Force of Five Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.0

Force of Five Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 22, 2010

Krissanapong Rachata's "Force of Five" a.k.a "Power Kids" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Showbox Media. The supplemental features on the disc include a gallery of interviews; making of featurette; behind the scenes featurette; and the film's original theatrical trailer. In Thai, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Somewhere in Thailand

The following text appears on the back cover of this Bu-ray disc: "Force of Five showcases raw and relentless Muay Thai mayhem, culminating in a jaw-dropping final showdown that will have you shaking your head in disbelief!". The person who produced the text was absolutely right. Once I finished watching Thai director Krissanapong Rachata's film, I was shaking my head in disbelief. But it was not because I was utterly impressed with what I had just seen.

The story of Force of Five a.k.a Power Kids revolves around five kids living in a quiet area of Bangkok, Thailand. One of them, Wut (Nantawooti Boonrapsap), has a very serious heart condition. After a routine checkup, the father of the kid is told that his son must have a heart transplant as soon as possible. The doctor also informs the father that there is another kid in a nearby hospital who has been brain-dead for awhile that could be used as a donor.

Fastforward. A new heart becomes available. As the medical staff prepares it for delivery, however, the hospital is attacked by a group of terrorists; staff and visitors are taken hostage. All local TV stations immediately begin covering the situation.

The news about the hostage situation reaches the other hospital where the father and his son’s friends are waiting for the heart to be delivered. Because time is of crucial importance, the kids decide to take matters into their own hands – they head to the other hospital and manage to enter it through the basement.

Meanwhile, inside the hospital the terrorists and a SWAT team clash. The kids also get involved in the fight. They manage to take care of the terrorists' leader (Johnny Nguyen, The Rebel) but lose the heart their friend needs.

Force of Five comes from the same team of producers - Prachya Pinkaew, Panna Rittikrai, Sukanya Vongsthapat - who gave us Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003), The Protector (2005) and Ong Bak 2 (2008). Unfortunately, Force of Five is the weakest film of the bunch.

Generally speaking, the action sequences are entertaining. The young Thai actors look fairly comfortable performing all sorts of different kicks, jumps and pirouettes. During the second half of the film, in particular, there are a couple of very well done fights.

Everything else in Force of Five, however, is hugely disappointing. The narrative is one-dimensional and the acting at times borderline amateurish. Many of the lines the actors are asked to recite, for example, are simply terrible (if you are going to see Force of Five with your family, keep in mind that some of the dialog in it is actually quite colorful).

Technically, Force of Five is also a mixed bag. Some of the camerawork during the fight sequences is decent, but the editing is very problematic. Unsurprisingly, even though the Force of Five runs at approximately 75 minutes, it still feels incredibly long.

Force of Five Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Krissanapong Rachata's Force of Five arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Showbox Media.

I have mixed feelings about this high-definition transfer. Fine object detail, clarity and contrast levels are inconsistent. The color-scheme isn't terribly convincing either; blues, greens, yellows, reds, browns, grays and blacks look pale and weak. Furthermore, mild edge-enhancement is present during a number of scenes. There are no serious stability issues, but tiny flecks and even very small scratches could be seen popping up here and there. Generally speaking, the bigger your screen is, the easier it should be for you to see the many small flaws this high-definition transfer has. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Force of Five Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Thai DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Thai Dolby Digital 2.0. For the record, Showbox Media have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

The Thai DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is fairly unremarkable. The bass isn't as punchy as one would expect it to be in an action film. The rear channels are also not overly impressive. Generally speaking, the dialog is clean, stable and easy to follow. Also, while viewing the film I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report in this review.

I tested three different scenes with the Thai Dolby Digital 2.0 track. As expected, its dynamic amplitude is very weak, but the dialog is far from disappointing.

Force of Five Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: Some of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are encoded in PAL. Therefore, if you reside in North America, or another region where PAL is not supported, you must have a Region-Free player capable of converting PAL to NTSC, or a TV set capable of receiving native PAL data, in order to view them.

Interview gallery - cast members introduce themselves and discuss the characters they play. There is a short interview with the director of the film as well. In Thai, with imposed Thai subtitles and optional English subtitles. (PAL).

-- Nantawooti Boonrapsap (4 min).
-- Sasisa Jindamanee (5 min).
-- Paytaai Wongkamlao (3 min).
-- Nawarat Techarathanaprasert (3 min)
-- Johnny Nguyen (5 min).
-- Krissanapong Rachata (7 min).

Making of - a short featurrete in which the actors discuss the characters they play. In Thai, with imposed English subtitles. (PAL, 6 min).

Behind the scenes - a quick look at some of the key fighting sequences in the film. In Thai, with imposed English subtitles. (PAL, 6 min).

Trailer - the theatrical trailer for the film. In Thai, with imposed English subtitles. (PAL, 3 min).

Trailers - a gallery of trailers for other Showbox Media releases.

Force of Five Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you are a fan of the genre Thai director Krissanapong Rachata's Force of Five belongs to, then you should probably at least find a way to rent this Blu-ray disc. There are a couple of rather well choreographed fights in Force of Five that you might enjoy. RENT IT.