Bangkok Dog goes undercover to fight crime

Martial arts films are always a risk. The trailers usually focus so much on the action that you have no idea how the rest of the movie will turn out. No matter how good they look, you're never really sure what to expect when you sit down to watch one. And when I decided to do a review Bangkok dogI was in the same boat. The Trailer had a lot of super fun action, but I didn't know if the story would be any good. It was a risk, but I decided to roll the dice and give it a try. I'm always interested in watching people beat each other up in the most visually impressive way possible, so I was excited to see what this film had to offer.

Bangkok dog Directed by Chaya Supannarat, starring DY Sao, Brian Le, Byron Bishop, Jenny Philomena Van Der Sluijs and Sahajak Boonthanakit. In the film, Andrew Kang is a US special agent who intercepts a drug shipment from Thailand and, along with his partner Kaitlyn Benz, captures Wu, the man leading the operation. They take the criminal back to headquarters for questioning, but it soon becomes clear that there is still a lot to do.

Putting Benz behind bars hasn't stopped the Thai cartel from continuing to smuggle drugs into the States, so Andrew realizes he has to get to the root of this problem. He decides to go to Thailand and pose as Benz, and while he works hard to convince his underworld boss that he's the one, the special agent begins to lose himself in this new life of organized crime.

As is often the case with action films, Bangkok dog proves straight away that it is a real hammer. The film begins with the drug raid, and as luck would have it, several of the people involved, both police and criminals, are experienced hand-to-hand combatants. They perform intricate kicks and lightning-fast punches with ease, and I really enjoyed watching them.

In fact, the action in this film is fantastic throughout, so fans are sure to have a good time as the fists fly. The choreography is excellent, the actors themselves are amazing martial artists with pinpoint precision, and the cinematography makes these fights incredibly easy to follow.

Of course, the camera will take a new angle every now and then, but unlike many films today (especially American ones), it doesn't obscure the action. The recordings last so long that you can easily see every single punch, chop and throw, allowing you to fully enjoy the visual art on display.

I have to particularly highlight DY Sao. He plays Andrew (and he's also one of the fight choreographers!), and he perfectly combines the flashy techniques we've come to expect from modern martial arts films with the simpler style often seen in old kung fu films. In fact, there are several times where his quick staccato movements and almost exaggerated facial expressions represent more than a little homage to Bruce Lee, and as a man who grew up watching Bruce Lee with my father, I ate up every second of that.

That being said, I also had some major problems with it Bangkok dog. Sure, the action is the heart and soul of a film like this, but it can't stand alone. The filmmakers also need to craft a good story around these fight scenes, and unfortunately Bangkok dog is quite inadequate in this regard.

First of all, the performances in this film are a godsend. Some of these actors are pretty good, but many of them deliver their lines with a pathetic woodenness that really drags out the entire experience. I just couldn't take this story seriously, even before I got into the meat of the story.

Bangkok dog is largely the story of a man who risks losing his humanity to take down a dangerous crime boss, and watching Andrew grow more comfortable in this undercover life is sure to be an emotional roller coaster ride embarked. But for my money it's not credible at all.

Sure, the guy shows a little hesitation the first time his new boss asks him to do something terrible, and he even continues to show his discomfort with the man's cruel methods for a few minutes. But that's pretty much it. From then on, Andrew throws himself headlong into a life of seemingly non-stop fighting and partying, and he seems to be having a lot of fun doing it.

Then, when our main character needs to pull himself together again, he returns to special agent mode without much difficulty. It feels like he wasn't undercover at all, and I found the whole storyline pretty unconvincing.

Combined with the poor acting, it pretty much spoiled my experience, and when the credits started rolling I was rather ambivalent Bangkok dog. The action is great, so I'm glad I got to see this movie. But because the story is so weak, I don't think I'll ever feel the desire to reread it the way I love it, for example, when I rewatch it: John Wick or Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In.

And if you're wondering whether you should watch this film, I would give it a very mixed recommendation. If you just want to see great martial arts and don't care about anything else, you'll get your money's worth here Bangkok dog. But if you want more than that, I recommend you give the film a try. Sure, you'll miss out on some fun action, but that's available in plenty of other films that have much better stories.

Bangkok dog is set to release on VOD on November 12th.