?Bangkok Dangerous?
D: Danny and Oxide Pang
S: Nicolas Cage, Shahkrit Yamnarm

MANILA, Philippines?We interviewed Nicolas Cage when he was shooting the Hollywood adaptation of Danny and Oxide Pang?s Toronto film fest-winning action-drama, ?Bangkok Dangerous,? in Thailand two years ago.

The Oscar-winning actor told us that he really makes a conscious effort to choose roles that are significantly different from one another?which explains why his movies are as diverse as they are quirky. Consider these titles: ?National Treasure,? ?Moonstruck,? ?Leaving Las Vegas,? ?Adaptation,? ?Guarding Tess,? ?The Rock,? ?Raising Arizona,? ?Birdy,? ?Wild at Heart,? ?The Ant Bully? and ?Peggy Sue Got Married??How versatile can you get?

Themes

Cage explained, ?I don?t want to bore the audience with identical performances and repetitive themes. Sometimes, the risk pays off; other times, it doesn?t.?

In ?Bangkok Dangerous,? the 44-year-old actor?s character admits in drone-like narration: ?Work is steady, money?s good?but, it?s not for everybody.? Unfortunately, so is his latest movie:

In the Pang brothers? Hollywood adaptation of their acclaimed Asian actioner, the deaf-mute Thai protagonist of the 1999 original is turned into a hardened American assassin named Joe (Cage), who flies to Bangkok for his last hit. He grudgingly takes in an eager young acolyte cum messenger, Kong (Shahkrit Yamnarm), and falls in love with a beautiful deaf-mute pharmacist, Fon (Charlie Yeung).

Joe soon realizes that breaking the killing trade?s time-tested rules (don?t fall in love; don?t make friends; don?t trust anybody, etc.) is like a time bomb waiting to explode?and a death wish waiting to be fulfilled!

When he starts entertaining the possibility of romance and enjoying the company of his trusted ward, his conscience begins to bother him?especially after he learns that his final assignment requires him to knock off a respected social reformer!

Viewers who are primed for drama will derive more pleasure from the movie than those who expect noisy, Hollywood blockbuster-style action. Cage, in a shaggy coiffure reminiscent of Javier Bardem?s do in ?No Country for Old Men,? isn?t bad, but he looks lost in his Southeast Asian surroundings. But, the production gets a much-welcome boost from the refreshingly charming Yamnarm as Cage?s loyal sidekick.

The Pang twins? remake of their hit film cleverly utilizes the grit and grime of its exotic locale as a metaphorical backdrop to Joe?s moral denouement. But, on its way to the Hollywood Dream Machine, the production?s flashy visual appeal and in-your-face exposition get lost in murky translation. The hyperkinetic energy and narrative urgency that complemented its predecessor?s contemplative, John Woo-inspired tone are likewise compromised.

Debate

Moreover, ?Bangkok Dangerous? doesn?t offer new insights into the Solomonic debate on loyalty versus moral obligation. With unmitigated temerity and clockwork precision, action sequences are staged in swift succession?but, without genuine emotional pertinence, they don?t pack as much wallop as they should, and only serve as adrenaline-pumped quick fixes that don?t deliver lingering or satisfying results.