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 hen people think of the hot spots of the Asian
film industry, Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea comes to mind. However,
recent years have seen an increase in output from smaller nations in the
region, such as Vietnam, which made its presence known in the late `90s
with films like "Cyclo"
and "Three
Seasons." More recently, Thailand has been making waves with some
rather varied output. Perhaps the first Thai film to get noticeable
Western attention was the Pang Brothers' "Bangkok
Dangerous," which was really a Hong Kong action film set in
Thailand. Then there were distinctive home-grown products like the
outrageous "Ong
Bak" and "Born
To Fight", two films that help to solidify the Thai movie
industry's reputation as a source of decent action films and a place to
watch out for emerging talent.
Some quick research into the
Thai film industry shows that the majority of their films are based on the
country's ancient mythology and various religious influences, and having a
long history of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam provides quite a bit of
material to work with. The movie "Angulimala" is based on one of
those early Buddhist legends, this time about a vicious killer brought to
enlightenment by Buddha. The film begins with the child Ahimsika being
born to a noble Brahmin family along with bad omens that indicate Ahimsika
is not predestined for a virtuous life. In an attempt to stave off the bad
karma, Ahimsika's parents send him to a renowned Hindu guru's school. The
boy grows up into a man (Nopachai Jayanama) who becomes convinced that the
only path to total enlightenment is to seek out 1,000 evil people and free
them of their earthly misery. He soon earns the name 'Angulimala', for his
practice of lopping off his victims' fingers and wearing them on a
necklace.
Religion, being a somber subject in general, does not
lend itself well to escapist entertainment, and scriptural accuracy
translates into a dry and boring film experience and attempts to juice
things up oftentimes come across as exploitative rather than pious. This
was true for Mel Gibson's "The
Passion of the Christ" and it's also true for
"Angulimala". From what little I know of the legend of
Angulimala, the filmmakers have taken great liberties with the mythology
in adapting the tale into an action/adventure film. Not surprisingly,
"Angulimala" was initially banned by the conservative Thai MPAA
equivalent, due to what they saw as grievous misrepresentation of Buddhist
scripture. After all, Angulimala was one of the first religious loony
serial killers, and I suppose the Thai film board didn't take to the
film's apparent glorification of such a figure.
The point of view from which the filmmakers approach
Angulimala's motivation is also a little troubling. During the first act,
it seems that his theological inner conflict stems from a disdain for the
caste system inherent in Hindu society; however, his murderous mission to
achieve Dharma Core is presented as either the byproduct of delirium
brought on by a cobra's venom or trickery by a demon. In addition,
Angulimala seems to change the reasoning for his rampage whenever his
motivation is questioned, as if he's constantly trying to justify his
actions to himself. I suppose that, regardless of what the initial
reasoning for undertaking his bloody quest, Angulimala's later crisis of
conscience shows that he had led himself astray and came to like the
killing rather than the search for Dharma, as was his originally stated
goal. Unfortunately the message gets lost in the increasingly large pile
of bodies Angulimala leaves in his wake.
Visually, "Angulimala" is an accomplished
effort, and the filmmakers make effective use of the exotic settings, from
the foot of the Himalayas to the deep forests. They also play games with
the lighting and fog to give the film an ethereal, dream-like air. There
are also some haunting segments, such as when Angulimala is revisited by
all of his victims as he pursues Buddha through a forest.
The action sequences are handled competently, with
extra credit going to the Foley artists for the forceful sound effects.
Dispensing with over-stylized slow-motion fisticuffs and swordplay endemic
in most Asian period action fare, "Angulimala" is gritty and
dirty in its approach to combat. The fighting is choreographed with an
old-school flair, as warriors hack away at each other with oversized
swords, arrows pierce heads and chests with satisfying squishy thunking
sounds, and blood and dismembered limbs fly willy-nilly. In those
respects, "Angulimala" bears more resemblance to "Conan
The Barbarian" than the Japanese Samurai film "Zatoichi."
The film also features CGI special effects, but they're used sparingly
and, for the most part, appropriately.
Despite a solid preamble followed by a suitably
violent middle act, "Angulimala" loses steam during the third
act, when the religious overtones come back into play. Having established
itself as a bloody action film, the depiction of Angulimala's trip back
from the path of evil seems contrived. Maybe the problem is that preaching
never comes off well on screen, and the character's sudden change from
fierce warrior to harmless ascetic is a bit hard to swallow. The
significance of some of the supporting characters is also called into
question, as most of them simply disappear from the narrative with no
explanation.
"Angulimala" shows potential, but attempts
to inject a higher purpose into the proceedings only ends up harming the
film's entertainment value. It's a pretty film to look at, the soundtrack
is pleasingly exotic, and there are plenty of energetic action scenes to
occupy the eye. Even so, "Angulimala" is simply too pious for
its own good, and as such, it isn't as fully entertaining as it should
have been.
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