I wouldn't necessarily call myself a Nik Cage aficionado. However, I would consider him a good actor in the genre of movies he's generally cast in. Gone in 60 Seconds, for example, was thoroughly enjoyable from my point of view.
I think I mostly picked up Bangkok Dangerous on a whim. All you have to do these days is walk into a store like HMV to find a myriad of bargain DVDs. Not that they were hard to find before, but it seems now more than ever there are sales everywhere you go.
These days, I rarely find myself watching movies. I had a Netflix subscription for about a month and a half, after which I decided it was too much of a distraction. Truth be told, I don't mind sitting down to watch "bad movies". Some of my favorite movies aren't the most polished in the world; think Wayne's World, or the Bill & Ted series. So I found myself watching one bad movie (or mediocre movie) after another, only to find that there were very few that actually endeared themselves to me.
However, I'm getting a little off track. Bangkok Dangerous is about a man who works as an assassin. The movie begins with the assassin contrasting his life against the "normal", stating that he doesn't mind the pay, but that he would like to settle down and find a significant other.
His next job is in Bangkok, so naturally that is where he is headed. Once there, he finds a remote place to stay, and blends in best he can. In the process, he mentors a young but talented protégé, and successfully carries out assassinations, until he comes to a cross road.
In case you hadn't figured this out from the subject matter, this is a relatively violent movie. I don't generally make recommendations for or against movies that have suggestive subject matter, so I am leaving that decision to you.
In any case, if there was one thing that impressed me with this film, it was the cinematography. The sights and the scenery are beautiful, the colors are vibrant, and the action scenes aren't littered with shaky handheld chaos. While it is entirely possible that they used CG to enhance some of the colors, there is no denying that it looks great.
Everything else in this movie is all around solid. The acting is good to excellent, the plot is conceivable and based (mostly) in reality, and there weren't any major plot holes that I could point out. In all, it seemed to me like they actually spent a solid chunk of time on this film, ensuring that the little things wouldn't get in the way of the big things.
The underlying moral of the story is that a cold-hearted killer still has a heart and can warm to others. Ultimately, he finds himself fighting for good rather than just for his personal gain. His life was the price to pay.
