Today’s quick review: Bangkok Dangerous. Joe (Nicolas Cage), an international assassin, has decided that his next job, a series of four hits in Bangkok, will be his last. As the job progresses, Joe starts breaking his own rules. He becomes a mentor to Kong (Shahkrit Yamnarm), the street hustler he hired to run his errands, and strikes up a relationship with Fon (Charlie Young), a deaf pharmacist. But with the end drawing near, his choices may cost him.
Bangkok Dangerous is an action movie about a discipliend hitman’s last job. Set in Thailand, Bangkok Dangerous is a remake fo the Thai film of the same name, also directed by the Pang Brothers. The movie focuses on its story as much as its action, putting Joe at the center of a moral dilemma over his profession. The dramatic side of the story is backed by a steady drip of action, a satisfying but not overly flashy mix of assassinations and gunfights.
Bangkok Dangerous’s chief trouble is that the story never achieves the pathos it aims for. The issue centers on Joe himself. He is an anomaly in a crime movie: a credible, well-developed character who’s neither charismatic nor sympathetic. He is a cold, methodical man who has the tactics of his profession down to a science, but his bout of conscience and believably awkward romance with Fon are not enough to endear him to the viewer.
The end result is a crime movie that seems to aim for the wrong target. Bangkok Dangerous has enough in the way of basic craftsmanship to make for a viable watch, but its downbeat tone and stony protagonist compromise its entertainment value. Fans of Nicolas Cage and the action or crime genres may want to give it a shot, but most viewers will have better luck looking elsewhere.
For a more surreal Nicolas Cage crime movie, check out Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans or Dog Eat Dog. For a better action movie about an assassin and his apprentice, check out The Mechanic. For an action thriller with more punch, try Taken. For an action movie about a penitent hitman with better choreography and more style, check out John Wick.
5.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for competent storytelling and action, held back by a downbeat tone and misguided sense of pathos.