6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A group of fighters are selected, via competition, to go to Hollywood for a project. In fact, after winning they are drugged and kidnapped, and forced to fight for their lives in a contest staged for the benefit of some extremely wealthy gamblers.
Starring: Chatchapol Kulsiriwoottichai, Panna Rittikrai, Gitabak Agohjit, Speedy Arnold, Supakson ChaimongkolForeign | 100% |
Action | 81% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Thai: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English, English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
With the rise and fall of Tony Jaa and his knockoffs, there appears to be a feeling of stagnancy to the Thai film market these days, flooded with countless martial art actioners, most quite dismal and unthreatening. Director Panna Rittikrai (“Ong Bak 2” and “Ong Bak 3”) looks to return some thunder to the stale genre with “BKO: Bangkok Knockout,” a highly convincing tour of broken body parts and wild-eyed reactions. It’s a berserk creation that’s absolutely thrilling at times, though restrained somewhat by pesky details such as character development and logic. But who really cares about filmmaking fundamentals when the force of aggression registers off the charts, working countless fights and agreeable acts of heroism into a superbly entertaining blast of brutality. It seems there’s still plenty of kick to the Thai way of screen defense.
Ready and willing to do anything to impress Mr. Snead (Speedy Arnold), an American film producer auditioning stuntmen, Pod (Chatchapol Kulsiriwoottichai, who looks like a Thai version of Michael Cera) and his “Fight Club” team set out to win a chance to work in Hollywood. After a bruising show of force, the squad celebrates with a party, kicking back with booze and a few unexpected guests, including mincing wedding performer Wanchai (Kerttisak Udomnak). Waking up the next day, the gang discovers they’ve been drugged, now forced to compete in “Levels of Death,” a closed-circuit televised game show run by Mr. Snead, put on for the amusement of high-stakes gamblers gathered from around the world. Trapped inside an abandoned construction site, Pod and his highly trained pals greet waves of enemies, fighting to the death with relentless assassins to the delight of the observers. With lost loves, brotherhood, and Pod’s kidnapped mother on the line, the “Fight Club” has no choice but to beat the stuffing out of anyone who challenges them.
The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) on "Bangkok Knockout" is acceptably clean. Clarity here is quite good, permitting a full read of forceful facial reactions, which this film values more than dialogue at times. Panic is expressive, and there's also a crisp hold on character wrinkles, helping to sell the ageism in play here. Better is the bloodshed and clearly defined beads of sweat, assisting in the comprehension of fatigue. Colors are bright and welcoming, creating a nice contrast between the drab concrete jungle of the game set and the lively costuming, while exteriors give off a loaded sense of tropical greens. Shadow detail is acceptable but rarely remarkable, good with fabrics and dense hairstyles, but losing some textures in darker environments. The detail on the showdowns is best, capturing the furious movement and sheer brutality without distortion.
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA Thai track (an English dub is also available) is a robust aural event taking great care of the movie's enormous servings of violence. All punches, kicks, and flips are well defined and pack a satisfactory low-end weight, helping to emphasize larger displays of body trauma. The general leaping tone of the picture feeds out in the surrounds, with some directional movement for the action tangents, creating a minor circular feel for swordplay and swift reactions. Elemental additions such as water and fire are also pronounced, used well to define mounting threat from outside sources. Scoring (a blend of techno beats and crunchy metal guitar with Zakk Wylde-esque squeals) lays back some but keeps a steady rhythm, supporting the action with distanced but perceivable placement, kicking up some when the action reaches a few euphoric heights. Dialogue is crisp and properly separated, holding frontal for intimate encounters, while group activity widens moderately to account for the crowd of personalities. Some of the dubbing is of substandard quality, but no exposition appears to be lost.
Saving his best for last, Rittikrai stages a full-out battle royal for the grand finale, allowing his entire cast to get high on the beat downs. The violence spills out into the city streets, offering a particularly inspired sequence: Pod and his enemy battling under a moving semi. Now that's something to see. "Bangkok Knockout" is rare in that it actually improves as it rumbles along, coming up with interesting battle zones to help it reach a satisfying resolution. Of course, the end promises a sequel. I don't know how Rittikrai is going to top a kick fight under a moving vehicle, but I can't wait to see him try.
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