‘Bangkok Dangerous’ Is Filled with a
Surprising Amount of Quality Character Moments
-----The general prejudice the public seems to be developing for Best Actor winner Nicholas Cage seems stupid to me. I think he plays in fun roles and enjoys his work. As for the mock of the film’s name, it may have been justified if not for the fact the film is a remake of an Asian film from a few years back. Ultimately I enjoyed ‘Bangkok Dangerous’ and think people should have given it more of a chance.Surprising Amount of Quality Character Moments
-----Worn out hitman known only as Joe (Nicolas Cage) is in Bangkok for his next few jobs. When ordered to do a number of hits here and there, Joe goes about it business as usual. Despite all of his well calculated and fine tuned work, Joe is struggling with his own loneliness after years of isolation for the sake of his job. He’s looking for a way out, even if he doesn’t know it yet.
-----Stereotyped but always entertaining Nicolas Cage plays tired hitman Joe. In Bangkok (go figure) he hires street thug Kong, played adequately by Shakrit Yamnarm as his ‘anything you ask’ errand boy. With Kong taking care of the busy work, Joe focusing on the killing, Kong is able to discover just what this mysterious American is actually doing. Eager to learn the profession of killing, Kong convinces Joe to train him in the art, and so the bonding begins. Charlie Yeung plays the deaf pharmacist who has caught Joe’s eye in a simple, but ultimately effective role. She does a great job of selling the innocent sort of girl who might actually be charmed by the odd, secretly a hitman, American Cage plays. They develop some good chemistry, especially considering the limited amount of time focused on their relationship, and the inability to effectively communicate with each other.
-----The story may be somewhat cliché by association with hitman movies and Asian cinema alike, but none the less Cage gives a fine performance and the story lives on character moments instead of action. While the action is mostly routine, there are some stunning moments of artful cinematography and shot choices (both for Joe and the Director, ha ha). The locations too, are occasionally striking as we see the city of Bangkok. While the story can seem predictable at times, there is no doubt there’s one twist I hardly expected given that this was a Nicolas Cage action film. Among other aspects the musical score was subtly effective too, and the whole film came together nicely, not trying to go beyond its means.
-----I was surprised with how much I enjoyed ‘Bangkok Dangerous.’ Written off immediately by many, due to the odd title and star, Cage himself, not enough people gave this one a chance. Granted, I am a fan of Cage and most of his body of work, and I did see this in the midst of the September film drought, I still think there’s plenty good to be seen in ‘Bangkok Dangerous.’ Go in with an open mind and I think you’ll find you’ve got an interesting look at China and the Hitman genre, with strong performances that drive the films many character scenes. The quick to judge will be the ones who miss out on one of the better sleeper films of the year.
