Bangkok Dangerous

I Really enjoyed this one. The imagery is beautiful and imaginative, excellent editing and vibrant colors.

The cast was good, especially the guy playing Kong, the deaf assassin, he did a fantastic job, showing a full range of emotion without uttering a word. I really felt for the guy. In fact, I completely fail to see how the characters are flat and undeveloped like someone said. True, we don't get their life story, but i found my self really caring for them, they felt sort of real even though you didn't get to know that much about them.

That, and the girl playing Kong's love interest is so cute it'll make your eyes hurt...

About the action. Some people complain about this not being up to par with John Woo's action choreography, but who said an action flick, just because it's from Asia should have to be about making every shoot-out look like the Swan Lake? This is grittier, more unrehearsed, it's not about looking good firing that gun (even though I'm a big fan of that too).I thought that there was some really smart stuff, where brains won over brawn, watch out for the scene with laser sights at the end. I went "ahhh - Clever!"

This is not a perfect movie, it has flaws. I felt the ending to be a bit formulaic, and the whole "violence begets more violence" concept surely is nothing new plotwise, but still, it's not dumb and full of holes like so many other action movies. And it's sooo pretty to watch...

This movie is like "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai", in that they are both films where the anti-heroes are vicious professional killers, molded by the circumstances of their youth, both awakened to the possibility of love. But I liked Bangkok Dangerous much more, in that the grit seemed less contrived.

The reference to Charlie Chaplin is significant. In Thailand, Chaplin is revered even more than the French worship Jerry Lewis. To the Thai people, "The Little Tramp's" struggle against the domineering authority figures of his world is something that the average Thai relates to deeply. In Bangkok Dangerous, Kong, the killer, is a little guy buffetted by forces he doesn't fully understand -- but ultimately ones he fights back against.

Don't be too critical when watching this. Just settle back and enjoy it; and you will indeed.

"Bangkok Dangerous" is a very nice piece of Asian Movie-making - and a typical one as well. The pictures and scenes are brilliant and almost breathtaking, while the story is kind of weak - or at least very straight, simple and without any surprise.

And the story holds a lot of "stupid" things, too: f. e. sometimes our deaf killer almost doesn't understand anything when other persons speak to him very slow and clear, one scene later he gets his next killer-job in the darkest corner of a dark road and he is able to read lips perfectly under this bad light conditions...

But with the Pang Brothers bringing this simple story to life with such great pictures, a lot of good used special effects and many nice-to-watch digital baubles this movie is definitely worth watching.

Sometimes the movie is getting - after my fancy - a little to violent - but hey, this is an Asian movie, so what do you expect, right?

A very good movie, but because of the poor story: 8 out of 10.

I thought it was actually a pretty superior 'hitman' film.

If you want full-on action in a style of early John Woo, then no, it is probably not perfect for you, but the directing is excellent, the character development is good, and the idea as original as any other.

I liked it, and liked the style particularly. It does borrow a lot from early Woo i guess, but it is borrowing and not stealing. There is enough originality of idea and of direction. The acting is pretty uniformly good as well. The critics in Toronto liked it too. (see awards and nominations)

I picked up this DVD because I've been to Bangkok couple of times, and wanted to see how the filmmakers Oxide and Danny Pang manage to capture the more sleazy side of the city, and combine it with gangster noir to come up with Bangkok Dangerous. I've heard about the movie, and was surprised that our National Library actually had this DVD in its collection.

Bangkok Dangerous tells the story of a deaf mute assassin Kong (Pawalit Mongkolpisit). His is a life of mission after mission, a cold and professional, though small time, killer. Growing up being bullied because of his disability, he finds work at a gun range as a cleaner, until he chances upon Joe (Pisek Intrakanchit) and his girlfriend Aom (Patharawarin Timkul). Kong learns his skills from Joe (in an excellent montage), and together, form a tag-team partnership.

During the course of work, Kong chances upon the beautiful Fon (Premsinee Ratanasopha) who works at a drugstore, and in between missions, he romances Fon, who doesn't shun him in spite of being a deaf mute. The killer has finally known what it is to develop feelings and to love.

However, if you live by the gun, chances are there will be those who are after you. Things change for the worse when Aom offends one of the gang's ranked member, and gets raped. Joe goes for revenge, but ultimately gets literally betrayed by the hand that feeds. Kong has to decide - to finish what had started and avenge his friends, or to try and begin life anew with the woman he loves, even after she has started to avoid him, knowing what he does for a living.

In a cosmopolitan city like Bangkok, this film manages to capture a kaleidoscope of colours, mood, and use various camera angles to its advantage. It contrasts the shady underworld and strip bars, and its pulsating music, with the silent, kind world of love that Kong for the first time experiences when he's with Fon.

It's a story of finding one's own morality when living in the midst of violence and sleaze, and the seeking of redemption from a life of sin.

Code 3 DVD extras: Filmography of filmmakers and inspiration for the film.