I was waiting for this martial arts movie like any other fan, so when I finally got it I prepared to see some really amazing stunts and fighting sequences.
First 15 minutes of Bangkok Knockout is example of a bad taste and Asian way of filming anything about nothing. Actresses in this movie plays so bad that you want to jump on the screen and help them to find a really good actors classes. This is the first time I have seen when actress is waiting for another one who is trying to remember her words in dialogue.
I am not saying about Asian stereotype of western bad guy smoking cigares and bad on language,.. or I just said that?
I was not so sure about the plot of this movie before, but let’s look together: “A group of ‘fight club’ pals whose styles vary from Muay Thai and Capoeira to Kung Fu and Tai Chi must fight for their lives when one of their friends is kidnapped.”
Really? I am agree that this group is very good in Muay Thai and acrobatics, but not so sure about kidnapped friend, may be family?
This movie after 15 minutes of nothing turns out to some kind of reality show “life and death” with big money involved. Some guy hired a track, made some cheap decoration inside, give people iPads and asked to make bets watching deadly fights. Yes, fights are very good, even Spiderman can envy how these thai fighters can jump from side to side. The long jump with a knee kick is a visiting card of thai action, but during 2 hours I was asking myself why somebody kicks and punches the metal shield on the bad guy, but not the uncovered parts of the body?
I got a bonus, saw for the first time how Panna Rittikrai fights… like a beast … like Steven Seagal. A really cruel fight.
I was wondering why most of actors are so ugly, probably because of the main guy, who looks like a very young Tony Jaa put on weight a little. Producers decided to distinguish him from the rest? And what these big guy in metal mask with an axe is doing there, was it a big hi to Freddy from Friday 13?
Bangkok Knockout is not one of the best kung fu films, but just a huge collection of movie cliches and I only hope Tony Jaa will come back with Tom Yum Goong 2 and get back the thai actions on the right road, because Thailand needs a real star to represent Muay Thai in movies.
