Bangkok Love Story

It's a nice idea - an assassin and his intended victim become allies, and, in hiding, unexpectedly find love together. Maek (played by Rattanaballang Tohssawat) is the assassin capable only of killing the bad guys. Iht (Chaiwat Thongsaeng) is his target, the lawyer a crime gang wants murdered.The film is visually stunning, as is Chaiwat Thongsaeng as Iht. I could watch him watching paint dry all day long and not get bored. But as for the plot... Oh dear.I desperately wanted to like this film. There was so much potential; the idea itself is a bit different - a gay version of Asian action flicks. But the melodrama puts Brazilian telenovellas to shame. It isn't enough that Maek's brother is a hustler who happily passes on the AIDS given to him by his paedophile stepfather, the mother is also infected, and eventually hangs herself. Oh and so does the brother, after a slow, lingering decline into AIDS hell. It isn't enough that Maek gets locked up for most of his life; when he finally gets out, he's gunned down. That's after Iht, who's been blinded by the widow of one of Maek's victims, has waited a lifetime for him. And because it's in a rainstorm, poor blind Iht doesn't realise Maek's been shot dead, and carries on talking about how much he loves Maek, and how Maek will be his new eyes from now on. Then a Hummer runs over both of them. (No, not really, but it might as well have done.)The first half of the film, particularly the scenes in which Maek and Iht slowly fall in love - and lust, culminating in a steamy rooftop love scene - is promising. But it goes downhill rapidly, plummets of a cliff and is blown to smithereens as one tragedy tops another. And I like a it of tragedy me, but there's such a thing as overkill.The one miracle is that I didn't try and jump off the nearest viaduct after this little epic.

While I have no concept of life in Thailand, the life portrayed in this film would leave the viewer to believe it is a poor, violent and crime filled country, or least life in Bangkok.Typically, I am not a fan of excessive gunfire and death, and that has not changed after watching this film. The weaving of crime and gunfire with homosexual lust and love is actually done rather well. There is also a fair amount of quality cinematography.That said, some may find the depth of the characters a bit challenging at times. Not quite an hour into the film, we're already doing a flashback of how a love affair started, and/or ended. Nonetheless, the last 1/3 of the film is redeeming, so hang in there if you can. I just wish the first part could have been a touch milder.In the end, you have a film about poverty, crime, murder, prostitution, rape, AIDS, family and love. Make sure you watch the alternate ending in the DVD special features. I'm not sure why it was cut - it genuinely garners emotion. For me personally, it's not my genre of film, and not likely anything I would watch a second time, but the film is well done.

One of the few films in Asia that is made well in relaying the message of being gay. The actors are good, handsome and there is a story that makes the plot interesting. Of course it is in a way, made for the Asian market so there is the melodramatics added to the story, but in all, I think of it as one of the more interesting gay movies that I have seen. and yes, there is nudity done with a good amount of taste to it.

This movie is just a mess to me. I don't think anyone bothered to proof read it or get a second opinion. There's only a few parts that I really like. Otherwise you just follow the leads running from each other for the vast majority of the move which I thought was stupid and lame. The plot and where its based is really small and its both hard to follow this movie and the attempt at a plot. I just felt this movie was bizarre all the way around and I found my mind wandered quite a bit during it on literally 30 ways I thought I could improve it and define a plot for it. The leads were cute and could have good chemistry but I just thought there was little to no plot throughout the whole movie as running from one another doesn't count as a plot to me!This could be a great movie if they'd rework it and get serious about a plot and some development...

This brilliant movie ran 110 minutes at the London LGBT Film Festival. IMDB.com lists the runtime as 110 minutes. But both the Region 1 and Region 2 DVDs released by TLA state 90 minutes as the runtime. OK. Where'd the missing 20 minutes go? Is TLA offering the censored version that so frustrated moviegoers in Singapore? Demand an explanation from TLA before parting with your hard-earned cash...UPDATE! UPDATE!Like the "Fan of the Avengers etc" who has commented here, I wrote to TLA Marketing and in a very prompt and polite reply TLA did confirm that the DVD contains the deleted scenes that the director chose to excise for reasons of storytelling focus.

Not a porn film; but really sensual. When the two young hitmen are finally overcome by their attraction to each other,their love making is incredibly passionate. But you don't see genitalia or buttocks. This is a drama that ends tragically.

Bangkok Love Story is, quite frankly, laughable. It starts with a professional killer plying his trade, then we discover he is homosexual, carries a photo of the married man he lusts for, has a gay brother with HIV plus a mother with the same affliction received from an abusive husband, has been given the assignment to kill the man he secretly desires, they escape together after a big shootout, our hero is wounded, his captive nurses him back to health, they finally connect passionately. But our hero can't accept his reality and hides from his lover. It all ends in the most unbelieveable finish. Everyone suffers and, sorry to say, so do we as viewers. The photography is beautiful, the music full of yearning and silent moments of our two lovers sitting on ledges or standing on flat rooftops quietly pining...these aesthetic decisions all wrong. A huge bag of cliches. As each character suffers "the arrows of misfortune" I couldn't help but think of the cartoon, Daffy Duck, and his famous expression: "Suffering Succotash"! Bangkok is not a tragedy. It is a comedy of errors!

Nice story piece

Not good

I noticed there was a wide variance of opinions on this little gem. It has an unassuming start with a hit man being told to basically 'take out bad people' and then he picks up someone who quite clearly is not. That is when he has something approaching an epiphany and everything kicks off.That is where you think this is going to be an action movie, but like so many movies before it, this really is one of two parts (like 'Dust till dawn, or Full metal jacket) and unlike my two comparisons, this then becomes a tender and moving love story.There could be a criticism here in that the film does not know what it wants to be and to be honest despite the beautiful actors and cinematography, it can appear slow in places. That said I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I am a fan of World Cinema and gay cinema so this pretty much ticked my boxes. It does have an alternative ending option too but I always feel you should go for the one as far removed from Hollywood as possible and that is the one the director chose too.

The film held me totally gripped, the acme of how deep unconditional love runs. I know Thai people from travelling a lot of Thailand and think the actors really good. The film takes me back into Bangkok to all the old shacks between the high rise, and to the survival going on there. The music is absolutely beautiful and just right for such a heartbreaking story. It may be bit of a shock for people, who have not been to the Far East, but I sincerely recommend them to see it.

I found the narrative very poor, & the relationship between the 2 men unconvincing.