Bangkok Dangerous (1999 film)
| Bangkok Dangerous | |
|---|---|
| File:Bangkokdangerous.jpg The Thai theatrical poster. | |
| Directed by | The Pang Brothers |
| Written by | The Pang Brothers |
| Produced by | Adirek Wattaleela Nonzee Nimibutr Pracha Maleenont Brian L. Marcar |
| Starring | Pawalit Mongkolpisit Premsinee Ratanasopha Patharawarin Timkul Pisek Intrakanchit Korkiate Limpapat |
| Cinematography | Decha Srimantra |
| Edited by | The Pang Brothers |
| Music by | Orange Music |
| Distributed by | Film Bangkok |
Release date | November 1, 1999 |
Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | Thailand |
| Language | Thai |
Bangkok Dangerous (Template:Lang-th) is a 1999 crime film written and directed by the Pang Brothers. Stylishly edited, the story of a deaf and mute hitman was the debut film for the twin-brother team of filmmakers. A 2008 remake of the same name also directed by the Pangs, stars Nicolas Cage.
Plot
King Kong is a deaf and blind gunman, an assassin for hire who can neither hear his gunshots nor see the people pleading with him not to kill them. He receives his shooting directions through Aom, a hostess at a Bangkok go-go bar, who stands behind him and moves his arm and guns in the right direction, pinching his arms to pull the trigger. He also acts as a human body shield for her.
King Kong lost his hearing when he was a child from listening to too much loud Thai rock music. Because of his disability, he was taunted by other children, and he grew up into an angry young man.
At a target range, he found he had a special aptitude for target shooting when he pictured the faces of the boys that taunted him in the target. His deafness gives him an edge in shooting, as he doesn't react to the gunshots and can better hold his attention on his target. He eventually gets a job as a janitor at the range.
One day, while cleaning up, a customer named Jo is in the Bangkok forest with his girlfriend, Aom. Jo notices King Kong watching them. He then offers the pistol to King Kong, who impresses Jo and Aom with his abilities.
Jo then takes King Kong under his wing and shows him more how to shoot. And, when Jo injures his gun hand, Kong is ready to take on more work.
Working for a mob boss, King Kong is sent on a job to Hong Kong. He shoots his target while riding on the Hong Kong subway with Aom hitched to his back, providing directions.
When King Kong returns to Bangkok, he has a cold and needs some medicine, so he stops in a pharmacy and meets Fon, a pretty pharmacist who is somehow able to connect with the deaf. With Fon, friendship grows into something deeper, through a special Thai massage. This changes Kong's perspective on life as he realizes that life can be meaningful, even for a deaf assassin like him.
Meanwhile, Aom is having trouble with one of the mob boss' henchmen, who ends up raping her. Enraged, Jo takes matters into his own hands, killing the henchman, cutting his hand off with a spinning boat propellor, which brings the mob's wrath down on Jo, which in turn leads to more revenge killing by Kong, and a final big shoot-out in a water bottling plant.
Cast
- Pawalit Mongkolpisit as Kong
- Premsinee Ratanasopha as Fon
- Patharawarin Timkul as Aom
- Pisek Intrakanchit as Jo
Awards and nominations
- 2000 Toronto International Film Festival - won the international critics' (FIPRESCI) Award
- 2001 International Film Festival Rotterdam - nominated for a Tiger Award.
Remake
At the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, the Pang Brothers announced they would remake Bangkok Dangerous with Nicolas Cage in the lead role, though Cage's character would not be a deaf. With the working titles Big Hit in Bangkok and Time to Kill, shooting took place in Bangkok in August 2006 with the release set for September 2008.
