What is it with hairdos? Tom Hanks got panned for his do in The Da Vinci Code and now Nic Cage is getting it in this one. To me, it looks the same as in his last film, Next. Well, it's not the hair that does the acting, it's the the person underneath it. Okay, enough about hair. Bangkok Dangerous, which is a remake of the 1999 Thai film, and directed by the same people (Oxide Pang Chung, Danny Pang) is a slightly entertaining action drama with Cage being the anchor of this film.
Cage plays Joe, a professional hitman in Bankok on business. He's got a series of hits to make. Through Cage's narration (which is always interesting), he explains the rules and regulations of being a successful hitman, because you never know when someone in the audience will suddenly decide to take up a risky profession. He hires a young pickpocket named Kong (Shahkrit Yamnarm) to be his errand boy, for $2,000 a day. Sounds nice, huh? Well, what Kong doesn't know is that Joe plans on killing him after everything's done. Joe also has made it a habit to be a loner. That is, until he meets a deaf pharmacist named Fon (Charlie Yeung). He falls for her and struggles about whether he should tell her what he really does or not. After Kong gets the shit kicked out of him, Joe reluctantly makes him his apprentice, showing him the ropes of becoming a successful hitman. On the final hit, Joe's contacts decide to kill him, so that the hit won't get traced back to them.
Cage is the whole show here. He puts on his dead-pan expression, as he shuffles through this film. The action is pretty good and the boat chase is nice and old-fashioned. The only real problem with this film is the camerawork. It's a bit flashy for this type of film. It just doesn't work. Also, the ending is a bit of a real drag. If you're looking for small-time entertainment, then get caught up in Bangkok.
2 1/2 stars
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