If you’re a fan of action movies, then you have to have seen some Thai action cinema. And if you’re a fan of Thai action cinema, then you must be a fan of Panna Rittikrai. Though he was more than likely inspired by Jackie Chan, Panna Rittikrai was the leading action choreographer in Thailand since the 80’s. What makes Rittikrai different from other action choreographers is that it sometimes seems that he doesn’t care about safety. Though his earliest films featured noticeably low production values, his fight scenes were some of the most insane that you’ll ever see. He was definitely a man with a lot of talent and he eventually got international fame after filming the fights in Ong Bak. He unfortunately died of liver disease in 2014 at age 53, but we still his films available for us to enjoy including one of his most recent contributions to Thai cinema, Bangkok Knockout.
A group of stuntmen called Fight Club win a competition and they're promised that they'll get to work in Hollywood with Evil White Dude #59. Of course, this all goes to hell. When they have a celebration party later that night, they’re all drugged and are left in an abandoned building where they have to fight off a multitude of opponents. This turns out to be a plot constructed by the Evil White Dude in order to get money from gamblers who bet on who will be the winner of each fight. Enemies are made, identities are revealed, blah, blah, blah. Also starring ACTION!
A group of stuntmen called Fight Club win a competition and they're promised that they'll get to work in Hollywood with Evil White Dude #59. Of course, this all goes to hell. When they have a celebration party later that night, they’re all drugged and are left in an abandoned building where they have to fight off a multitude of opponents. This turns out to be a plot constructed by the Evil White Dude in order to get money from gamblers who bet on who will be the winner of each fight. Enemies are made, identities are revealed, blah, blah, blah. Also starring ACTION!
The beginning of the film is admittedly slow. There’s a lot of pretentious dialogue, unimpressive acting, and an uninteresting story. But then, the film gets cranked up to eleven once the action hits. It’s easy to see why people don’t like this movie. Whenever there isn’t a fight scene, there’s nothing to behold. Each fight is usually interrupted by the EEEVIL gambling foreigners who eat and breathe evil. The acting fails to impress and is downright cringe-worthy at times. And though these characters speak English, I don’t think the actors understand English. Most of the Thai actors actually aren't that bad in this movie. Our protagonist, Pod (played by Chatchapol Kulsiriwoottichai), actually has some decent acting chops. But it seems like whenever a foreigner acts in an Asian movie, nothing they say is remotely convincing.
But still, this results in a lot of unintentional comedy gold. The main bad guys in this movie are so evil that it’s very easy to see them as cartoon characters. And why would you take them seriously in the first place? Seeing a grown man saying, “Hey, that’s cheating!” as if he was four-years-old is quite amazing. Even Rittikrai makes an appearance as one of the main villains and he’s obviously having a lot of fun on camera. And besides, would you rather have the comic relief be an overweight man with a high-pitch voice who ironically calls out the cliches in the movie? Yeah, that’s what I thought. It’s hard not to find flaws in this movie. The story, as mentioned, is overly cliched and won’t impress anyone with a brain cell. But who cares when you have some of the most beautifully choreographed fight scenes in recent years?
But still, this results in a lot of unintentional comedy gold. The main bad guys in this movie are so evil that it’s very easy to see them as cartoon characters. And why would you take them seriously in the first place? Seeing a grown man saying, “Hey, that’s cheating!” as if he was four-years-old is quite amazing. Even Rittikrai makes an appearance as one of the main villains and he’s obviously having a lot of fun on camera. And besides, would you rather have the comic relief be an overweight man with a high-pitch voice who ironically calls out the cliches in the movie? Yeah, that’s what I thought. It’s hard not to find flaws in this movie. The story, as mentioned, is overly cliched and won’t impress anyone with a brain cell. But who cares when you have some of the most beautifully choreographed fight scenes in recent years?
This movie proves that an hour and a half of extraordinary action can make up for crappy everything else. Whenever someone isn’t talking in this movie, someone’s getting really badly hurt. This film is packed with some of the most creative and painful action scenes ever. One of the highlights is easily the amazing fight scene in a cage with people jumping on fences to dodge and advance kicks. Though the fights are sometimes contrived and improbable, the thankfully frequent fight scenes feature a ton of creativity. Rittikrai evidently put a lot of effort into filming Bangkok Knockout and this results in some of the most creative set pieces in action cinema in general. My only complaint is that the finale is comparatively anticlimactic, but asking for a more dangerous climax would be asking for too much.
Unsurprisingly, this movie is very heavy on stunts. And what’s amazing is that it’s all real. Sure, there are a few wires here and there, but they only make some of the stunts seem more impressive. And it’s surprising that these actors are actually willing to do them. One guy gets run over by a motorcycle. One guy falls ten feet onto his neck. There’s a scene where about 20 guys get run over by a car. These guys are insane and we thank them for it. Since Rittikrai has a noticeably higher budget for this film, he definitely flaunts it and the fight scenes serve as proof. There’s a scene in this movie where one of the bad guys is being scolded for liking to watch people getting hurt and it seems as if he’s indirectly calling out the audience. I don’t know if this scene was unintentionally meaningful or not, but I digress.
Unsurprisingly, this movie is very heavy on stunts. And what’s amazing is that it’s all real. Sure, there are a few wires here and there, but they only make some of the stunts seem more impressive. And it’s surprising that these actors are actually willing to do them. One guy gets run over by a motorcycle. One guy falls ten feet onto his neck. There’s a scene where about 20 guys get run over by a car. These guys are insane and we thank them for it. Since Rittikrai has a noticeably higher budget for this film, he definitely flaunts it and the fight scenes serve as proof. There’s a scene in this movie where one of the bad guys is being scolded for liking to watch people getting hurt and it seems as if he’s indirectly calling out the audience. I don’t know if this scene was unintentionally meaningful or not, but I digress.
In Bangkok Dangerous, Rittikrai and his stunt team’s efforts don’t go unnoticed. The action more than makes up for any problems that there might be in this movie. Besides the amazing action, nothing’s very noteworthy. It isn’t a genuinely “good” movie per se, but it counts as entertainment, so who cares?
Images from Wikipedia and the Bangkok Dangerous Movie Website
Images from Wikipedia and the Bangkok Dangerous Movie Website