Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Raging Phoenix Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 7, 2010

Thai director Rashane Limtrakul's "Deu suay doo" a.k.a "Raging Phoenix" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Showbox Media. The supplemental features on the disc include a gallery of interviews with director Rashane Limtrakul, action choreographer Weerapon Phumatfon, actors Nui Sandang, Kazu Patrick Tank, JeeJa Yanin, Somphong Leartvimolkasame, Boonprasert Salangam and Roongtawan Jindasing; B-roll action scene footage; and trailers. In Thai, with imposed English subtitles. Region-Free.

Thai action star JeeJa Yanin

Deu is a young and temperamental rock 'n' roll drummer who has just been sacked by her band. On the way back to her apartment, she is attacked by a group of thugs, but Sanim (Kazu Patrick Tang), a skilled fighter, saves her life. Sanim tells Deu that her attackers are members of the Jaguar Gang, a criminal organization that kidnaps young women and extracts their pheromones in order to produce an ultra expensive perfume, which they sell on the black market. Later on, he introduces her to his three best friends - Dogshit (Sompong Leartvimolkasame), Pigshit (Nui Sandang) and Bullshit (Boonprasert Salangam).

Fast-forward. Deu becomes a member of Sanim's gang. He teaches her the art of Mayraiyuth, a drunken fighting technique, and admits to her that she was used as bait so that he and his friends could gain access to the Jaguar Gang. He also tells her about his fiancee, Pie, who was kidnapped by the Jaguar Gang on the day of their wedding. Moved by Sanim's story, Deu vows to help him and his friends destroy the Jags.

The Jaguar Gang strikes again and this time around Deu, Sanim, Dogshit, Pigshit and Bullshit go after them. They end up in a giant underground lab where they discover a number of young girls whose tears are used to produce the ultra expensive perfume. Among them is Pie. After they eliminate all of the workers in the lab, Deu and her friends face the boss (Roongtawan Jindasing, Miss Fitness Thailand) of the Jaguar Gang, a terrific female fighter.

There are parts of Rashane Limtrakul’s Raging Phoenix that work quite well, such as the training sessions, where Sanim teaches Deu how to drink hard and fight even harder. The finale is also quite good, bizarre and a bit over the top, but genuinely entertaining.

Elsewhere, however, Raging Phoenix looks terribly unconvincing. For example, many of the secondary plots are simply ridiculous, and so are the majority of the lines the actors are asked to recite. Additionally, at times it feels like Limtrakul desired a grittier look for his film but did not have the courage to abandon a number of the clichés that ended up in it.

JeeJa Yanin, however, is a lot better in Raging Phoenix than she is in Prachya Pinkaew’s Chocolate. Once again, her astonishing fighting skills are the focus of attention, but she definitely looks a lot more relaxed with her lines in front of Limtrakul's camera.

Generally speaking, the fights in Raging Phoenix are also more imaginative and better choreographed than those in Chocolate, a film obviously inspired by Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. A few go slightly over the top - especially those during the final third of the film, where Deu and her friends meet the dangerous she-boss - but the rest look solid. I also think that it is worth mentioning that there are no evil, gun-carrying transvestites in Raging Phoenix.

To sum it all up, Raging Phoenix most definitely isn’t out to make a statement. This is a straightforward action affair, well aware of its limitations and taking full advantage of its star, JeeJa Yanin. There are a few eccentricities in it that affect its overall rhythm, but the action is top notch and the camerawork stellar. With other words, as long as you approach Raging Phoenix with the right state of mind and are well aware of what it cannot possibly deliver, then chances are you are going to at least partially enjoy it.

Raging Phoenix Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

This is a strong high-definition transfer. Fine object-detail is pleasing, clarity very good and contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film. The film's unique color-scheme, however, is impresses the most. Yellow is the prominent color, but blues, greens, reds, browns and blacks are also of key importance. The beach scenes, for example, look absolutely terrific. Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are not a serious issue of concern. I also did not detect any traces of heavy noise-filtering. A few of the darker scenes - particularly during the last 20-25 minutes - have mild digital noise, but I personally was not bothered by it. Additionally, when blown through a digital projector, Raging Phoenix looks simply marvelous; the image conveys excellent depth and stability. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing scratches, debris, dirt, or stains to report in this review. (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. Please note that there is no "forced" PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Raging Phoenix Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Thai DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Showbox Media have provided forced English subtitles for the main feature.

The Thai DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is solid. In fact, I would say that it definitely ranks amongst the very best I have heard on a Showbox Media release. Many of the action scenes also boast strong dynamic enhancements - certain kicks and punches are louder, selected jumps benefit from strong surround activity (pay attention to the training footage), etc. The dialog is crisp, clean and easy to follow. There are no balance issues to report with Kanisorn Phuangjin's surprisingly effective ambient score either. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks or hissings to report in this review. All in all, the Thai: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track definitely gives Raging Phoenix and extra does of oomph.

Raging Phoenix Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: Some of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are 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.

Interviews - a gallery of interviews with director Rashane Limtrakul, action choreographer Weerapon Phumatfon, actors Nui Sandang (Pigshit), Kazu Patrick Tank (Sanim), JeeJa Yanin (Deu), Somphong Leartvimolkasame (Dogshit), Boonprasert Salangam (Bullshit) and Roongtawan Jindasing (Jaguar London). In these mostly short interviews the cast and crew members discuss some of the principal characters in the film, its story, the elaborate actions scenes, etc. In Thai, with imposed English subtitles. (38 min, PAL)

B-roll action scene footage - raw footage from the filming of a few action scenes. Not subtitled. (PAL, 7 min).

Trailers - the original Thai trailer, in Thai with imposed English subtitles (4 min, PAL), and the UK theatrical trailer, in English (2 min, 1080p).

Trailers - trailers for other Showbox Media releases: Chocolate (1080p), Shinjuku Incident (1080p), The Myth (PAL), IP Man (1080p), Fatal Move (PAL), Flash Point (PAL), House of Fury (PAL), Kung Fu Dunk (PAL), Machine Girl (PAL), and Robo Geisha (1080p).

Raging Phoenix Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I believe that it is only a matter of time before Hollywood approaches JeeJa Yanin and transforms her into an international action star. Her athletic skills are indeed phenomenal. Raging Phoenix, Yanin's second feature film, certainly offers more style than substance, but it is still quite enjoyable. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of British distributors Showbox Media, looks and sounds very good. It is also Region-Free. RECOMMENDED.