Bangkok Dangerous (2008)

**Major Spoilers in the 4th paragraph**

Bangkok Dangerous is that film; the one you lampoon and crack witty jokes before the release while laying a claim of hatred upon something you haven't seen. Whether it be Nicholas Cage's awful hairdo (Almost rivaling Tom Hanks' in The Da Vinci Code) Every year, a multiple amount of films were released away from prying eyes but this didn't stop uneducated word of mouth to demolish a films box office chance. This is the story of one film that got a last laugh by being a somewhat enjoyable film experience.


Now I haven't seen the original yet, but it's in my queue. I expect the original to blow this out of the water and force me to look down disappointedly on this Nicholas Cage hair vessel. When this motion picture isn't being bogged down with repressive noir monologues (from a character that was intended to be deaf & mute), extremely predictable situations, and flawed and immature side characters, the film retains some substance.


The film assumes some condescension over the original by making the lead character speak fluidly and wear a ridiculous cowboy hat. It also doesn't help the fact that some American guy named Joe, the ONLY white man in Bangkok, is an a international hitman. Being a hitman is about stealth and creating a disguise and/or alter-ego. I guess Cage never thought ahead too well or he could have called this one from afar, sticking out like a sore thumb and all.


It's the final moment of the film that seals its fate. Watching Nicholas Cage wounded in a car with his last target, sitting beside him with a dead silence about them both is a mesmerizing scene. One of which you silence your friends to watch what happens next. He puts the gun to his head and pulls Surat's head parallel to his. With a squeeze of the trigger, we see the back seat explode in a fire flash and blood. Nicholas Cage's limp arm is seen recoiling and death twitching through the rear window. This is an image you wont soon forget.

Alternate Poster that I though deserved a view

The action is a weird mix of styles. You can notice the fact that two directors are at work. One produces wonderful techniques such as seeing bullets pierce a body in a boat, then a quick cut to the murky depths below as we see bullets trail through the water. The water than turns a dark shade of red as blood begins billowing out of the holes. The other director is the Michael Bay type who has a fetish for people standing on top of exploding motorcycles while aimlessly shooting water jugs in a strafing manner.


Allow me to be biased and irrational for a moments time. If Nicholas Cage didn't sport such a god-awful toupee and cowboy hat, I would have respected The Pang Brothers re-envisioning a hell of a lot more. Bangkok Dangerous is riddled with flaws, I wont lie, but there is something behind the thin shell that is more meaningful that I could have imagined. A punk Joaquin Phoenix could have been a much better sidekick to Nicholas Cage in Bangkok Dangerous than Kong ever could.

-mAQ