DVD Synopsis: One of the very best of Asia Extreme is a neon-slicked underworld crime drama directed by Danny Pang and Oxide Pang, the celebrated twin brother team behind contemporary classic, The Eye. Kong is a deaf-mute hit man who carries out his violent and bloody work with a detached, sociopathic coldness. When he falls in love with an innocent pharmacist, Fon, he experiences warmth and tenderness for the first time and sets out on the path of ultimate redemption. (102 Mins)

 

Views: I'm going to be honest and the majority of you probably won't like it, but I've been trying to get through Bangkok Dangerous for the last 20 years and after finally getting round to it (in one complete sitting) I wasn't really blown away. The story tells the tale of Kong, a deaf & mute hitman who lives in Bangkok with his assassin partner Joe and stripper girlfriend Aom. As they continue to do the dirty work and assassinate rival gang leaders from Thailand to Hong Kong, their boss rises the underworld ranks. Kong soon meets Fon, a good mannered pharmacist who shows him some kindness and warmth – emotions he has never experienced since early childhood – and the pair quickly form feelings for each other. But after his friend Aom is raped by another gang member, and Joe killed by their boss, Fong must reveal his deadly skills to avenge his friends and start a new life with the girl he loves!

 

It's not that I disliked Bangkok Dangerous, but I really just couldn't get overly excited about it. Sure it looks great with its neon-lit night photography and kaleidoscope of colours, as well as some slick editing and great cinematography that was clearly inspired by the modern classics of Hong Kong cinema, but I kept finding myself losing interest – and not for the first time since I began trying to watch this film over two decades ago. Saying that, it's quite clear that the Pang brothers did a fantastic job – going on to remake Bangkok Dangerous as a Hollywood feature about 8 years later with Nicholas Cage in the leading role. Admittedly, I only watch Nic Cage movies when no-one is looking but I haven't even entertained the idea of checking out the remake. Starting their careers in Hong Kong as colourists and editors, the Pang brothers pulled together at the turn-of-the-century to direct Bangkok Dangerous, and while I definitely preferred their follow-up feature The Eye much more, I knew the pair were worth keeping an eye on. Whether working together or not, Danny and Oxide went on to secure a name for themselves as successful directors with films such as The Eye 2 & 3, Leave Me Alone, The Tesseract, Ab-normal Beauty, The Detective, Re-cycle, The Storm Warriors, Conspirators, and Fairy Tale Killer, as well as many more.

 

Pawarith Monkolpisit does a great job as Kong, the deaf/mute hitman who finally finds love. Although this film stands as his feature film debut, the actor has went on to star in a small number of films over the last 20 years including romantic comedy Promise Me Not, The Elephant King, Dante Lam's brilliant Operation Mekong, and the Hong Kong action-thriller Heroes Return alongside the great Yuen Biao and Ray Lui. Likewise, the rest of the main cast were relatively unknown with few of them going on to do much more. While it made for a great debut and opened the doors for the Pang Brothers to become the directors they are today, Bangkok Dangerous plays like the bastard child of Wong Kar Wai and John Woo, offering up very little that we haven't seen before but is still neatly packaged in a very well made movie. Ultimately though, one shouldn't really be too critical of a debut as great as this one. While it didn't do much for me, Bangkok Dangerous has gained much critical praise around the world and is worth the watch...

 

Overall: Well directed and beautifully shot, Bangkok Dangerous plays like a love-letter to the Hong Kong movies of yesteryear and makes for an impressive debut!

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DVD Extras: Tartan Asia Extreme Trailer Showcase​