Review: Bangkok Dangerous, dir Oxide Pang Chun and Danny Pang (2008)

To label this film pure schlock would be dishonest, and would also give pure schlock a bad name. Cage's career as an action player takes a dive in this cliche-ridden extravaganza, which feeds off all the stereotypes of Thailand that we've ever seen.

It doesn't give anything back, however.

You've got a hitman who takes assignments from a flabby thug with a blonde sidekick. There's a gormless local who the Cage character 'adopts' and trains. There's the nightclub dancer who is the contact between hitman and crime boss. There's even a pharmacy assistant who can't speak that the Cage character falls in love with.

And there's lots of elephants.

Hails of bullets, motorcycle chases, whistful longings by the Cage character - becoming sick of his life of violence - there's a lot of good stuff here for the action afficionado. Trouble is, it's stuck together with double-sided tape and displayed without an atom of flair.

Definitely one to miss.