Bangkok Dangerous (2008 Film)

''Bangkok Dangerous'' is a 2008 American action thriller film written and directed by the Pang Brothers, and starring Nicolas Cage. It is a remake of the Pangs' 1999 debut '' Bangkok Dangerous'', a Thai film, for which Cage's production company, Saturn Films, purchased the remake rights.

Known by its working title, ''Big Hit in Bangkok'', and also as ''Time to Kill'', it began filming in Bangkok in August 2006. The film was financed by Initial Entertainment Group, and Lionsgate Films acquired its North America distribution rights.

''Bangkok Dangerous'' was released on September 5, 2008. It received negative reviews and grossed $42.5 million.

Plot

Joe is a professional freelance contract killer who works strictly by the rules: never socializing outside his work, staying secluded in quiet spots, never interacting or meeting with his handlers and always leaving on time without a trace. He uses multiple aliases and usually hires young pickpockets or small-time criminals as his local help and middlemen between him and his handlers, always murdering them the end of the job to prevent any identification. He also carries a watch to perform a hit in specific time and correctly visualizes his every target.

After completing a hit in Prague and killing his help there, Joe travels to Bangkok for an assignment to assassinate four people for notorious Bangkok crime boss Surat, whom he never meets. Joe occasionally provides insight via voiceover narration throughout the film. He hires a local Thai pickpocket named Kong, who has simple English knowledge, as his go-between in Bangkok, a condition of the contract being that the gang will never meet Joe. Contracts from the Bangkok gangsters are passed to Kong one by one via a nightclub dancer, Aom. Joe's first execution in Bangkok is done on motorcycle; when the target car stops at a red light, Joe kills all the occupants with a MAC-11.

Kong retrieves information about the second target, again via Aom, and the pair become friendlier with every contact. Before Joe executes his mission, Kong informs him of the target, Pramod Juntasa, another notorious gang lord and Surat's rival crime boss who acts as a sex trafficker, buying young girls from impoverished parents and selling them for sex. Joe sneaks into the target's penthouse and drowns him in his pool. Unsatisfied with Kong's assistance, Joe contemplates killing him, but after witnessing a bruised Kong return to the hideout, having been ambushed by local gangsters over a briefcase containing information files of Surat's/Joe's targets, he instead decides to take Kong under his wing and mentors and trains him for self-defense.

Midway, Joe meets Fon, a deaf-mute pharmacist, with whom he becomes intrigued after a brief consultation. Joe later returns to the pharmacy to invite Fon out for dinner. Soon after Joe falls for Fon and meets her mother, the affair is cut short when he shoots and kills two assailants in Fon's presence. Blood splatters on Fon, and she runs off, trembling and traumatized by the violent deaths. Feeling betrayed, Fon cannot forgive Joe and ends their relationship.

Before the third kill, the gang attempts to identify Joe, and he warns them off. For the third execution that takes place at the Damnoen Saduak floating market, Kong assists Joe. The kill does not go as planned, and the target, a playboy and a criminal underworld associate, nearly gets away but Joe manages to catch and assassinate him. Before beginning his last mission Joe visits Fon, presumably to say goodbye. She initially ignores him but as Joe begins to drive away, she runs after his car.

His fourth target is the Prime Minister of Thailand, who is revered by many but a great hindrance to Surat due to his hard-line crackdown on organized crime. Joe is about to make the kill when he has second thoughts, is spotted and escapes through a panicking crowd. Meanwhile, the gang has abducted Aom and Kong and plans to execute them. Joe, now a target, is attacked at his house by four of Surat's henchmen. He uses explosives to take them out and is faced with the choice of rescuing Kong or leaving the country unharmed. Joe decides to rescue Kong, so he sets off to the gang's headquarters with one of the half-alive attackers.

Joe goes to the gang's headquarters, kills most of the gang including Surat's underboss/bodyguard (who is blown into half by explosives), and saves Kong and Aom. The fearful gang leader flees to his car with three other accomplices. Joe spots him and shoots the gang members, then gets into the back seat with Surat. As the police arrive at the location, Joe realizes he has only one bullet. He puts his head adjacent to Surat's, puts the gun up to his temple and pulls the trigger, killing himself and Surat.

Alternative ending

An alternative to the theatrical version depicts Joe about to kill himself when he sees Kong hijacking a police car and coming to his rescue. He kills Surat and runs to the stolen car (although he is shot once in the arm). The duo manage to elude the authorities and hide in a neighborhood a few blocks away from Surat's headquarters. As locals come out to investigate the commotion, Kong reveals Joe as Surat's killer. They help him recuperate while one local mentions Surat's reputation, adding that his death should mark an end to his crimes and atrocities in their community. Kong then takes Joe to a boatman the next day and gives him his passports, so he may flee the country. Joe thanks Kong for his assistance and gives him a bank account number with "a bonus", calling him a good student. Joe then departs, with the camera focused on Kong (from Joe's perspective, similar to the original ending).

Cast

* Nicolas Cage as Joe
* Shahkrit Yamnarm as Kong
* James Wearing Smith as Chicago
* Charlie Yeung as Fon
* Nirattisai Kaljaruek as Surat
* Panward Hemmanee as Aom
* Peter Shadrin as Anton
* Dom Hetrakul as Aran
* Napassakorn Midaim as Kong's Brother

Production

The original film's main character is a deaf hitman, whose disability makes him a fearless, unflinching gunman. That character has been changed in the remake.
"We'd like to keep him the same, but we understand that from a marketing point of view Nic needs to have some lines," Oxide was quoted as saying in ''The New York Times''. "So what we’re going to do is transform his girlfriend instead into a deaf-mute. This switch will maintain the drama of communication between the two main characters."

The Soi Cowboy entertainment district was among Thai locations used for filming.

Release

Box office

The film grossed US$42.5 million, of which $15.3 million was from the US. The film grossed US$7.8 million on its opening weekend, making it the first film since '' Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star'' to debut at number 1 with such a low gross. Lionsgate distribution topper Steve Rothenberg said, "It will be a nicely profitable film for us." The film's budget was $45 million.

Home media release

''Bangkok Dangerous'' was released on DVD and Blu-ray on January 6, 2009. As of December 1, 2009, 760,178 units have been sold, gathering US$15,058,164 in revenue.

Reception

See also

* List of films featuring the deaf and hard of hearing

References

External links

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{{Authority control

2008 films
2008 action thriller films
2008 crime thriller films
2000s crime action films
American action thriller films
American crime thriller films
American crime action films
American gangster films
American remakes of Thai films
Films about contract killing
Films set in Bangkok
Films set in Prague
Films set in Thailand
Films shot in the Czech Republic
Films shot in Thailand
Initial Entertainment Group films
Murder–suicide in films
Lionsgate films
Saturn Films films
Films scored by Brian Tyler
Films produced by Nicolas Cage
Films about deaf people
2000s English-language films
2000s American films
English-language crime action films
English-language crime thriller films
English-language action thriller films