Bangkok Dangerous
Encyclopedia
Bangkok Dangerous is a 1999 Thai 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
. This film was also unofficially remade as Pattiyal
a 2006
Indian
tamil
movie .
for hire who can neither hear his gunshots nor the people pleading with him not to kill them. He receives his contracts through Aom, a hostess at a Bangkok go-go bar.
Kong lost his hearing when he was a child. Because of his disability, he was taunted by other children and grows up into an angry young man.
At a target range, he finds he has a knack for target shooting when he visualizes 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 focus on his target. He eventually gets a job as a janitor at the range.
One day while cleaning up, a customer named Joe is in the Bangkok forest with his girlfriend, Aom. Jo notices Kong watching them. He then offers the pistol
to Kong, who impresses Jo and Aom with his pinpoint shooting.
Joe then takes Kong under his wing and teaches him how to shoot. When Jo injures his gun hand in a battle, Kong is ready to take on more work.
Working for a mob boss, Kong is sent on a job to Hong Kong
. He shoots his target while riding on the Hong Kong subway
.
When Kong returns to Bangkok, he catches a cold and needs medicine, so he stops at a pharmacy and meets Fon, a pretty pharmacist. With Fon, friendship grows into something deeper. This changes Kong's perspective on life as he realizes that life can be meaningful, even for a deaf-mute assassin like him.
Aom has trouble with one of the mob boss' henchmen. She spurns him but he rapes her. Enraged, Joe takes matters into his own hands, killing the henchman, which brings the mob's wrath down on Joe, which in turn leads to more revenge killing by Kong, and a final big shoot-out in a water bottling plant.
, the Pang Brothers announced they would remake Bangkok Dangerous with Nicolas Cage
in the lead role, though Cage's character would not be 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.
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
written and directed by the Pang Brothers. Stylishly edited, the story of a deaf and mute
Muteness
Muteness or mutism is an inability to speak caused by a speech disorder. The term originates from the Latin word mutus, meaning "silent".-Causes:...
hitman
Contract killing
Contract killing is a form of murder, in which one party hires another party to kill a target individual or group of people. It involves an illegal agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to kill the target in exchange for consideration, monetary, or otherwise. The hiring party may...
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
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
. This film was also unofficially remade as Pattiyal
Pattiyal
Pattiyal is a 2006 Indian Tamil gangster film directed by Vishnuvardhan. The film tackles the issue of dons. It stars Arya, Bharath, Pooja Umashankar, Padmapriya Janakiraman, Cochin Haneefa and Santhana Bharathi in pivotal roles. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja...
a 2006
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
Indian
Cinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...
tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
movie .
Plot
Kong is a deaf-mute gunman, an assassinAssassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
for hire who can neither hear his gunshots nor the people pleading with him not to kill them. He receives his contracts through Aom, a hostess at a Bangkok go-go bar.
Kong lost his hearing when he was a child. Because of his disability, he was taunted by other children and grows up into an angry young man.
At a target range, he finds he has a knack for target shooting when he visualizes 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 focus on his target. He eventually gets a job as a janitor at the range.
One day while cleaning up, a customer named Joe is in the Bangkok forest with his girlfriend, Aom. Jo notices Kong watching them. He then offers the pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
to Kong, who impresses Jo and Aom with his pinpoint shooting.
Joe then takes Kong under his wing and teaches him how to shoot. When Jo injures his gun hand in a battle, Kong is ready to take on more work.
Working for a mob boss, Kong is sent on a job to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. He shoots his target while riding on the Hong Kong subway
MTR
Mass Transit Railway is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Originally opened in 1979, the system now includes 211.6 km of rail with 155 stations, including 86 railway stations and 69 light rail stops...
.
When Kong returns to Bangkok, he catches a cold and needs medicine, so he stops at a pharmacy and meets Fon, a pretty pharmacist. With Fon, friendship grows into something deeper. This changes Kong's perspective on life as he realizes that life can be meaningful, even for a deaf-mute assassin like him.
Aom has trouble with one of the mob boss' henchmen. She spurns him but he rapes her. Enraged, Joe takes matters into his own hands, killing the henchman, which brings the mob's wrath down on Joe, 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 TimkulPatharawarin TimkulPatharawarin Timkul is a Thai actress and model. Her films include Bangkok Dangerous and Jan Dara. She is the daughter of leading Thai dance and theater figure Patravadi Mejudhon. Her nickname is May.-Biography:...
as Aom - Pisek Intrakanchit as Jo
Awards and nominations
- 2000 Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film FestivalThe Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
- won the international critics' (FIPRESCIFIPRESCIThe International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
) Award - 2001 International Film Festival RotterdamInternational Film Festival RotterdamThe International Film Festival Rotterdam is an annual film festival held in various cinemas in Rotterdam, Netherlands held at the end of January. It is approximately comparable in size to other major European festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Locarno...
- nominated for a Tiger Award.
Remake
At the 2006 Cannes Film Festival2006 Cannes Film Festival
The 2006 Cannes Film Festival ran from May 17, 2006 to May 28, 2006. Twenty films from eleven countries were in competition for the Palme d'Or. The President of the Official Jury was Wong Kar-wai, the first Chinese director to preside over the jury....
, the Pang Brothers announced they would remake Bangkok Dangerous with Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
in the lead role, though Cage's character would not be 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.
External links
- Bangkok Dangerous at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
- Bangkok Dangerous at MovieSet
- Bangkok Dangerous Production Notes