. JeeJa Yanin – an amazing specimen with her fluid moves and hard strikes – catapults herself into the upper echelon of female action stars with this single movie. Her punches and kicks start off rather basic, but get increasingly more complex until they peak during the jaw-dropping finale that lasts a whopping 20 minutes. Lots of fun to be had here.

Now, a snobby moviegoer will cry about the negatives without even considering the positives. Anyone who does not enjoy the action in this movie seriously needs to get their pulse checked, or at least schedule for a re-alignment of their action movie tastes. There's nothing more scintillating than watching a cute girl kick the living hell out of hundreds (quite literally) of stuntmen in a variety of environments. Basically, if you're not entertained by this, you're not a fan of action movies. (You probably didn't like So Close or Azumi either, right?) Stop fooling yourself and go watch another Tsai Ming-liang film.

Some critics have claimed that this movie "ripped off" other movies. It didn't. There are a few homages that last a few minutes at most (a few Bruce Lee references, a locker scene reminiscent of Jackie Chan, and some footage from Tony Jaa's movies). These few scenes are only a drop in the bucket, because 95% of the action is independent of any references to other movies. The sign-post battle on the apartment complex balconies is one glaring example of a completely novel (and breathtaking) sequence that pays homage to no one but itself.

This is definitely worth a blind buy. True fans of martial arts mayhem will end up re-watching the action scenes about a thousand times.

Don't confuse this movie with the one Johnny Depp did (same title). It is a completely different beast. If Ong Bak does ring a bell with you and/or you are a martial arts fan, than you will love this movie. Spectacular fight scenes, great choreography and overall some very crazy stunts to be seen in this one.

The story might not be the weakest in a movie of this kind too. I thought it served its purpose, nothing more, nothing less. The main actress really nailed it and if you watch the "outtakes" after/during the credits then you will know they actually did those things "for real" (well as real as humanly possible, with no regard to their own safety or health that is). Highly recommended

Without divulging the plot or the ending, I want to share my thoughts about Jeeja Yanin, so that people will know what they are getting. Her father died when she was young, 11 or 12, and given that she was a gold medalist in Tae Kwon Do as a child who had achieved 3rd level Dan, (equivalent to Black Belt) she helped support her mother and brother by becoming an instructor of TKD at age 14. She auditioned at age 18 for a small part in Born To Fight, and was noticed by filmmaker Prachya Pinkaew, and action stunt trainer Panna Rittikrai, when they decided she was special enough to make an entire film for. This girl quit University studies and trained for this film for four years. She trained under Rittikrai, the mentor of Tony Jaa, and Jaa himself. She trained for 2 years in preparation and 2 years while making the film. She also studied the symptoms and behavior of autistic children, staying with them and working with them, and reading up on everything she could in available literature and film on the subject, including Rain Man, etc. In addition to this, she had to overcome fear of heights (you'll see why) and subjected herself to constant injury, including life risking stunts. Watch the movie and enjoy her spectacular debut, and remember that you were there when a star was born. Enjoy the fact that she is a very special person, who put heart and soul into making the movie.