Directed by: Oxide Pang Chun and Danny Pang
Premise: An experienced assassin (Nicolas Cage)
finds his mission and life in danger when he takes time to develop relationships
with a deaf pharmacy clerk (Charlie Yeung) and a pickpocket (Shahkrit Yamnarm).
What Works: Some of the action scenes of Bangkok
Dangerous are well handled even if they are derivative. Nicolas Cage has a
few nice scenes with Charlie Yeung, a deaf pharmacist.
What Doesn’t: Bangkok
Dangerous is a ludicrous action film almost to the point that it’s hard to
believe this is not a joke gone awry. Nicolas Cage has never been a very good
action star except in films like The Rock where he plays a man who is out
of place amid the carnage. Bangkok
Dangerous casts Cage as a coldhearted assassin and he absolutely does not
work in this role. The script tries to build sympathy for the character through
two subplots: one involving a young street hustler that Cage’s character takes
on as an apprentice and the other a romantic story between the assassin and a
good hearted pharmacist. The scenes of Cage training his apprentice look more
like outtakes from The
Karate Kid than The
Professional and the romantic scenes, although nice to watch in some
spots, feel like they are from a completely separate movie. By the time the
climax arrives, the film throws together an action scene that is really under
par for the genre and the film finally ends on a hopeless note of self sacrifice
that does nothing to further the characters.
Bottom Line: Bangkok Dangerous should have been a direct to video release staring Steven Segal or Dolph Lundgren. As it is, the film doesn’t even make for a good rental and it is a further sign of Nicolas Cage’s poor taste is scripts.