Compelling Thai action film from Danny Pang (one of the Pang brothers noted for his work in the THE EYE); unfortunately the film is not (yet) available with English subtitles, so much of the nuances of back story and characterization are lost on viewing in the Thai language, but the basic action is simple enough to follow. Young man decides to end it all by jumping off a tall building; before he does so, he confronts a young woman doing the same thing. They talk each other out of it and decide they have nothing to lose, so they go on a major crime spree. The story becomes something of a THELMA AND LOUISE story. The most compelling thing about the film, aside from the effective directorial style, is the actress Fresh (Arisara Wongchalee) who debuts in the role as the young woman. Fresh is not only mindbogglingly gorgeous, especially in the variety of wardrobes and wigs she wears in the role, she gives a first rate performance as Gogo, the troubled young woman who goads Somchai (the young man) into his life of crime but rejects his advances. Poor lad.
3 Reviews
A bit of a letdown.... OK nevertheless
strangenoise25 November 2005
I suppose I would never have chosen the movie by the cover, but there was Pang mentioned and I thought... Hey, nothing to lose. As it turned out, Danny Pang had a lot to lose. The Eye was too high a standard and this one stays behind. Though there is a lot on the good side. The movie is definite eye candy, MTV aesthetics with a good cut can still work out nice, the score is great, the story itself is OK for a not-so-shallow action flick and main actress Fresh is a pulse raiser. Too bad that most of these points are put under the lid by 80%-cheesy dialogue, bad actors on all supporting parts, a pale main actor (though not as bad as the supporting cast) and a horrible narrating rhythm that not only takes the drive out of the first 2/3s of the movie but almost kills the story as a whole. Still some of the scenes are great. So as long as you can stand the boring parts and just want to see some great pictures (and a hot actress :-) ), it still is enjoyable. For Mr Pang, this is nice try, but no banana. Maybe next time. Still I'm looking forward to the next one.
Gets better and more interesting as it goes along
simon_booth28 April 2003
The Pang Brothers have shot to fame over the past few years with their energetic film-making that seems to revitalise genres that have been flagging in recent years. In particular, Bangkok Dangerous and The Eye have been huge hits. Their background as editors on some of Hong Kong's top action titles clearly shows in their visually kinetic film making style. NOTHING TO LOSE is the solo directorial debut of the less interestingly named half of the twins, Danny Pang.
Somchai meets Go Go on a Bangkok rooftop, where both are planning to make the ultimate jump and escape their problems in life. Somehow they manage to talk each other out of it and go for food instead, where they learn that when you've reached the point where death holds no fear there's nothing left to stop you doing almost anything in life. This starts them off on an adventure full of mayhem, with nothing to lose.
NOTHING TO LOSE has all the visual style of the Pang Brothers other works, with cinematography that owes a lot to Christopher Doyle and MTV. Unfortunately it starts with a bit of a whimper, with some poorly dubbed and terribly cheesy dialogue that makes it look like you're in for an "all style, no brains" experience. Thankfully, the opening proves to be rather a red herring in a film that becomes progressively more complex, unusual and compelling as it goes on. Danny Pang creates a couple of complex characters, and as both story and backstory are revealed we are drawn into an increasingly rich situation and connect more with the protagonists.
The film was introduced at the SF International Film Festival as "a remake of Natural Born Killers", which is one of the more vacuous observations I've heard about a Thai film (why is it at these fests the people that introduce the films always try to compare them to American films anyway?). Certainly there are elements in common, but these become less and less as the film progresses.
The greatest strength of the film is not Danny Pang's writing or visual flair though, it's actress Fresh, who is ravishing, wild and utterly compelling to watch in an all-out performance. Dressed in a sequence of wigs and bold outfits she would leave a lasting impression on any male mind, and the rather geeky Somchai is helplessly in her thrall. Singaporean actor Pierre Png looks good but is rather flat as an actor (which is perhaps appropriate for the role) and suffers a lot from being dubbed into Thai. The supporting cast is good, but everybody is outshone by Fresh (incidentally, this was her first film role).
NOTHING TO LOSE is a film that transcends its premise and beginnings, and ultimately offers a lot to look at, enjoy and even think about afterwards. It should be a successful film in the west, but the lack of a subtitled home video release will doubtless prevent that for the moment.
Recommended if you get the chance to see it with subtitles
Somchai meets Go Go on a Bangkok rooftop, where both are planning to make the ultimate jump and escape their problems in life. Somehow they manage to talk each other out of it and go for food instead, where they learn that when you've reached the point where death holds no fear there's nothing left to stop you doing almost anything in life. This starts them off on an adventure full of mayhem, with nothing to lose.
NOTHING TO LOSE has all the visual style of the Pang Brothers other works, with cinematography that owes a lot to Christopher Doyle and MTV. Unfortunately it starts with a bit of a whimper, with some poorly dubbed and terribly cheesy dialogue that makes it look like you're in for an "all style, no brains" experience. Thankfully, the opening proves to be rather a red herring in a film that becomes progressively more complex, unusual and compelling as it goes on. Danny Pang creates a couple of complex characters, and as both story and backstory are revealed we are drawn into an increasingly rich situation and connect more with the protagonists.
The film was introduced at the SF International Film Festival as "a remake of Natural Born Killers", which is one of the more vacuous observations I've heard about a Thai film (why is it at these fests the people that introduce the films always try to compare them to American films anyway?). Certainly there are elements in common, but these become less and less as the film progresses.
The greatest strength of the film is not Danny Pang's writing or visual flair though, it's actress Fresh, who is ravishing, wild and utterly compelling to watch in an all-out performance. Dressed in a sequence of wigs and bold outfits she would leave a lasting impression on any male mind, and the rather geeky Somchai is helplessly in her thrall. Singaporean actor Pierre Png looks good but is rather flat as an actor (which is perhaps appropriate for the role) and suffers a lot from being dubbed into Thai. The supporting cast is good, but everybody is outshone by Fresh (incidentally, this was her first film role).
NOTHING TO LOSE is a film that transcends its premise and beginnings, and ultimately offers a lot to look at, enjoy and even think about afterwards. It should be a successful film in the west, but the lack of a subtitled home video release will doubtless prevent that for the moment.
Recommended if you get the chance to see it with subtitles
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