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Bangkok Dangerous Our rating: Rate this movie   MPAA rating: R (for violence, language, and some sexuality) Genre: Action, Drama Theater release: September 05, 2008 by Lionsgate Directed by: The Pang Brothers Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes Cast: Nicolas Cage (Joe), Shahkrit Yamnarm (Kong), Charlie Yeung (Fon), Panward Hemmanee (Aom), Nirattisai Kaljaruek (Surat), Dom Hetrakul (Aran) Related: Talk About It/Family Corner

One debate among film critics is whether it's necessary to know the original version to appreciate an adaptation or remake. Aside from those deeply immersed in Asian action cinema, most average filmgoers won't care if the new Bangkok Dangerous is true to the 1999 original from Thailand of the same name. They just want to know if it's an exciting Nicolas Cage action flick.

It's not.

Nicolas Cage as Joe

The problems begin with a key difference between the two films, both directed by The Pang Brothers. The original (which I've not seen) centered on a deaf-mute assassin named Kong—emotionally detached from the world because of his condition and uniquely skilled since he can't be distracted by sound. However, Kong gradually learns to appreciate life after building some meaningful relationships during his latest assignment, causing him to rethink his priorities when those friendships are threatened by his employers.

Now you'd think an American remake might keep its focus on the one quality that makes this story unique: the deaf-mute anti-hero. Thinking of movies like There Will Be Blood and Cast Away, it seems like this would be an interesting opportunity for a talented director and leading actor to similarly tell a story with minimal dialogue—in an action film, no less. Instead, the Pangs downplay the key plot point in their remake; only the character names and the general outline remain the same.

Joe meets with Kong (Shahkrit Yamnarm)

Here the assassin is Joe (Cage), who is not a deaf-mute, but still very much cold and detached (maybe because he's borrowing the same bad hair sported by Tom Hanks in The Da Vinci Code). Beginning the movie with the same weary narration that Cage uses in so many of his other films, we learn that this experienced killer is ready to retire, looking for one last assignment before calling it quits—familiar, no?

That assignment involves four hits in Bangkok for a crime boss named Surat. In the process, Joe hires a street hustler named Kong, whom he uses as a go-between with Surat, intending to dispose of him when the job is finished. Instead, he forms a bond with Kong because he reminds Joe of himself—the similarities are lost on the audience. Master mentors apprentice in matters of marksmanship and espionage. During his stay, Joe also meets a pretty pharmacist named Fon, who happens to be a deaf-mute, and the budding romance causes the killer to further rethink his life. The only complication is whether he can truly escape his profession and experience a change of heart without endangering his friends.

Charlie Yeung as Fon

Though there's still potential for an interesting relationship, the deaf-mute angle is more tangential in this movie, and not all that interesting. In fact, it plays second banana to the relationship between Joe and Kong, and neither storyline sufficiently explains why such a cold, uncaring character would want to change his ways. Is it kinship with Kong? The potential romance with Fon? The seedy Bangkok atmosphere? The elephant he feeds in the marketplace? Who knows?

Don't blame Cage. He can play blank and detached very well, and he's got a certain charm that makes you want to root for him. But the character is poorly developed. I mean, here's a guy who's lecturing us from the start about the importance of keeping a low profile as an assassin, yet he's regularly giving Kong shooting lessons outside his home. Perhaps the fact that he still doesn't attract attention says something about Thailand and why Joe is drawn to it?

Other story details make just as little sense. By the time Joe gets his fourth assignment, we've already guessed who the target will be and how he'll respond to it. With that, the crime boss changes his mind concerning his contract with Joe—a very silly line of reasoning that suggests he never really thought the assassinations through. This is the sort of story that requires intrigue and double-crosses to carry us through, not predictable and/or implausible plot details.

One character who's NOT on Joe's hit list

The visual style of this Bangkok Dangerous doesn't help either. There are some occasionally inventive touches to the Pang Brothers' style—camera angles, transition shots, things like that. But it's all filmed with a dark and grainy washed-out look that sometimes makes things hard to see. This is an ugly movie to look at that does nothing for Thailand's tourism (and again, does little to explain why Cage's character is so drawn to the city).

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