Bangrajan

Exciting, full-blooded account of a small village in Siam that held off a far greater force of Burmese for 8 attacks. It may be formulaic at times, but the actors and film makers obviously believe in what they are doing, and the result is some of the most thrilling & simultaneously horrifying battle sequences in some time. The characters are broadly drawn (the stuff of legend). The actors and scenery are very photogenic. The score, filled with pounding drums, is incredible.

Thailand is not the place people would expect to see high quality movies made. Though over the last couple of years some very interesting films have surfaced. This is yet another.

This is a biographical tale of a village called Bang Rajan. During the Burmese invasion of Siam (Thailand) in the late 1700's this village played a pivotal part in the war against the invaders.

The movie starts out quite below par with a rather cheesy battle scene. Though stick with it, as the film becomes very engrossing shortly after. You get to meet the characters of the film and witness their struggle against the cruel Burmese. The film is about honor and bravery against even the worst of odds.

There may be qualms about the acting as most of the cast seem to be amateurs, though this does not detract from the film rather than actually heighten the reality. Some of the special effects are cheap, though the action is great to watch.

I give this 8 out of 10 and highly recommend it to lovers of pre-1900's war movies and Asian Cinema buffs!

This movie was just released on video in Denmark, and I persuaded a friend to watch it with me. He thanked me afterwards! This is a great movie, and the battles are just INCREDIBLE. You can only compare it to Braveheart, but this movie avoids being as over-the-top romantic.

The only problem is that the people are a little hard to tell from each other (wow, do I sound like a racist!). We have a hero with a big moustache. A drunk with a beard. A guy who is younger than everybody else. And thats about it. The rest of the men look like each other with the same haircuts and facial hair. And the names being so different from western names makes it harder to follow. Luckily, it doesn't really matter who of the men did what. This is a film to watch for its fighting scenes.

If you liked the fighting in Braveheart, you just have to see this. I believe the budget was smaller for this one, but the battle scenes are very convincing. You have to see it for yourself. Actually I think this movie is better than Braveheart, even though I liked that a lot!

Bang Rajan is a gripping account of Thai villagers who fight against an imposing army that has them outnumbered and outgunned. Action scenes are great and the story itself has you following it to the very end. If you are a fan of foreign films or war movies, then this is a must see. The characters are great and so are the actors that play them. Even though most of the dialogue is in subtitles, it takes absolutely nothing away from this visual movie. The women used in this movie are beautiful and the men and children look very much like the Thai villagers of the period portrayed. The setting of this movie is pleasant and the fight scenes are realistic. Don't miss this one!

Regarded by many as the Thai epic that was successful enough to launch a new wave of internationally-popular movies from Thailand, BANG RAJAN is similar to Hollywood's BRAVEHEART, and just as interesting. That's impressive alone, seeing as the budget is about a thousand times lower than the Mel Gibson epic, but when you consider that the bloody battle sequences are just as good as in that and the likes of THE LAST SAMURAI, you'll realise that BANG RAJAN is a very good film indeed. The movie tells a SEVEN SAMURAI-style tale about villagers holding out against an army, and that cues two hours of bloody mayhem, heartfelt speeches, strong character building and tons of suspense. The budget is low and the camera-work sometimes choppy, but that's where the negatives end; in all other respects this is an epic movie with a high entertainment value.

I always feel that 'true story' movies – like this one – have an extra 'oomph' to their fictional counterparts, and knowing this really happened makes BANG RAJAN a really interesting film to watch. Some Western viewers have found problems with the villagers themselves, seeing as they all have the same haircuts, are all mostly naked, and all look pretty much the same. That's not too much trouble though, as the main characters are easily distinguishable, from the drunken axe-wielding guy (who reminded me of Ajax from TROY) to the moustachioed hero and the younger family man and his pregnant wife. Acting from the unknown cast is surprisingly strong, and combined with a workable script, you end up with characters you really care for – and shed a tear or two about – in the battle sequences.

The latter are varied and exciting, and easily the best parts of the movie. This film is chock-full of action and it never lets up, delivering more and more bloodshed until the exciting, climatic showdown. Thai filmmakers don't skimp on the gore either, so there are tons of bloody arrow hits, decapitations, flying limbs and people being blown to smithereens; sure, they're all shown very quickly, almost glimpses, but somehow that makes the battles seem more realistic and more hard-hitting. Sometimes the film transcends predictability and becomes inspired, like the bit where the heroes ride massively horned buffalos into battle, or when the villagers decide to make their own cannons from scrap metal. Other images, like the husband and wife on the battlefield, or the warriors emerging from the river, really stick in the mind for days to come. All in all, this is a highly rewatchable war film that offers pretty much everything for fans of the genre; even the cheapo special effects (like the digital explosions) are good enough to convince.