Furious Phoenix. Review by Richard Coopers

Since her debut in 2008's Chocolate, diminutive but explosive Thai Janine Vismistananda has proven she can handle dialogue as well as punches and kicks in the entertaining action thriller Jija the Furious Phoenix. A twisted story about a female drummer who learns martial arts based on breakdancing moves. The film, shot by “Chocolate” editor Rashan Limtrakul, earned a considerable amount on its premiere day - August 12. Plans for theatrical releases outside of Asia have not yet been concretely determined, but worldwide box office receipts should be quite decent.

It will be interesting to see how the appearance of 25-year-old Vismistananda (referred to by local fans as Jija) in the international arena. There is no doubt that after this picture and “Chocolate”, with her charm and world-class fighting skills, getting on the big stage will not be so difficult.

Shortly after being kicked out of the band for acting out during a concert and attacking her cheating boyfriend, lonely girl Dew (Vismistananda) is stalked by thugs in glam rocker attire, bouncing around at breakneck speeds on giant, springy metal stilts.

Twenty minutes later, Dew is rescued by Sanim (Patrick Tang), a master of the martial art of Meiraiuth, which consists of drunken Muay Thai and hip-hop dance moves. Sanim tells Dew that she has become the target of the Jaguar Gang, a brutal gang that kidnaps girls and extracts pheromones from them to sell as an aphrodisiac to rich sexual deviants.

And this is just the beginning of a fun, slightly ridiculous plot, during which Dew decides to participate in a rescue mission along with Sanim and his friends: comedian Ki-Mu (Nui Sandang), Ki-Ma (Sompong Leartwimolkasame) and serious-minded Ki-Kwai ( Bunprasert Salangam). These three actors are known as the "B-boys" in the Thai breakdance scene.

Brought to a training camp on an abandoned beach reminiscent of a low-budget version of Verona Beach in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet, Dew is explained that only drunk and unhappy people can succeed in Mayrayuth. Having dutifully drunk enough alcohol to feed an entire army, she agrees to the training.

The first half of the film is shot in saturated colors, with characters looking like grunge supermodels, but in the second half the dominant comic book tones change to a brownish-dirty one.

Now, thrown into an underground labyrinth in search of the female boss Jaguar (Rungtawan Jindasi, Miss Fitness Thailand 2009), Dew, along with the guys, is left to rely only on herself, on spectacular moves that even avid fans of action films might not have seen before. arts. While the final battle with Jaguar is a little drawn out, the fights, overseen by Panna Rittikrai, live up to the trailer's promise of "real fights, real injuries."

We must first of all thank the main characters for keeping a rather stupid promise, in particular Vismstananda, for the amazingly played role of the main character. Sandang and Leartwimolkasame also look great as drunks who are able to pull themselves together when things start to get rough.

The wide-screen footage of the four cameramen looks great, especially the colorful outskirts of the training camp, shot on Brasier Beach in Southern Thailand. Production designer Sutsam Veeravandage did a great job scattering trinkets and decorating the multiple rooms in Jaguar's lair (from 1930s Berlin nightclub style to science fiction).

Author: Richard Coopers
Source: variety.com
Translation: EvilDollaR

3 comment

    Author's gravatar

    Thanks for your feedback. I didn’t read it completely, I want to know everything from the film :)
    ZY So after all, the film paid off.

      Author's gravatar

      It probably paid off. Now we are waiting for the English/Russian translation.

        Author's gravatar

        Made Russian subtitles. They here.

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