Bangkok Dangerous
Review by Russ Breimeier | posted 9/05/2008
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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?
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