|
BANG RAJAN Send This Review to a Friend
Oliver Stone approvingly has put his name behind a historical epic from Thailand. “Bang Rajan,” billed as “Oliver Stone Presents,” celebrates the fight to the death by villagers against the Burmese invasion of 1765 when its forces advanced on Ayutthaye, the capital of the Siamese empire. Dedicated, determined Bang Rajan dwellers fought ferociously to block the superior Burmese army.
The film, directed by Thanit Jitnukul, is unsparingly violent, with attacks and counter-attacks, hand-to-hand fighting and slaughter of women and children. The cruelty of war and the heroic determination to resist an invader are the hallmarks of this ambitious, impressive work.
As in the case of many Hollywood epics, Jitnukul overdoes it by building a romance to the point where a devoted leader and his woman die together on the battlefield and touch hands as life ebbs. Their heroic deaths are in the context of their belief that they’ll be united in an afterlife. But what the director unquestionably accomplishes is powerful filmmaking when it comes to depicting the fighting itself and the atmosphere of the period.
The filmmaker achieves a majestic sweep to the epic, and the scenes of deadly confrontation are shattering. The acting is convincing, save for the flourishes that one chalks up to the screenplay. “Bang Rajan” certainly speaks well for the little known Thai film industry and for the talent of director Jitnukul. A Magnolia Pictures release.
|