Bangkok Dangerous
1999; directed by Danny Pang and Oxide Pang (aka Pang Brothers)

Two of Hong Kong's more intriguing directors, twin brothers Danny and Oxide Pang (sometimes, as in this case, credited simply as Pang Brothers) got their start with this 1999 low-budget Hong Kong/Thai co-production. It tells the story of a hitman wanting to go straight, which is an extremely well-worn and overused trope that can result in an effect to the viewer not unlike a heavy dose of Nytol, but becomes something worth watching under the guiding of the Pangs, who already showed themselves to be confident and competent directors, even at this neophyte point in their career.

The Pangs are more widely known for their efforts in the supernatural realm such as The Eye and their sequels, and while Bangkok Dangerous is a crime/action picture, one can clearly see the beginnings of their work dealing with the ghostly here. This is a film bathed in darkness and shadows, where even the bright neon lights of Bangkok's red-light district barely illuminate their surroundings. There's always a sense that there's something foreboding lurking around any given corner, and that sense of palatable suspense is put to great use by the Pangs.

Even during what should be the more light-hearted scenes -- the ones detailing the budding romance between the killer and his possible lover -- the feeling of impending doom never leaves the viewer, which comes to a wrenching payoff in the scene that shows why the relationship can and will never work. This breaking of the killer's final contact with the "normal" world sends the final act of Bangkok Dangerous into a dizzying freefall of violence and bloodshed that will please most any fan of classic Hong Kong crime films.

The notation of classic Hong Kong fare is an apt one here, since the Pangs wear their influences on their sleeves, going so far as to create a very obvious homage to the restaurant shootout from John Woo's seminal "heroic bloodshed" entry A Better Tomorrow. This sort of nod is fun in small doses, but goes on for too long, and ends up coming across as a bit of lazy film-making, as does their overuse at times of camera trickery. Overall, though, even after more than a decade since its' release, Bangkok Dangerous still manages to be very worthwhile viewing material, blending in style, violence, and pathos into a compelling package.

RATING: 7