Future Feature: ‘Bangkok Dangerous’
Pang brothers remake their own debut film
By LEE CLARK ZUMPE
Article published on Monday, May 5, 2008
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| Photo by CHAN KAM CHUEN |
| Nicolas Cage (left) stars as Joe in “Bangkok Dangerous,” directed by the Pang Brothers. |
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It’s rare for a summer to roll by without seeing a Nicolas Cage blockbuster, and Lionsgate’s “Bangkok Dangerous” may be the actor’s juciest role since “Adaptation.”
Written and directed by Danny Pang Fat and Oxide Pang Chun, the crime film is actually a remake of the Pang brothers’ debut Thai film of the same name.
That version won an award from the International Federation of Film Critics at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival and was nominated for best film and best editing at the Thailand National Film Association Awards.
Following their debut, the Pang brothers went on to make “The Eye” series in Thailand, earning them additional critical acclaim. American audiences may be more familiar with their work on “The Messengers,” a 2006 supernatural thriller produced by Sam Raimi.
In “Bangkok Dangerous,” the life of an anonymous assassin takes an unexpected turn when he travels to Thailand to complete a series of contract killings. Cage portrays a a remorseless hitman named Joe who is sent to Bangkok to execute four enemies of a ruthless crime boss named Surat. While there, he employs Kong (Shahkrit Yamnarm), a minor street criminal, to run errands, fully intending to kill him once the job is done – no loose ends.
Joe, by nature a loner, ultimately finds himself mentoring the young man while simultaneously being drawn into a tentative romance with a local shop girl. Falling prey to Bangkok’s intoxicating beauty, Joe begins to question his isolated existence and let down his guard … just as Surat decides it’s time to clean house.
The film promises a vivid picture of the Bangkok underworld, complete with gaudy neon and brutal violence.
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Article published on Monday, May 5, 2008
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