The current Thai film industry has regressed back to the days when cheesy melodramas and mindless comedies dominated the box office.
The militants for which Thailand was once so famous have faded into the background. For the most part, Bangkok viewers are not interested in them. Give them only sweet love stories. Or let them laugh at transvestite comedians. Or they are forcibly “sold” Hollywood films.
But in the Thai hinterland, action films are still popular, and the man who has been filming them all his life for just such an audience is a legendary actor, fight choreographer and director Panna Rittikrai.
National treasure, mentor to a now retired movie hero Tony Jaa, resolutely and tirelessly continues to shoot action films full of dangerous stunts and amazing tough fights.
His last film is “Bangkok knockout” (BKO/ Bangkok Knockout), in which members of a fight club are kidnapped and forced to fight in underground fights.
It is a mixture of different fighting disciplines. In addition, they were used Muay Thai, taekwondo, kung Fu и capoeira. Add to all of the above Parkour, cars breaking through walls, motorcycles colliding in the air, a burning maniac in an iron mask with an ax in his hands, and you get a crazy cocktail.
The plot is quite simple, so it in no way interferes with what is happening on the screen. Fight clubs compete for the right to take part in the filming of a Hollywood film. The club of “good guys” wins, led by a taekwondo player named Under | Pod (Chatchapol Kulsirivutichai | Chatchapol Kulsiriwoothichai). Who would doubt that.
That same evening, the children and their friends are treated to a festive dinner. The next morning they wake up in an abandoned, unfinished building. The cars were gone, and so were the mobile phones. The qualifying competition was rigged by the villain, whose role is played by Patrick "Kazoo" Tang.
The building is surrounded by armed men and stuffed with video cameras that transmit a signal only to a limited number of spectators. The fighters will have to take part in deadly battles - a sweepstakes for foreign gamblers, among whom there is a spoiled Thai rich boy. All this was organized by an incredibly slow American named snead.
The roles of fighters were played by talented stuntmen who worked as understudies and “extras” in past projects Pannas.
But there are also several actors with “big” names. Experienced Action Hero Sorapong Chatri (Sorapong Chatree) plays the tough driver of the general's daughter Joy, ex-girlfriend Poda. In the role Joy actress starred Supaksorn “Kratae” Chaimongkol (Supaksorn “Kratae” Chaimongkol). When she's not tied up or hanging as bait, she manages to throw in a few quick kicks, bite herself, and take part in the climactic finale.
Comedian Kitisak Udomnak nicknamed “Sena Hoy” (Kietisak “Sena Hoi” Udomnak) plays a musician who goes to dinner and ends up trapped with the fighters. He's more annoying than he is, but his character puts the main characters in the places they need to be.
Young actress Pimchanok Leyuvisetpaibul (Pimchanok Leuwisetpaibul), as the only female fighter from the group of main characters, playfully throws both kicks and punches, thereby inspiring the rest of the guys.
А Panna, himself, being the leader of the villain fighters, swears that he himself can kick everyone’s asses.
All the fights are a crazy mixture, and for the most part, they are shot clearly and with the right angles. One of them features a transvestite villain.
Everything that happens here happens simply because it looks cool. For example, rival teams jump on each other from opposite balconies, colliding in the air and falling to the ground.
Water pours onto the two fighters and splashes around.
One villain takes off his shirt to reveal the iron armor hidden beneath his clothing.
A man with protective pads in a hooded jacket and an iron mask swings a huge ax and attacks all the good guy fighters. As a result, he is set on fire, and he begins to break through the walls.
The armored black car also breaks through the walls, twisting and turning, adding even more confusion to the battle royale between the warring parties.
Towards the end, the “bad” guys on motorcycles try to catch up with everyone.
There's also the much-touted truck and semi-trailer stunt. It was touted as a trick more difficult and dangerous than the one developed by Panna with his team in 2004 for an action movie “Born to Fight”, when the wheels of a semi-trailer nearly crushed the stuntman's head.
And in this film Under и Kazoo fighting under a truck as it (slowly) rolls down the highway. Meanwhile, other fighters fight on top of the trailer and fall down.
To sum it up, I think the trick is “Born to fight” was more exciting because it had newness and wasn't as drawn out.
Despite the fact that “Bangkok knockout” Lots of great scenes, it's not exactly a knockout. Although this year was dominated by romantic comedies and melodramas, it seems as if the long-awaited action movie is some kind of remake “Born to fight” and other militants from Pannas and his teams like "Power Kids" и "Somtum".
Fans of such films “Bangkok knockout” won't disappoint.
Wise Kwai Rating: 3/5
Author: Wise Kwai
Translation: EvilDollaR
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Tags: Bangkok Knockout, Panna Rittikrai, Patrick Tang, Sorapong Chatri, Tony JAA, Chatchapol Kulsirivuthichai
Tags: Bangkok Knockout, Panna Rittikrai, Patrick Tang, Sorapong Chatri, Tony JAA, Chatchapol Kulsirivuthichai
Finally appeared on torrents with translation.
The fights are great, it's a shame the plot is stupid.
The Thais are bitches. How could this film fail?
Will he ever appear in Russia?!
Are there videos like the one with Jao Hugo Pom only with other participants?
The film will be shown in early April at ActionFest.
give me a link to the screen please! I'll take a look and release it on our local tracker
LET ME KNOW HOW YOU FIND PLZ))))))))
Tell me where to watch it in any quality
Nowhere yet (in good quality).
I don't recommend watching the screen.
EvilDollaR when dvdrip will be released you can’t hear?
probably all action movie fans in Thailand don’t recognize anyone except Jaa =)
Or Kwai is right, and the Thai audience really went crazy. He should know better, he lives in Thailand.
Thanks for the translation, I was waiting for the review. Well, in terms of box office in Thailand, the film failed in the first week of release, and now it’s not even in the top 10. And in general, this year, in Thailand, only Ong Bak 3 collected normal money from action films, there really is something wrong with them :)
yes, I want to see it too
Thank you Evil
When will it finally appear in good quality?....