Bangkok Dangerous - Thoughts

I came across Bangkok Dangerous first while checking out HD trailers off the Apple website. The movie looked like a pretty straight forward international assassin sorta flick starring Nicholas Cage. It didn’t figure in my ‘must watch as soon as possible list’, and thus I only got around to checking out the DVD recently. In Bangkok Dangerous, Nicholas Cage plays a low profile, under the radar assassin, who while in Bangkok experiences a change; though he has spent the bulk of his life alone, he feels driven to build relationships. He begins to re-question some of his life rules, and things start getting complicated.


Directed by the Pang brothers, Bangkok Dangerous is an interesting blend of East Asian style movie making with a touch of Hollywood. Camera angles, lighting, and other technical movie making elements were noticeably different from what I’d grown used to. That said, most techniques were used well to complement the narrative process; exposing the story very efficiently. The most basic and simple human emotions were captured and presented strikingly. The characters feelings came across as real and intense. Though the plot was pretty straight forward, it was executed very well. The pace is decent, and even with the romantic element, and the friendship element, it doesn’t take away too much from the action theme, and never loses focus. Set in Bangkok, the movie showcased the sights and sounds of Bangkok reasonably well. If viewer expectations are very high, Bangkok Dangerous may disappoint, but otherwise I’d say that its quite an impressive movie. Keep in mind that the plot is direct and simple; don’t expect to have to put too much thought into it.

Nicholas Cage played the role of Joe, the assassin for hire, who had been successful thus far in staying out of the laws wanted list. Cage’s portrayal of the character Joe was pretty good, coming across as focused, very methodical, serious and unattached. As the story progressed, the change that he was experiencing was again portrayed significantly; a sense of an internal conflict, and feelings that were new to him, being very evident. Shahkrit Yamnarm played Kong, his local hired help in Bangkok, who later grew to become his student. While I haven’t seen any of his past work, his efforts in Bangkok Dangerous were pretty good. He came across as a kid with a good heart, out to make a quick buck and survive in a city. Charlie Yeung played the role of Fon, a deaf mute who worked in a pharmacy and made an impact on Joe during their first meeting. She performed admirably, as the pleasant, sweet girl; that coupled with her disabilities made it hard to not like her character. Her ability to win the hearts of the audience being testimony to her fine performance.

As in most cases, the DVD I was watching was a Region 1 US release. Video was good for most part, and scene lighting was reminiscent of a Hong Kong movie. Picture dimensions were formatted to fit a widescreen home theatre television set perfectly, with no letterboxing. Sound was good, and surround stage usage was noticeable from the opening sequences. While the transitions of ambient sounds between environments was not as smooth as expected with most Hollywood movies, it wasn’t necessarily a concern, and would probably go unnoticed by most people watching this movie. Sound was presented my means of a 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack

My Recommendation: Watch It (A simple yet well-made action movie from the Pang brothers)