gradyharp Human trafficking and child prostitution are the focal points of this very dark, noisy, brutally frank film, and if those preliminary adjectives don't deter then there are a few reasons to watch this direct to DVD film, mainly the contribution of producer/star Djimon Hounsou. Thai director Prachya Pinkaew holds this slaughter of the bad guys together fairly well and the minimal script by Kevin Bernhardt attempts to infuse the bitter story with a dollop of mysticism (the title is the clue). The acting by a very large cast of Thai actors is basically relegated to shooting and getting shot so there isn't a lot of character development possible.The setting is Bangkok where Curtie Church (Djimon Hounsou) who is a prolific professional assassin who has accumulating a sizable cash reserve from his trade. His impressive store of weapons (a larger cash of bizarre guns has never been so visible!) is provided by his English arms dealer Jimmy (Kevin Bacon). Curtie wishes to retire from his sordid role and is on his last assignment when he is joined by a strange and beautiful young girl name Mae (Jirantanin Pitakporntrakul). During the completion of his final score, Curtie is annoyed by Mae who wonders why the assassin is killing in the first place. Curtie admits it is for the money, but the somewhat ethereal Mae informs him that other evil men need his expertise and brand of justice: Curtie becomes involved in a mission to stop the trafficking of child prostitutes by eliminating those who deal in human flesh.For the most part the film is about killing and is a constant stream of assassinations by a variety to weapons and chases. Hounsou is solid, manages to capture some tenderness in his relationship with Pitakporntrakul, and the efforts to make the film have mystical effects almost works at times. Kevin Bacon does his best in a thankless role but is bogged down with a twitchy British accent. This is definitely not a film for the easily disturbed, but for proponents of action and mounting killings the film should satisfy. And it does address the ongoing global problem of sex trafficking. Maybe someone will notice this problem soon. Grady Harp

alanflow-595-891565 At last a film with depth , non stop action, brilliant acting and a plausible plot with real meaning.I rarely give a film top marks but this beats most films.This explores the seedy side of Bangkok yet also shows the strength of the human spirit to show kindness to others.This film is deep, not for the superficial minded, but for those who want action with meaning.Spiritual, inspiring, exciting, gripping,what more can any intelligent film viewer want ?.In a word Brilliant.

medusamyth41 I am a very big Kevin Bacon fan. I was disappointed with his character in this movie. I couldn't get passed the accent. I was also not keen on the actress playing the part of Mae.On the other hand, Djimon Hounsou played a great role. I will admit that sometimes I felt that he was invincible. But I still say that without him I wouldn't have scored the movie so high.This movie made me aware of how much child prostitution goes on in different parts of the world. I couldn't believe how these young girls were treated (drugs, beatings,forced sex etc.).All in all it was a good movie. Worth watching.

lee-butler-138-820991 Very very unfair reviews. Kevin Bacon made a super job of the accent. Just because you're not used to seeing him do an English accent does not mean it is bad. Actually it was quite good. Overall the acting was good and the action scenes where good. The story line was good and the ending was good. What more do you want! Blood? For people who visit Bangkok or knows anything about day to day life in Thailand it adds entertainment for sure. Amalgamating Asian casts for western audiences is probably the hardest exercise in the film industry until we get another Bruce Lee. This film is not about martial arts at all, contrary to many posts here. The last film that tried this Bangkok dangerous failed miserably and I can assure you this film comes to the rescue in that department. Overall entertaining and well put together.