Starring Dan Chupong, Leo Putt, Panna Rittikrai, Samart Payakarun, Kanyapak Suworakood
Written By:
Directed By: Chalerm Wongpim
Studio: Magnolia Pictures
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From the creators of Ong-Bak and The Protector comes this quirky Thai Western. The story is silly: a corrupt, western-style lord is trying to sell tractors to mainland Thai farmers, who are perfectly happy with their buffalo tilling the land. So the lord hires goons to kill farmers and steal buffalo to drive up sales. One man stands in the way – a lone mysterious man-with-no-name archetype who battles with martial arts and homemade rockets. Only his motivation is revenge, and he might be on the wrong side…

Yeah, pretty silly. There are also some supernatural twists, but ultimately the story is secondary and won’t win any screenplay awards. It’s all just glossing in order to combine Thai kickboxing with that odd Asian fetish of American westerns.

It’s a gimmicky but fun mix, and the bizarre focus on silly rockets and missiles give it a campy feel. In the end, though, it’s the action that matters. Dynamite Warrior does deliver the flying knees-and-elbows action of Thai action flicks with very few actionless lulls.

And yet it didn’t get me pumped up. This is because the direction isn’t cohesive. The action sequences feel like they’re being replayed in slow-motion even when they’re not. It has a mildly choreographed, wire-fu feel, and climactic action moments are slowed down or repeated two, three times, to show off some crazy acrobatic move that would’ve been more effective in real-time. The shots are also zoomed in and choppy, sometimes making you wonder what the hell is going on. It’s like a Michael Bay movie – plenty of action, but none of it fluid enough to seem real, and therefore none of it thrilling.

There are some unique flourishes – the Western setting; the God of War’s Kratos-like villain who, when hungry, brutally bashes people with tusks; the battles with punch-and-kick energy blasts; and a strange fixation on virgin menstrual blood. And I wouldn’t say this is a bad movie, especially if you’re drunk with friends. But the silliness and poor direction take away from the brutal, gritty Thai moves that made Ong-Bak such an eye-opener.

Features:
Making of..
Stunts Outtakes

Audio:
English, Thai

Video:

Subtitles:
English

Favorite Scenes:
Rating: –Select–
Running Time: 99 minutes
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating: