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Released By: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Released On: 08/30/2011
Director: Panna Rittikrai, Morakot Kaewthanee
Cast: Gitabak Agohjit, Speedy Arnold, Supakson Chaimongkol, Sorapong Chatree
Purchase From Amazon
The Film:
When the blurb on the back of a movie case talks more about the accomplishments of the director than the film itself, it's a pretty safe bet that the movie contained therein is going to suck hard. That definitely seemed to be the case with BKO: Bangkok Knockout, one of Magnolia Home Entertainment's newest blu-ray releases. Most viewers not familiar with Thai cinema will wonder why so much of the print is dedicated to Writer/Director Panna Rittikrai; others will immediately understand that it's because he is THE man when it comes to Thai action movies, and has been for decades.
Co-written, Directed, Produced, and Starring this hero of Asian Cinema, Bangkok Knockout centers around a team of friends and martial arts students of the late Master Udon, a revered instructor in the art of kicking ass. Led by Pod, Master Udon's son, the team is competing for a role in a Hollywood film to be produced by cigar-chomping American Mr. Snead and his associate, Doctor Duschanon. After winning the contest and defeating Team Stunt For Life, the victors head to a local eatery to get hammered and take part in some fine catering. Pod wakes up the next morning in a Battle Royale situation, finding the rest of his team and girlfriend passed out around him in a strange room, and further investigation reveals that they are in some kind of deserted town.
Unfortunately for Team Fight Club, the competition that they have won hasn't landed them a role in Hollywood; instead, it's put them straight into a privately broadcasted fight to the death against Duschanon's men (headed by Panna Rittikrai himself), for the entertainment of Mr. Snead's hugely wealthy gambling clientele. Anyone attempting to escape the property will be shot, and Pod's girlfriend, mother and brother are extra insurance. With no options available, Pod and Team Fight Club must combine their differing martial arts skills to defeat their enemies and walk away with their lives.
Once I got out of the frame of mind of watching a run-of-the-mill action film and got past the wooden, almost porno-like dialogue, Bangkok Knockout turned into a whole lot of fun. Rittikrai's directing style is phenomenal, lacking the single frame jump cuts that North American films require to convey action, and allows the viewer to watch the fights unfold as if they had a front-row seat. The fights themselves are also several notches above most, with a variety of costumes, locations, and props mixing things up and keeping them interesting. Interspersed with some genuine “What in the hell was THAT?†moments like spontaneous dance scenes and cross-dressing athletic cup abuse, Bangkok Knockout stays entertaining, humourous, and wickedly violent for its 100+ minute running time.
The only downside to the film is that you probably won't give a damn about the characters…but so what? Why are you watching a bloody martial arts film for a storyline?
Video/Audio/Extras:
Magnolia Home Entertainment brings Bangkok Knockout to blu-ray in a 1.78:1 transfer with a DTS-HD 5.1 audio track. The picture is crisp and clear for the most part, though the contrast is plenty amped in some scenes, quite intentionally. Otherwise, it looks great. The two DTS-HD 5.1 audio tracks (Thai and English) make liberal use of the surrounds and subwoofer, with a good balance and dynamic range throughout. The English track has some comic value with some very over-enthusiastic performances, but either one will do.
It is also worth noting that the disc features three subtitle options; regular old subtitles, narrative subtitles, and subtitles (English) for the deaf and hard of hearing.
First up in the supplements is the Making of BKO: Bangkok Knockout, which runs just over 14 minutes. Panna Rittikrai and co-Director Morakot Kaewthanee discuss the casting of the film, as well as the importance of mixing up the fighting techniques used by the cast, and the actors themselves talk about their roles and the training routines that they endured.
The Behind The Scenes featurette contains just over 10 minutes of on-set footage, and details some of the stunts contained in the film.
A Trailer for the film and 5 other Magnolia Trailers round out the extras.
Overall:
Featuring over 90 minutes of well-filmed and well-executed ass-kicking, Bangkok Knockout is the most fun I've had with a martial arts film in ages. It ALMOST makes up for Ong Bak 3. Almost.
Click on the images below for full size Blu-ray screen caps!
