Ok, anyone reading this review who hasn’t seen Hong Kong action movies, stop reading right now and go out and rent some from your local video store.
I first discovered Hong Kong action cinema when I was living in the Philippines, almost twenty years ago, back in 1990.
Sure, the eighties in North America gave birth to some of the greatest action movies of all time, some that are yet to be surpassed today, but the Hong Kong action cinema was in a league of its own.
And at the head of that league were John Woo, and his star, Chow Yun Fat.
This style of action movie seemed to spread across Asia. Many film makers from other countries began to imitate this style of movie.
Some were good, some were terrible, but they all had unique flavor, unique to the country that produced them.
Of course, it was inevitable that some of these movies that turned out to be hits in Asia were chosen to be remade by North American film makers, and Americanized.
I recently had a chance to watch just one of these films, Bangkok Dangerous.
First, I’m a fan of Nick Cage. I have been since Con Air and The Rock. Most of his movies that have come out over the past decade and a bit I’ve taken the time to see, and I have, for the most part, enjoyed.
Even some of his movies that didn’t do too well at the box office, such as Ghost Rider and Next.
It is a remake of a Thai movie of the same name, originally released in 1999.
Here’s the usual disclaimer… I will not reveal any details of the plot other than those you can glean from watching the trailer for the movie from various sources.
The story is about an assassin who takes a job in Thailand. While there he takes a young street hoodlum under his wing and ends up falling for a beautiful Thai woman.
One of the people who he’s supposed to assassinate turns out to be a political figure, one who is greatly loved by the people of the country because of his stand on the criminals.
And the fact that he doesn’t seem to be corrupt, like so many other political figures.
lt;div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">
Of course, this leads to a change of heart for Nick Cage’s character, and he finds himself on the wrong end of a Thai Gangsters wrath.
Huh, like we haven’t seen that plot done a few dozen times over the years, right?
There wasn’t anything really exceptional about the movie. It was an ok Action flick, and I always enjoy seeing a man who is essentially a bad, bad person begin to change his ways and through his actions, seek redemption.
With the exception of sociopaths, well redemption is always within reach.
And Nick Cage’s character didn’t come across as a sociopath to me.
As for the acting – what acting? It’s an action film. Nick Cage played the type of character he’s best at playing… himself.
Then again, as I have stated before, I don’t go to action movies to see deep, in depth acting. I go to action movies to see things get blown up, lots of chase sequences and gun fights.
A simple man with simple pleasures.
Earlier I stated that it was an ok action movie – well, it was. There were no action sequences that really stuck out, as I’ve seen similar sequences in numerous movies. It did have the feel of your typical Hong Kong action flick, which was its one main saving grace for me.
I was a little surprised at the amount of gore in two sequences, and when you consider the use of foul language, it’s definitely not a movie that youngsters should see.
For me, it was a fun, if average, popcorn movie. Simply check your mind at the door and enjoy.
2.5 out of 5.