Super low budget action comedy about four Bangkok backpackers of various annoyances who decide to kidnap and hold a millionaire’s daughter to ransom to pay back some gambling debts. The film struggles to create any genuine tension and is ultimately hampered by some troublesome acting. However, the film explodes into life during the Tony Jaa-influenced fight scenes, which showcase the extraordinary work of British head-kicker Daniel O’Neill, a stunning discovery from the Jackie Chan school of hard knocks (he dueled with Jackie in The Twins Effect). He’s quite spellbinding during a number of Ong-Bak-style free-running chase scenes through Thailand’s busy street markets – pausing at one point to throw Kazu Patrick Tang off a rooftop – and a culminating action frenzy which shows O’Neill’s lightening legwork followed by an incredible fight on a moving tuk-tuk. The elaborate action scenes never quite convincingly weave into the narrative, but you will be too impressed to care.
↧