Bangkok Dangerous

Bangkok Dangerous nearly accomplishes its goal of being both a thrilling action movie as well as a touching story about one mans near redemption. I want to begin by saying that I am a huge Nicolas Cage fan. He is one of those characters that will make me want to see a movie, simply because he is in it. That is what happened with this movie. What happens is something that happens with even favorite authors, I was left wondering how in the world he got this role. At first I thought he was in this role to show that he can grow long hair and is still pretty built for his age. I learned in the special features that he is actually a fan of the Pang brothers, as well as the original 1999 Bangkok Dangerous.
In this newer, big budget Hollywood version, Cage plays Joe, a highly paid hit man. The movie opens with him explaining what he does, and the methods he uses to get the job done. He explains the set of four rules he has, which of course he breaks through the course of the film. He is going to Bangkok for his last mission, his last big job before he gets out. As per usual for him, he finds a young wisecrack pickpocket to be his little helper. The one he finds is named Kong (Shahkrit Yamnarm). Kong’s only jobs are to run packages between Joe’s employer and himself, and whatever else he needs him to do. Kong’s role works well in this film, at least on his end. Cage’s character, against his better judgment, forms a sort of teacher/student relationship because he “sees himself in” the kid. Yes, they really used that line. That line had me laughing, when I am sure it was meant to pull at my heartstrings. Joe trains the young man to fight and gives him shooting lessons. Kong begins telling him things about the people that he has been sent to kill. He has already broken two of his precious rules for his survival by midway through the film, so you kind of know where this is going by this point.
Also midway through the film, we see Joe take up a relationship with a deaf and mute young pharmacy girl. This relationship shows Cage’s softer side, as bit by bit he gets closer to this beautiful girl. Unfortunately their relationship lacks the same thing that the student/teacher one lacks with Kong’s character. Cage just seems to be saying his lines in these scenes, without any real emotion. It was almost like he had a really bad head cold during shooting, and only really wanted to go back to bed. The scene where he goes to say his tragic goodbye to his almost girlfriend is near laughable.
On and upside, the film was beautiful to look at. The sporadic fight scenes were very well executed, and had a very Asian feel to them. There are really only three really good ones though, and two happen near the very end. There was actually a pretty tense and thrilling end; you just had to sit through a lot to get to it.
This film is seemingly aimed at an audience that would enjoy a big budget shoot em up, but instead the real focus is on Joe’s conflicting interest and conviction towards both his job and his new relationships. His last job turns out to be a political assassination, and Kong tells him that he is a good man and revered by his people, Joe has to make a decision that will ultimately change his life. This film is good, but not an excellent Nicolas Cage film. It was enjoyable, but I thought it could have been so much more.
A couple of the bonus features are interesting. One is titled From Hong Kong to Bangkok, which takes in depths look at Hong Kong cinema. Being a huge Asian film fan, I found this to be quite enjoyable. A lot of it I was familiar with, but it gave me some more insight into the growth and the Asian film industry from the silent films all the way to today’s modern features. Another bonus feature centers on Nicolas Cage as well as the directors and producers talking about the making of this film, and the transition between the two. Nicolas Cage is also a huge fan of Asian cinema, and especially the Pang Brothers. I found this slightly surprising. He also talks about the short scene where he gets to interact with an elephant, and what a treat that was for him.