7.5 min read
Four films in throughout his career, Eastern Bandits and Blood Of Youth helmer Yang Shupeng’s latest effort transplants him to Thailand for the new flick, Pattaya Heat (a.k.a. All Men Are Brothers). Thai cinemas got a taste of it back in February for its theatrical release, and the film now makes way for attendees at the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival this month for its North American Premiere.
A shot overlooking the seedy, neon-lit streets of Pattaya is seen, joined by the V.O. narration of Chai (Thaneth Warakulnukroh), a beat cop waxing poetic over the street’s history, and how he used to be in charge. The years have since whittled away any clout the now-Sergeant once had as a shotcaller with a badge, toiling away at life as a grieving widower with mentally-ill daughter, and a gambling debt that now threatens to erode any means he has of taking care of her.
Alas, not only is this exactly what happens, it is also par for the course for Chai’s story, as his is but one of several that are deliniated in Yang’s multi-dimensional, interwoven crime flick. The film also introduces former(?) hitman Thod (Jirayu Tantrakul) whose questionable release from prison brings him to the front doorstep of the pizzeria run by husband and wife duo – Thod’s brother Singh (Faii Maka) and Fah (Christine Gulasatree), as well as one-eyed fisherman Hok (Noi Pru) who solicits the services of a mysterious fortune teller named Gee (Germarn Boonyasak).
Culminating all these arcs are the actions of a single common denominator in the form of Simon (Ananda Everingham), Pattaya’s biggest crime boss who runs multiple businesses out of his hotel and underground casino, the Lion’s Den. For Chai, it’s Simon who holds all the cards when the crime magnate decides to leverage Chai’s debt against him by hiring him to do a job: Transport a little under 600 million baht in Gold – the casino’s recycled cash – from Bangkok to the Lion’s Den.
Simple, right? Guess again, because that’s where Chai’s extenuating consultations come in. With the involvement of Gee and her schemes slowly materializing, it’s not long before the bodycount starts and ideations start materializing into full-on fuck-ups. Murder, theft, lust, and revenge are the remaining ingredients thrown into the mix when a moment of infidelity, followed by murder, explosive shootouts, and a job gone awry all culminate in a final, climatic, and bloody showdown.
Yang’s Pattaya Heat is my first dive into his work, so I don’t have much to gauge by comparison. What I can say are a measurable number of things that are mostly positive in this analysis, from the brevity and depth in Yang’s storytelling and ability to form a labyrinthine amalgam of character arcs into a singular story with a solid, emotive and exciting third act, to its adept handful of action sequences to cosign our characters’ struggles when the stakes are raised.
Thod is the pointman for the film’s revenge-driven subplotting following his upheaval. His jagged relationship with Singh is the backdrop to the chaotic modifier that is Fah in her own search for self-indulgence. Simon’s imminent inclusion in this algorithm is also a key factor, as is Hok, but these characters are all cogs in a machine of violent intrigue and upheaval assembled by Gee. It is a titilating look at the long and winding saga for revenge and retribution, and it’s only through Chai’s narration that we are given a small window as to why. Still, I was left wondering just what Gee’s real motivation was, or a visual medium that could clue me in, and that never happens. All we see is what we’re given on screen, and that’s that. Nevertheless, it helps that Yang’s screenplay is anchored by our casts’ performance.
In a dramatic confrontation among all parties, Gulasatree’s Fah shamelessly hams it up in a comedic third-act retelling of her side of the story that involves Boonsayak’s Gee. When she finishes, Gee throws the audience a cheeky little fourth wall break before bringing the room back to reality. It’s a welcome addendum that brings substance to a character whose tenuous romance with Hok also manages to find some ground to stand on in a crime story that almost always seems to be moving.
Warakulnukroh’s Chai is the heart and soul of Pattaya Heat. With little authority to act on, this aspect of his character, in addition to his other afflictions, is a reflection of his own cowardice. Yang doesn’t really make it clear right away if this will come back to haunt Chai. Instead, we follow Chai’s quest to right multiple wrongs, a quest beleagured by, among other things, his ongoing mourning over the loss of his movie star wife.
We also have Hok to consider, whose reasoning is plain and simple. The film evidently shows us why, alluding to a similar job he was hired for by Simon that got botched, as well the consequences he suffered at the hands of one of his bodyguards, the sadistic, knife-wielding Mha (Manita Chobchuen).
For fans adherent to dialogue over favorite screen villainy, you can assert that Everingham steps up as a worthy candidate. His dashing good looks and charismatic appeal are matched only by his manaical bloodlust and psychopathic fervor. Yang’s script fleshes out a variety of aspects to Simon’s persona, allowing for a few moments of comedic bliss without dismissing his antagonistic prevalence throughout the film. His initial tête-à-tête with Chai is crucial to the film’s progression, and subsequent conclusion in which nearly all characters on both sides of the good and evil paradigm get what’s coming to them.
The proverbial cherry on top here is action, with stunt performance shepherded by The One Stunt Team and action choreographer Yang Kil-yong whose credits behind the lens partly include K-dramas “Sisyphus: The Myth” and “Bossam: Steal The Fate,” and films like Edge Of Innocence and Ryuhei Kitamura’s Lupin The Third. The Gold certainly goes to Tantrakul whose Thod goes from unrepentant killer and drug dealer, to a killer hungry to get even – a motive he’s promptly forced to confront when Hok approaches him.
It is not until much later in the film when Thod brought into better focus and more resolute, and when the action unfolds, Tantrakul shines as good as any other action lead. Guns are the usual weapon of choice for his character, but those modifiers are typically negated when the bullets run out, leading to a really cool, enclosed elevator fight sequence that feels like a nod to Jang Hyuk’s own elevator fight in Choi Dong-hoon’s The Killer. Very sweet stuff.
Of course, like any good action film, Simon’s henchmen get some screentime in for themselves as well. Co-stars Chobchuen and Khakuen as Simon’s two monochromatic senior henchmen in black, but its Chobchuen who gets a little more depth in her screentime as she gets a respite of queer makeout sesh with a beautiful bystander during one scene. It doesn’t have much purpose for the story, but far from gratuitous, and for all intents and purposes, Yang makes it work to the movie’s benefit. And, who would say ‘no’ to a little girl-on-girl fun?
While more could have been done to flesh out at least one character in Pattaya Heat, the rest is pretty much cake. It’s no placeholder in the post-Sahamongkol era of barnburner action cinema out of Thailand, but it’s a movie that acts on its own ubiquitous strengths, and it’s also not afraid to show some skin with a few rough and bustling sex scenes, whatever your takes are on sex in movies. If you enjoy black comedy and thrilling, well-paced heist thrillers and crime noirs set against a Charlotte’s Web of dark redemption and deadly entanglement, Pattaya Heat might be one of the coolest titles you’ll see from the region.
Pattaya Heat was reviewed for the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival which runs from July 12 through 28.
Lead Photo: ©Wanderer Pictures
