One Night in Bangkok was directed and written by Wych Kaosayananda (Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, The Driver), and stars Mark Dacascos (Batman: Soul of the Dragon, Run & Gun), Vanida Golten, Michael S. New (AI Love You, Paradise Z), Prinya Intachai (Zero Tolerance, Province 77), and Kane Kosugi (Black Eagle, Terra Formars). It follows a person who’s requisitioned a driver as they journey round Bangkok to finish a sequence of murders.
The Plot: Kaosayananda takes the (vastly underappreciated) film Collateral and seeks to develop on its scope and alter its perspective. It might not appear advisable to tinker an excessive amount of with greatness, however the script right here exhibits early promise.
Shortly after touchdown in Bangkok, Kai (Dacascos) is presented with a experience and a suppressed pistol from a person on a motorbike. It doesn’t take lengthy for him to hail rideshare driver Fha (Golten) and begin his journey. The script begins with some intrigue as Kai’s solely baggage from his journey is a toothbrush and it appears as if this journey has been deliberate to a tee. During the agreed-on journey, Kai gives Fha some huge cash to stay with him the entire evening, throughout 5 stops. His first cease lets the viewers in on his objective of taking out folks at every vacation spot, hiding the true reasoning from Fha for the introduction.
Stalling One Night in Bangkok out is the dearth of developments on prime of the fundamental thought, coupled with an eventual break up in the development of the plot whereupon an investigation headlined by cops Dom (New) and Korn (Intachai) is spurred on after the invention of the primary couple hits having gone down beneath their noses. With some correct rewrites, this might’ve been built-in into the journey that Kai and Fha are on, however Kaosayananda doesn’t make the connection. Speaking of connections, an unnamed fixer (Kosugi) is without doubt one of the targets, however he doesn’t boost the proceedings.
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A flip of a longtime script doesn’t make the other finish equally fascinating; the author/director tries to throw a twist in to alleviate this, nevertheless it’s too telegraphed, making for a subpar transforming of one thing leagues higher.
The Characters: Anyone who’s taken a taxi, uber, or different equivalents can confirm that small discuss is all you’re in for, if not near-complete silence through the experience. Neither of One Night in Bangkok’s most important characters right here is especially chatty, leaving lifeless air between lifeless targets.
Kai has some surface-level detailing; hailing from Hawaii however destined for Thailand, he does properly with communication and respect for these round him. This does finally embody some life classes for Fha, however we don’t study sufficient concerning the man himself for these to land the way in which the film thinks they need to.
Validating his gun talent is his background as a medic in the navy and offering a cause for his presence in a rustic all the way in which throughout the globe are his household ties. Ones that the script tries to keep away from in nice element as to take care of room for the twist, however they’re too clear to go unnoticed. He’s well mannered and disarming, making for a good shift in perspective that’s made strong by Dacascos’s terrifically understated efficiency.
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Fha, unsurprisingly, doesn’t have many significant exchanges together with her passenger past the fundamentals of her nights being made up of driving and days being taken up by caring for her brother who’s been coping with the consequences of MS for the final decade. She professes that her life is restricted by these two issues, primarily relegating the character to somebody who solely carries on together with her project for the cash. Of course, she does finally start to bond with Kai, however round that very same level is her discovery of the shopper’s actual objective, whereupon she nonetheless decides to stay with him. Those causes for persevering with to chauffeur him round are flimsy, even when taking her scenario under consideration.
Neither of the 2 leads is written with nice materials, with restricted characterization and a direct hyperlink to the premise. However, the performances, gradual connections, and silent chemistry between Dacascos and Golten make up for that deficit.
The Thrills: Dacascos’s main man place in One Night in Bangkok might give off the impression that that is one other certainly one of his motion autos, however Kaosayananda opts to let this one boil as an alternative of grilling the opposition. The method can work, however the dealing with of many of the parts listed here are common at finest.
Most will come to see Kai’s targets being taken out of the equation by the person, however these moments come at a sluggish tempo. While there’s nothing inherently incorrect with a sluggish doling out of violence, the course of these earlier scenes is way much less charged than they need to be. Kai’s first couple stops aren’t dealt with properly, with the scorned man seemingly indifferent from his actions, regardless of the realities hidden till the midway level.
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When his motives are correctly mentioned, the following kills are given extra time to breathe and rather more emotional weight. It’s comprehensible why the helmer determined to withhold a number of the connective tissue, nevertheless it leaves the primary half dry, although fortunately not the second half.
Some time is dedicated to watching the police comply with the path of our bodies, however this aspect of the film is an entire failure. Since the one two officers connected to the case are virtually totally incompetent, with one calling on his spouse who’s taking good care of their new child little one having to do analysis on the main points, it’s irritating to observe since Kai isn’t involved with concealment or pace.
Both events do cross paths, making the final act a fury of evasion and retribution. Kaosayananda picks up the tempo, making Kai’s mission, regardless of it apparently already being on a time restrict, light-footed. With the cops on their tail and a number of the targets nonetheless alive, One Night in Bangkok sparks to life, making good on its promise whereas delivering its drama. Integration of those components isn’t flawless, however as soon as One Night in Bangkok places its foot on the gasoline, it makes up for a low wattage first half.
The Technics: Being again in his native Thailand, the director/author is ready to get extra bang(kok) for his buck. His course isn’t impressed, nevertheless it’s acceptable and the locale gives a distinct backdrop for him to lean on.
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Bringing revenge to Bangkok offers the film a distinct feeling, with the neon-drenched, high-traffic metropolis successfully congesting the story’s thriller aspirations for the higher. Paired with some respectable cinematography, One Night in Bangkok is pleasant to take a look at, even when it may be an issue to take heed to. Audio points, from boring dialogue to fuzzy recordings to weak sound design and foley work, all take their toll on the film. It’s a much better visible expertise than an aural one.
Pacing is weak right here too, with the power to make use of town as a crutch, the director loses the tempo after introducing Kai and his mission, solely to seek out it once more a lot in a while. Room for character depth won’t ever be knocked, however the script doesn’t make use of its quiet time, slowing the film to a crawl.
One Night in Bangkok is principally Collateral performed at half pace and with out the polish, although it’s not terribly made. It’s a mediocre transforming of the core concepts, however some phenomenal performances from Dacascos and Golten make it a satisfactory technique to spend one evening at residence.
One Night in Bangkok is on the market on DVD and Digital from Lionsgate.