Rating: 
Summary: It isn't as bad as the reviews say.
Review: I liked the movie, it was more realistic then most crime movies these days. People seem to like the glamourous characters, without realizing what the elements of crime are really like. It is dirty and the people are flawed and not in 'cool' ways many movies show. Don't get me wrong, I like crime movies, some of the characters are 'cool' and I enjoy them as the cartoons they are, but this one is a bit more realistic and I appreciate that as well.
Rating: 
Summary: An Average Film of New Wave from Thailand and Hong Kong
Review: John Woo has gone to Hollywood, and Chow Yun-Fat too. But Hong-Kong movie industy has found a new wave of action movies, and though its power is not still visible worldwide at the time of writing this review, avid fans began to notice the advent of such a stylish and riveting action film as "The Mission" (1999) directed by Johnny To. Now another promising work came from the Pang Brothers in the shape of "Bangkok Dangerous."Though they are born in Hong Kong, the Pang Brothers (identical twins born in 1965) base their activities mainly on Thailand, and "Bangkok Dangerous" is, as the title suggests, largely shot in Thailand with Thai cast. It is about a contract killer Kong (who is hearing impaired), who lives with his senior partner and accidentaly meets and falls in love with Fon, who is working at a drugstore behind the counter. As his secret is known to Fon, and his partner is killed, Kong realizes that the time for redeeming his soul is coming very close to him. The story itself is not new, and many flashbacks are likely to confuse the viewers. The directors use slowmotions, steadicam shots, colorful lighting (especailly red and blue), and loud music, and these flashy techniques are impressive at first, but soon lose their power because of too frequent use of them. We realize they add up to almost nothing. At the final reel, the film somehow regains the momentum it should have been given, but the entire film is almost over then. The players are all well-cast, and though Pawalit Mongkolpisit hasn't yet shown enough charisma to match Yun-Fat, he has considerable presence to convince his character (this is his debut, and he had no previous acting experience). This is a promising work, but not good enough to compete the noir classic like "A Better Tomorrow" or "Hardboiled." (So my star rating should be actually 2.5.)
Rating: 
Summary: Doesn't exactly Woo it...
Review: Like its deaf protagnoist, 'Bangkok Dangerous' tries to find a way to communicate beyond language. There is very little dialogue in this film designed to elicit adjectives such as 'hyper-kinetic', 'high-octane', 'pulsing' etc. It is a cliche that most modern action films are glorified pop videos; 'Dangerous' plays like a medley of dance videos, a series of 5-minute chunks in which the movement of the editing and lighting is dictated by the rhythms of the techno, giving character movement and the staging of the action a deliberately late-night clubbing effect. The film has been compared (ridiculously) to John Woo and Wong Kar-Wai, presumably because it is an excessively violent thriller, and tries to salvage romance and poetry from the detritus of urban post-modernism. But it has neither the rhythm, grace or sense of a choreographed whole of the former, or the risk-taking intelligence of the latter. A more accurate comparison might be with the thrillers of Brian de Palma - there is the same laborious, bombastic staging of set-pieces in which characters (including obligatory, vulnerable children) and space are shot from every possible angle in order to telegraph 'suspense'. But the Pang Bros. lack even de Palma's technical nous - they expend so much effort fumbling with complicated montages they forget to pay attention to the basics of framing a shot, and so their craft seems, on this fundamental level, inept. The film begins well enough with a lavatory murder caught on CCTV, the clean, steely rattle of the gun splicing through the grainy black and white. But it all goes terribly wrong from there, in this tale of two hitmen friends, one a drug-addled wreck after an accident has forced him to retire, the other a sad-eyed deaf-mute who tentatively begins an almost-touching relationship with a beautiful chemists' assistant (this blatant attempt to siphon the neon-charm of Wong Kar-Wai by having an 'offbeat' romance in the middle of a genre piece, at least has the merit of offering an oasis of calm in a desert of head-pelting noise. Although the lead is cute and watchable, his character is fatally ill-conceived (he can write, apparently, but can't lip-read or use sign-language). Preposterous monochrobme flashbacks 'explain' his present situation, while the film's focus on his point-of-view is at odds with the pounding din the film is puffed out with. 'Dangerous' takes itself very seriously in trying to aestheticise this trashy material, but sometimes you wonder if the whole thing isn't just a big joke, especially a fast-forward, pixellated chase through the back alleys of Bangkok (the representation of whose underworld and city atmosphere is disappointingly generic) is pure Keystone Cops. But then you remember a vicious rape sequence shot like a glossy disco promo, and you realise that the joke isn't funny anymore.
Rating: 
Summary: move aside Tarantino
Review: Nope, I don't watch Asian crime flicks , but I did see this film at the Toronto Int'l Film Festival where out of nowhere it won the Foreign Press Award. Impressive given the number of curious and good films it was competing against. This film was over the top in terms of violence and some of the assassinations were gratuitous. However , the dramatization of the violence was sweetly integrated with acting and script that was underdramatized, real, and understated. The movie successfully moved from in your face sounds , sensations, and events to quietude, gestures implying a lot, and real everyday people and places. It is a great combination . I don't find hokey martial arts films very creative. Those movies are mind numbing.This movie in its sublime moments make you think about real lifestyles, conflicts, and places. I've been to Bangkok and there is an undercurrent of violence that the foreigner knows exists but doesn't see . This film is more about style and is akin to Tarantino's quirkiness, inventiveness, and impact. If you don't read all the reviews first then much in the movie is ambiguous at times and that adds suspense and curiosity. The movie is a gem and I can't wait to be able to see it distributed in North america.
Rating:
Summary: Don't be fooled by clever marketing.
Review: One day I was walking in a video store and noticed Bangkok Dangerous, but I took it off as another cheap-low budget, Van Damme-esque flick. Yet before I walked away I noticed a review in the cover saying, "Equals both parts John Woo and Quentin Tarantino" so like a sucker I rented it and I was left somewhat empty handed. First off, If you want a stylish, beautifully choreographed-action movie a la John Woo, you are not going to get it here. If you want an over the top, humorous, blood saturated movie a la Quentin Tarantino, you are not going to get it here either. You shouldn't even consider this an action film, and by the way the action is pretty generic, a la Way of the Gun and Spaghetti Westerns. So what does this film offer you ask? Well what it offers is the fact that it can communicate without the use of language, however not very affectively. You feel for the main character through the flashbacks when he was a child, flashbacks that leave the viewer feeling a little to sorry for him. Since the character is mute and deaf, his communication skills are extremely limited and you feel for his struggle, which helps the movie. But the main problem the Pang Brothers(Directors) have is the fact that they try too hard to be original.They rely too much on flashy camera tricks, quick edits, and off the wall colors. Though they may hook the viewer in at first, they soon become unecessary as the story goes on. What's even worse they stylized a rape sequence, which in my opinion just glorified it. They don't even let the main character narrarate to the audience a la Martin Scorsesse. So thus is difficult to sit through the whole movie it does drag too long and should have been cut shorter. A good example of this uneven longness is in a Coffee shop when the main character is with his associates, the script offers nothing to keep the viewer interested. However, the thing I did like is the relationship with the main character had with the drug store clerk. They had great scenes and it seemed very sincere. The ending was effective as well, and it almost lets you forget the dragging of the movie. So in the end you decide. Don't expect anything to original or anything like Mr. Woo or Mr. Tarantino. But if your the type of person that settles for generic Way of the Gun-esque movies then go ahead.
Rating:
Summary: The cover is cool but...
Review: The movie itself isn't as exciting as I had hoped. About the escapades of a deaf hitman, it has its moments as he falls in love and out of touch with his life. The are a few easy to hate antagonists as well as the love stricken lead killer. Overall, it didn't hold my attention as I wanted it to. A decent effort but more for big Asian film fans.
Rating:
Summary: The new hope for Asian action?
Review: The Thai film industry has been hyped as the new hope for Asian cinema, picking up where the Hong Kong wave of the late 1980s ended. Twins Danny and Oxide Pang, former Hong Kong residents who have immigrated to Thailand, have scrutinized the lessons of action film master John Woo. "Bangkok Dangerous" aggressively emulates the stylish overkill of those action masters but lacks much of the heart that set the best Woo films apart from the HK pack. The film`s protagonist, Kong, is a deaf-mute hitman who, despite the thick envelopes of cash he receives for his contracts, lives in a Bangkok tenement with his best friend and fellow assassin Joe. Joe and Kong receive their assignments from Joe`s girlfriend Aom, a hostess at one of Bangkok`s many strip clubs. Kong, the latest in a long line of romantic killers, soon falls for Fon, a sweet young girl who is frightened off when she learns what Kong does for a living. While Kong peruses Fon, Joe`s relationship with Aom disintegrates and many, many slick and stylish shootouts transpire. The Pang brothers utilize all the flashy techniques for which Asian action films are notorious but without succeeding in making the slow-motion, jump cuts and loud impressionistic soundtrack mean anything. The sense that you`ve seen it all before hits particularly hard in a sequence which cribs heavily from the most famous gunplay sequence in "A Better Tomorrow," but never attains Woo`s balletic brilliance.
Rating:
Summary: Style over substance
Review: This film plays like your standard HK action film, but it's from Thailand. There isn't much dialogue since the main character is a deaf mute. The plot is barely there, you just know that Kong, the main character is an assassin for the Thai underworld, and that he was mentored by a guy named Joe in the art of gun handling. The plot is also cliche(bad guy seeks redemption, you know the story). Now on it's technical merits, Bangkok Dangerous is hyperstylish. The directors seem to toss ever camera trick and editing technique in the book right at you(bullet time, slow motion, color filtering, montage, quick cuts, blur effects. . . I'm sure I missed a few.) Anyway, if you're looking for a plot and interesting characters, skip this one, but if you appreciate a film soaked in style, give it a shot.
Rating:
Summary: Style over substance
Review: This film plays like your standard HK action film, but it's from Thailand. There isn't much dialogue since the main character is a deaf mute. The plot is barely there, you just know that Kong, the main character is an assassin for the Thai underworld, and that he was mentored by a guy named Joe in the art of gun handling. The plot is also cliche(bad guy seeks redemption, you know the story). Now on it's technical merits, Bangkok Dangerous is hyperstylish. The directors seem to toss ever camera trick and editing technique in the book right at you(bullet time, slow motion, color filtering, montage, quick cuts, blur effects. . . I'm sure I missed a few.) Anyway, if you're looking for a plot and interesting characters, skip this one, but if you appreciate a film soaked in style, give it a shot.
Rating:
Summary: Realistic portrayal of violence. Stylishly directed.
Review: This is one of the best films I've seen in 1999. The story is about a professional hit-man (kong) who became deaf and dumb when he was bullied as a child. He then grows up to believe that no one cares about him, so why should he care about anyone else. For me his deaf and dumbness adds tension to the story because his emotions are portrayed with actions rather than words. As a teenager he meets Jo and Aom and gets involved as a hit man in Bangkok. Assassinating his victims with no remorse or feeling. Then one day he meets a girl from the local pharmacy. This is when he starts to realise that there are people who care. There are other subplots to this film, but if I say anymore I'd give the plot away. Along with a fantastic Hardhouse soundtrack during the action scenes mixing in very well with a more classical theme during the moral parts of the story. The action can be very realistic and very cold at times. There is a rather disturbing gang rape scene. It's not graphic in detail, but will make you really think about the horror of it all. It's also an important turning point in the film. If you have ever lived or worked in Thailand you will like this film even more as it touches upon certain moral values placed upon modern day Thai society. For those who have never been to Thailand, just sit back and enjoy a well directed, well written film. The direction (by the Pang Brothers) is superb. I'm sure we will all hear about these guys in the future. The film was made on a very low budget, but despite this special effects are good and are detrimental to the film and in no way over-the-top like the Hollywood rubbish we all have to suffer. Don't be put off by the fact it is in Thai. As the main character cannot speak anyway, the emotions are universal. The movie is subtitled very well in English also. Looking forward to a DVD release.
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