DVD Synopsis: Kidnapped and forced into a life on the harsh streets of Bangkok, four youths are mentored by a skilled Shaolin Master. Learning the ancient secrets of kung fu, they become a force to be reckoned with. When their beloved Master is murdered, vengeance is the path they must follow and nothing had better get in their way! (104 Mins)

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Views: This surprising Thai flick begins about 10 years before its main time-line where we see how a gang of insecure men kidnap kids and abuse them, before using them as beggars and who-knows-what-else. After 3 brothers try to escape, they are re-captured and brought back to the gang's leader to be brutally attacked. The attack leaves one with brain damaged, one deaf, and one blinded after the gang boss stabs him in the eyes with a skewer. A fourth boy, Pong, who was just kidnapped the night before, witnesses the abuse and screams for help – resulting in the cutting of his tongue which leaves him mute! It's safe to say that the opening of Bangkok Assassins is quite a dark introduction for it's audience, lightened only by the arrival of an old kung-fu master and his adopted granddaughter who save the boys by using some old-school, mystical kung-fu. As we jump 10 years forward, the kids have now grown up into handsome teens (especially the gorgeous Tomo Visava Thaiyanont), and have been trained as masters of kung-fu themselves. Together, they set out to find their abusers so that they can take revenge and get on with their lives. As another few years pass, Pong leaves to move on with his life and find love, the blind brother gives driving a go with the help of his the deaf bother, and the sister is still trying to get into the X-Factor after numerous and hilarious failed attempts over the years. But the retarded brother Naa (now played by the very handsome Mario Maurer), has stayed with the master at his temple to continue learning kung-fu and more. But it's clear that the master has made many enemies in his life, and soon, a gang of foreigners turn-up to assassinate him. As it turns out, the master was once part of the Jantra Alliance – a group of kung-fu masters in Thailand who have possession of a mystical Dragons Tear Stone – a magical stone put in Naa to save his life. But the monkey-faced ninjas, led by an unknown westerner, have been sent out to retrieve the stone which leads to the death of their master by a man who has kung-fu powers unlike anything the brothers have ever seen before!

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When I first watched Bangkok Assassins I was left somewhat underwhelmed, but upon revisiting it, I can actually see what a well-written and well-made movie it actually is. Sure, the guys aren't genuine fighters by any means at all, but they do their best and look good doing it. Each of them gain a certain power which aids them in their battles (as in they wave their hands around to send someone flying), but its not over-used and the CGI is passable when it does come about. While the film starts with a serious message and has many dramatic moments throughout, it also cheers the audience up with some genuinely funny 'Chow Sing Chi style' comedic moments, although without ever detracting from anything meaningful. One example comes courtesy of the young girl (played by Kaew Jarinya Sirimongkolsakul), who is actually quite hilarious at times as she constantly tries to get selected for the local X-Factor show, and constantly fails miserably with every attempt. It's clear that writer and director Yuthlert Sippapak is a huge fan of Hong Kong cinema and especially that of its golden years as he combines some nice action (albeit definitely not enough for a film marketed in the action genre) with enough 'mo lie tau' comedy blended in to make it work. While it has it's flaws, Bangkok Assassins is shot wonderfully, carries a nice pace and is one of the better films I've seen from Thailand in some time that doesn't involve Tony Jaa or Jaa wanna-be who wants to be the next Ong Bak. While the ending isn't a glorious, martial arts packed finale as one had hoped, it still ties things up well and ends with a nice twist and plenty of emotion...

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Overall: While hardly original, Bangkok Assassins is still a well-made film and entertaining modern take on the old-school kung-fu film!

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DVD Extras: Trailers

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