After the mess of the remake I figured I owed it to the Pang brothers to at least see what they had done originally before messing it up – or perhaps seeing that they never had anything in the first place and that maybe the remake just reflected that. The first thing that will hit you watching the original after the remake will be the change in the three central characters, as here we have the roles and interaction changed around a bit and working better in this orientation than with Nicholas Cage's version. Now, I am conscious that there is an in-built pressure on me to like this film more than the remake simply because it is the "original" and is a foreign language film, but the fact of the matter is that the 1999 film is superior to the remake.However, and those having seen the 2008 film will back me up on this, that is not saying a great deal and it does not read then that this film is brilliant. It is not brilliant but it does do what the remake didn't manage to do, which was to have a certain amount of story that I cared about and to wrap it up in a style that covers the weaknesses. This is helped by the character dynamics, which work much better with the three or four characters inhabiting the roles they do (ie the "deaf/mute" thing is much better with the assassin than with the girl). It isn't perfect though but it works and I was reasonably engaged by the characters even if the plot was straightforward enough. Those looking for Woo-style action will be disappointed; there is gun-play of course but it is not really designed to thrill or excite. What the brothers do do well though is visual style, which is mostly quite engaging and energising, even if they overdo the sentimentality really badly at the end.The cast are better here as well, mainly because they fit their characters and make their interactions work. Mongkolpisit's Kong is an effective presence on the screen, which he needed to be in order for his condition to work. Intrakanchit is good but given a lot less to do than I expected. What really helps the film is that the two female roles are quite good. Ratanasopha's sweetness and natural warmth comes through and thus convinces you of her falling in love with Kong – something that the corresponding roles in the remake never did. Timkul's Aom is strong and sexy even if she is more of a plot device than a character in the film.Overall this is not a brilliant film that deserves to be shouted about but it is still an engaging and effective film thanks to a solid story, good performances and good delivery from the Pang Brothers. It has its faults but the strengths cover these up pretty well to make for a film that only really blows it by how heavy handed it is in the final few minutes. Oh, for those moaning that they accidentally hired this instead of the remake – trust me, you've much, much better off.

Here we go again. make a good Asian film and soon Hollywood will come around and ruin it for you. Those who have followed my criticisms of remakes know how I feel. For others, The Departed was a shallow remake of Infernal Affairs.Now, I see that Nickolas Cage is in a remake of this film. Despite the fact that the Pang brothers are directing and writing, it cannot hope to capture what was here.This is not just an action flick. It is so much more. It is the story of a child with hearing and speech impairment that was cruelly taunted by other children. He grew up into a meaningless life and meaningless jobs until someone noticed he has an ability that could be honed to perfection. Sure, he became a hit-man, but someone cared enough to teach and guide him to his potential.Now, with just two friends, Kong (Pawalit Mongkolpisit) was happy. He lived with his teacher (Pisek Intrakanchit), and got assignments from Aom (Patharawarin Timkul). Life was good, but about to get better.He meets Fon (Premsinee Ratanasopha) and love enters his life. He is supremely happy. Unfortunately, she learns the truth about his occupation, and he has to do some real soul searching.The streets of Bangkok are a perfect backdrop used to maximum effect by the Pang brothers, and the cast is a group that you can really get close to. This is a story that can never be duplicated by someone from Hollywood, and I am disappointed that they would even try.

Bangkok Dangerous is the story of a lonely mute who becomes a hit-man, partly to avenge himself upon the world that has alienated him. Only when he finds happiness does he realize the full horror of his life.The film boasts some great performances, particularly by Pawalit Mongkolpisit as Kong, the main protagonist. His face is beautiful yet impassive, and his large eyes convey all the strangled emotions of a person unable to communicate with those around him.There are many excellent moments to savour in this film, but the contrived way in which Kong's partner is forced out of retirement is ridiculous. However, despite the generic plot - which at times has a square-peg-round-hole forced feel to it - and the thoroughly predictable narrative progression, the film is actually pretty rewarding. It has a tender humanism at the centre, which gives the film real depth, and there are many moments worth savouring.Score 7/10 (6 is too low, but 7's maybe a little too high)

I Really enjoyed this one. The imagery is beautiful and imaginative, excellent editing and vibrant colors.The cast was good, especially the guy playing Kong, the deaf assassin, he did a fantastic job, showing a full range of emotion without uttering a word. I really felt for the guy. In fact, I completely fail to see how the characters are flat and undeveloped like someone said. True, we don't get their life story, but i found my self really caring for them, they felt sort of real even though you didn't get to know that much about them.That, and the girl playing Kong's love interest is so cute it'll make your eyes hurt...About the action. Some people complain about this not being up to par with John Woo's action choreography, but who said an action flick, just because it's from Asia should have to be about making every shoot-out look like the Swan Lake? This is grittier, more unrehearsed, it's not about looking good firing that gun (even though I'm a big fan of that too).I thought that there was some really smart stuff, where brains won over brawn, watch out for the scene with laser sights at the end. I went "ahhh - Clever!"This is not a perfect movie, it has flaws. I felt the ending to be a bit formulaic, and the whole "violence begets more violence" concept surely is nothing new plotwise, but still, it's not dumb and full of holes like so many other action movies. And it's sooo pretty to watch...