Bangkok Dangerous: why Hollywood remake starring Nicolas Cage was beyond saving by Hong Kong’s Pang Brothers
- The Pang Brothers’ 1999 debut was flawed, and had a glitchy, hyperactive feel, but masses of personality
- Their 2008 Hollywood remake starring Nicolas Cage was smoother, but felt bland and anonymous
This article contains major spoilers of Bangkok Dangerous (1999) and its 2008 remake of the same name.
We’ve seen what usually happens during the Hollywood remake process: American stars sweep in, rough edges are smoothed, and specificity is sacrificed in the name of slickness. But what about when Asian directors remake their own work, as Hong Kong siblings Danny Pang Fat and Oxide Pang Chun did with their 1999 debut?
Kong (Pawalit Mongkolpisit) is a deaf-mute young man working on a Bangkok shooting range. Here, he meets hitman Joe (Pisek Intrakanchit), whom he impresses with his marksmanship, and the two become a team.
Returning from a job in Hong Kong, Kong strikes up a romance with pharmacy worker Fon (Premsinee Ratanasopha). Meanwhile, Joe’s dancer girlfriend Aom (Patharawarin Timkul) rejects the advances of a local gangster, who takes violent revenge, leading them all into catastrophe.