The Gangster

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Matthew R I thought this movie was great. Good story, good action. Definitely worth watching. Very violent. Not for children. Still a great movie. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/20/24 Full Review Audience Member And age of knives and an age of guns. In 1950s Bangkok the kids on the slums have little hope and direction. Jod and Daeng are ruthless street fighters that gain notoriety and eventually are picked up by a gang that they see as family. They raise the ranks quickly and eventually tone down the violence; however, when their friends start getting killed by younger gangsters on the rise, a war ensues. "I never thought you'd step on my toe." Kongkiat Khomsiri, director of Muay Thai Fighter, Slice, Art of the Devil 2, The 4 Movie, and Khun Phan, delivers The Gangster. The storyline for this picture has a lot of interesting characters, an excellent script, and solid action. The acting is very good and they deliver their characters with great conviction and intensity. "We will take only from those willing to pay." I came across this on Netflix and thought it would be interesting to add to the queue. I finally got around to seeing this and it was way better than I anticipated. I adored the shootouts, relationship between friends, and the way the gangs were depicted. Overall, this is a worthwhile picture. "This whorehouse is under my watch." Grade: B- Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member First Thai film I saw, was quite good. Ideally 7.5. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Solid execution I really enjoyed the action scenes. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Thailand hasn't been able to break success into the international market the same way China, Japan, Korea, and even Indonesia have. With the exception of Tony Jaa martial art films and "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" Thailand films haven't found much of an audience outside from where they originated. Antapal (The Gangster) is another film that while nothing original for a crime film does deserve a larger audience compared to some of Thailand lesser quality films. Antapal (The Gangster) is based around true events and is set in Bangkok during the 1950s-60s. The film follows Jod and his friends of gangsters over the course of several years as their positions of power change through violence, culture, and slowly departing from the once glamorous lifestyle over personal loses. The plot brightest spot is it many character arcs. All of which are fully realized and given enough time to developed. Not only offering depths to the characters we follow, but more so to the theme of family and how these gangsters view others among their own society. Whether it will be frowning upon peaceful resolutions, influence from American culture, and the more violent younger generation of gangsters. If anything the film plot does wrong are the too familiar beats of American gangster film and predictable subplot of two blood brothers destructive rivalry. This particular subplot doesn't diminish anything drastically from the overall film, but it does nothing new with familiar material to engross you the same way as the rest of the film plot. While not groundbreaking nor bringing anything new to the genre the execution and the character arcs make a different take on a familiar story worth viewing. Thai director Kongkiat Khomsiri delves into the genre with a lavishly produced period piece. His direction is heavily influenced by Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas from his selection offbeat music to capturing the fashion and look of its era. He also focuses more on drama than he does violence. So those looking for bloodshed won't see that much of it here. Khomsiri does make noticeable missteps along the way. One being unable to hide poor CG, though that's rather personal complaint compared to the objectively pointless interviews clips inserted in the film. The commentaries in these clips are only fifteen to twenty seconds in length and add absolutely nothing to the story. Oftentimes causing the content to be repeated by the interviewees. These clips also affect the ending as the interviewees have no idea what happen to Jod after a gunfight not bringing any kind of closure to what occurred. Leading actor Krisada Sukosol Clapp brings an undeniable magnetism his aura as Jod. Melancholic, pensive and very humane are easily communicated thorough his performance. The rest of the cast is equally as good even if they're given familiar material to work with. Antapal (The Gangster) brings nothing new in the much populated crime genre, but the execution of it should still garner a watch. The plot is fully realized with a magnetic performance from Krisada Sukosol Clapp and magnificent direction from Kongkiat Khomsiri. It might never stand on its own compare to the genre greats, but it's a good addition to a beloved genre. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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