SYNOPSIS:
During World War II, Japanese troop used Thailand as a platform
to invade and spread their power throughout East Asia. The
Thai government sends Colonel Ong-Art on an assignment to
reunite the "7 Street Fighters" and to investigate
the dubious behaviour of Suriya, a Japanese businessman suspected
of being a spy. When one of the "7 Street Fighters"
accidentally kills Suriya's father, the Thai government was
ordered to arrest the "7 Street Fighters" and to
place them under custody of the Japanese Army where they will
be executed. Now on the run and wanted by both the Japanese
Army and their own government, they have to choose to fight
or surrender...
MOVIE
REVIEW
Heaven’s
7 and 7 Street Fighters were one of the biggest movies of
the year in Thailand and showed great potential for box office
success as they boasted a huge budget with a star-studded
cast. But I may beg to differ.
Essentially, they are not that bad a production. The high
budget shows. There are some wonderful and well-shot scenes
of rural Thailand as well as some thought into the accuracy
of military terminology and weapons, giving the film a realistic
and authentic feel to it. This is especially so in the second
film, where the big budget is put to good use. Motorbikes
and weapons et al used by the Japanese Army and the Seven
are mostly, if not all historically accurate. Even the score,
though using MIDI instruments and synthesisers and some evidence
of obvious poaching shows maturity. But the buck stops there.
The less than perfect CG in the first truly marred the overall
quality of the production, making it look silly and trite.
Perhaps this was the purpose? Not to mention the poor written
script, which though drags out the simplistic plot, with too
many back stories of its too numerous characters. There doesn’t
seem to be any focus here. The American counterparts are also
bigger and better trained (in both acting and martial arts)
and the believable factor is high in question. This is no
David and Goliath.
But in 7 Street Fighters, director Wongpim has learnt and
realised that the CG was a stumbling block. It is here that
he reduces his reliance on the effects. The action sequences
are beefier and more compelling, though obviously inspired
by the some of Bond and Mission Impossible films.
The Thais have a weird sense of humour, which is mostly slapstick,
banal and irrelevant. Few of the jokes ever work and I could
literally count with the fingers of one hand the times I laughed
out loud. We wonder if any jokes or literary wit might have
been lost in translation. It just was not that funny. The
Mandarin subtitles did not fare as well either. Further, the
film has a strong anti-American undercurrent (for Heaven’s
7). Though it is interesting and noteworthy to see Americans
painted in a non-positive light, even as racist crooks, it
seems deliciously ironic (and unfortunate) that the English
subtitles have an obvious American slant and accent.
Not necessarily the most engaging films you will see (falling
way below the par of Hong Kong and other East Asian films)
and most of the scenes are just downright bordering on the
ludicrous with little connection. But they are somewhat entertaining
no less. Leave our brain somewhere else.
MOVIE RATING:
Review
by Darren Sim
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