Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with the good word from Capone about a cool-as-hell sounding flick called BANG RAJAN. I must see this now! Gather around the campfire, squirts... Capone's got the floor!
Hey, Harry. Capone in Chicago here. In doing my research on the history of BANG RAJAN, I discovered something amazing. This film has been reviewed twice before on this site. Once about two years ago, once about three years ago. Both reviews seem to have been looks at special screenings of this film, but thanks to Oliver Stone (I never thought I’d say anything like that), the Thai epic BANG RAJAN, the most successful Thai film in history, is coming to theatres stateside. And you need to see even bloody minute of it.
Set in 1765 when the Burmese and Siamese empires were clashing in what is now called Thailand, the Burmese armies were basically smashing Siam one village at a time in their efforts to take over the nation. However, one of two groups of 100,000 troops was held up for months because of resistance in the relatively small town of Bang Rajan. Some say the village held its ground because a powerful monk lived there, others say the resistance had a powerful leader. Whatever the reason, men and women fighting with primitive weapons and homemade cannons repeatedly and solidly defeated Burmese forces through eight vicious clashes. The story of these farmer warriors is still a point of pride for the Thai people, and this film should be as well. It’s a magnificently fierce and unflinching look at the clashes. So many American war films of late make the point to say that the reason they show limbs flying and blood gushing is to illustrate the horror of war. Make no mistake, BANG RAJAN shows the horror of war alright, but this film is a celebration of brutality and messy warfare. It’s clear that the filmmakers, actors, and nation are extremely proud of this standoff. I can’t remember a time when I saw a movie that sensationalized blood and destruction like BANG RAJAN. It’s glorious, in its own way, and I got completely caught up in it.
BANG RAJAN isn’t simply a gore fest. It features several love stories, beautiful shot looks at the Thai landscapes; and some fine acting from its actors, whose names I could never pronounced, let alone spell. But these elements seem distracting and almost unnecessary compared to the battle sequences. I’ve come across the name of director Thanit Jitnukul before in my journeys through Asian cinema, but I can’t swear I’ve ever seen one of his films. Upon viewing this masterpiece, I’m inspired to dig deep into his catalog. BANG RAJAN is brutal, spellbinding, unflinching, and enduring. The ending is inevitable and almost too painful to watch, but it doesn’t take away from the glory of this film. I’m not sure in what other cities it’s being released, but BANG RAJAN opens in Chicago at the Landmark Century Center Theatre on August 27.
Capone
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