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Chai Lai
Chai Lai subscribes to the old tried-and-true formula of having hot babes kicking ass. But, of course, since this is a Thai release, there's more than a dash of wackiness thrown into the mix. Let's put it this way: how many other action movies can you think of that feature a scuffle between a transvestite and a midget, and another scene featuring a little girl wasting a platoon of bad guys with a grenade launcher and M-60?
The "chai lai" of the title is a group of five women who fight crime. Their latest case has them trying to save the kidnapped daughter of a professor who holds the secret to the location of the world's biggest pearl. There's not really much to the plot, but did you expect King Lear here? Chai Lai never takes itself seriously, and thankfully never heads into the realm of self-referential overtly wanna-be camp territory of crap like Charlie's Angels.
Action-wise, Chai Lai falls short of the best Thai releases like Ong Bak, but then, no one would or should mistake the stars for life-long martial artists like Tony Jaa anyway. Don't fret, though. Chai Lai still delivers some exciting action scenes, albeit through heavy use of wires and editing, tweaked with a bit of CGI. And hits to the balls. Lots and lots of hits to the balls. Seriously, this movie gives America's Funniest Home Videos a serious run for the money in the nad smashing department and would make Bob Saget proud.
If you can't guess by now, Chai Lai isn't the movie for you if you're a stickler for a deep story or tremendous acting, a nitpicker who breaks down fight scenes frame by frame, or a stick in the mud that can't appreciate the occasional bit of refreshingly non-PC humor. And even though it can't be considered a great movie, Chai Lai delivers enough fun and strangeness to make it worth a viewing for even the most seasoned Asian action fan. RATING: 7
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