Kerd ma lui (2004)

A group of athletes helping a poor village must stop an evil tyrant and his men from terrorizing the village.

Director:

Panna Rittikrai

Writers:

Morakat Kaewthanek (screenplay), Panna Rittikrai (story)

Stars:

Nappon Gomarachun, Santisuk Promsiri, Dan Chupong

Cast

Credited cast:
Nappon Gomarachun	...	General Jang Sei Yang
Santisuk Promsiri	...	Lowfei
Dan Chupong	...	Deaw
Piyapong Piew-on	...	Tun
Somrak Khamsing	...	Tug
Amornthep Waewsang	...	Moo
Suebsak Pansueb	...	Jo
Nantaway Wongwanichislip	...	Nye
Kessarin Ektawatkul	...	Nui
Rattaporn Khemtong	...	Tunta
Chatthapong Phantana-Angkul	...	Foong (as Chattaporn Pantana-Angkul)
Sasisa Jindamanee	...	Baetoey
Payong Mounda	...	Village Head
Swat Hoopsom	...	Disabled
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
June Angela	...	Nui (voice)

Storyline

Daew is a cop who has nailed the evil gunrunner General Yang, but his partner is killed in the case and Daew becomes depressed. However, his sister asks him to join her and some of her athlete friends to a small village to give food and toys to the villagers. What starts out as a trip to help people turns into a nightmare when Yang's men arrive at the village and take over, demanding the release of Yang or a nuclear missile will hit Bangkok. When villagers are killed left and right, Daew and the athletes must start a revolution against the tyranny before it's too late.

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Plot Keywords:

time bomb | village | athlete | nightmare | missile | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Germany] Official Site [Thailand]

Country:

Thailand

Language:

Thai English

Release Date:

5 August 2004 (Thailand)

Also Known As:

Born to Fight

Filming Locations:

Patpong, Thailand

Company Credits

Production Co:

Baa-Ram-Ewe,Sahamongkolfilm Co.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Somrak Khamsing was a Muay Thai fighter and gold-medal winning boxer at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

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Goofs

When Daew and his partner chase General Yang's two 18-wheeler trucks, Daew jumps on the truck on the right. The next shot shows Yang looking up when he hears Daew's footsteps. But after Daew's partner takes down the driver of the truck on the left, Yang is revealed to be inside that truck and not in the one Daew is on.

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Crazy Credits

The ending credits feature outtakes and practice shots of most of the major stunts displayed on the film.

User Reviews

Mindless Action! No subtitles required for this one

Riding on the international success of Ong Bak as a sort of quasi-sequel, Born to Fight works on the simple principle that it's easier to teach fighters to act than actors to fight. It was this that prompted me to watch it without subtitles, not speaking a word of Thai. Bear that in mind when I attempt to explain the plot. Not that the film requires any for if you've seen 'Air Force One' or 'The Rock' you'll have seen this movie before.

Following the daring kidnap of a rebel leader in which his partner heroically dies, our hero seeks solace in a small village. There will be no peace for him for the rebels storm the village, gun down countless children and brutally execute the police officer there before demanding the government release their leader. And in the midst of this, our hero finds himself out gunned and outnumbered, and all that stands between the villagers and certain death.

The hero now wanders the village alone despatching a few guerrillas before being captured: strictly formula stuff. What makes 'Born to Fight' different from American movies is that when the inevitable fight is taken to the villains, it's not just the hero who takes on the terrorists: it's the entire village who take them on. And this is the film's real muscle: athletes and martial artists all showcasing their arcane talents in a fightback that lasts almost half the length of the film.

The low budget means that this isn't a CGI fest of Michael Bay proportions but more in the vein of the gutsy Golan & Globus thrillers of the 80's. Low on money but laden with good and often ingenious stunts 'Born to Fight' is the direct descendant of movies like 'The Delta Force'. It's got limited budget, lots of guns, knives and cheap wooden huts to be destroyed. In fact, at times it's more like playing 'Far Cry' than watching a movie, with pistols, shotguns and machetes used in turn to despatch the red-scarved rebels while the suitably repetitive soundtrack hammers away.

'Born to Fight' is a film out of time, some twenty years too late for the cinema but by no means a bad film, and a welcome one on DVD if you need to kill an hour. You genuinely won't need subtitles for this movie, just a remote control to fast-forward the few dialogue scenes. If you're in the market for more eye-watering stunts I'd strongly go for Ong Bak instead.