Runtime: 105 minutes
Directed by: Wych Kaosayananda
Starring: Mark Dacascos, Vanida Golten, Prinya Intachai, Michael S. New, Sahajak Boonthanakit
From: Grindstone Entertainment Group/Kaos Productions
The world was not my oyster while watching this film.
Actually, that's too harsh a phrase to say; of course this won't be the only reference to the song that was for a random Broadway musical called Chess that would have been forgotten if not for the tune, from Murray Head, Tim Rice and the two dudes in a band my late mother enjoyed: ABBA. I've known of this movie for awhile now-my seeing it now is due to a recent cable box upgrade from my small regional cable company. Whether it's permanent or temporary, I now get the Showtime and Starz channels for free. Somehow, years ago w/ my old cable company, we accidentally got various premium channels for free for YEARS.
The plot: You can call it“Temu Collateral.” Personally, I don't love Collateral like everyone else does... but I'm still glad that Michael Mann is OK after he recently shot himself in the leg by accident. Specifically to Bangkok, Mark Dacascos is a hitman who visits the city not for the Somerset Maugham suite, any golden cloisters, or muddy rivers, but rather to perform various hits through the night as he uses a local lady w/ a rideshare Volvo SUV instead of a dude in a taxicab like in this film's inspiration.
It was nice to see Dacasos in the lead; he always deserved to be known for more than just The Chairman in Iron Chef America. He's a martial artist who should have done more in low-budget action cinema. This movie is more a thriller w/ plenty of dialogue as there's only a few action scenes; another key detail of this is the director: Wych Kaosayananda, i.e. the guy who gave us the infamous flop Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever... although that project was taken out of his hands unjustly so him going to Director's Jail for years wasn't entirely fair. Bangkok is at least better than that. This has various split-screen shots-while not De Palma, the attempt was still appreciated.
This film is incredibly low-key, more dialogue than action-driven. The movie is low-key even by my standards; at least Mark was fine as the lead and so was random lady Vanida Golten as the driver. There's plenty of monologues concerning fishing, religion, Thai cuisine... the plot isn't plausible by any regards but at least is watchable, not a grueling, painful experience. It's always nice seeing Dacascos and Kane Kosugi, although the latter doesn't appear until the finale.
The attempts at drama weren't always successful; at least “Honey, we have Collateral at home” was not a DVR recording I regretted making.
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