Bangkok Dangerous 2-Disc Special Edition -DVD-

Product Description As a hired assassin, Joe (Nicolas Cage) is the best in the business, but the years of stone-cold murder have taken their toll. Joe's plan to make this current assignment in Bangkok his last takes a wild turn when he violates one of the most important rules of the game. Now the hunter is the hunted in this hard-driving, action-packed thriller. Amazon.com It’s hard out there for a hitman. Just ask Joe (Nicolas Cage), the hero (well, the protagonist, anyway) of writer-directors the Pang Brothers’ Bangkok Dangerous. Sure, the money’s great, and you get to travel to exotic locations. But this is a seriously high-risk, high-tension gig; it’s hardly a shock that the dude has a heroin habit, a perpetual scowl, and the overall appearance of Gene Simmons on a particularly unfortunate hair day. But Joe’s been at this for a while, and he has his rules for survival: four of them, in fact, like "there is no such thing as trust" and "don’t take an interest in anyone outside of the work." One can only wonder, then, why he picks his very last job--a contract that brings him to Bangkok, where he’s supposed to take out four different guys--to discard every one of said rules. First he takes the Thai street hustler (Shahkrit Yamnarm) he’s recruited as his bagman-messenger under his wing, showing him the ropes and looking after the kid and his girlfriend. Then he starts courting a lovely young, mute woman (Charlie Young) he meets at a pharmacy. And to top if off, he lets his emotions get in the way of completing his job. The Pangs give the film, which is a remake of their own 1999 offering of the same name, plenty of local color (most of it dark; the look is relentlessly blue and depressing). Cage brings his usual bug-eyed intensity to his role, and there are a couple of nicely-staged, well shot action scenes, particularly the boat chase on a crowded canal that ensues after hit number three goes a little sideways; the extended final shootout is pretty cool as well, even if it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. But although the ending comes as a surprise, Bangkok Dangerous isn’t especially exciting or compelling. They might have been better off filming the real-life coup d’etat that happened while shooting was in progress. --Sam Graham Beyond Bangkok Dangerous on DVD Bangkok Dangerous the Soundtrack Bangkok Dangerous on Blu-ray