Paul Stringer This is a gripping Australian mini-series. Kidman provides a top class performance, while Elliott and Weaving are superb. It captures your attention and retains it firmly throughout. The London scenes somehow evoke in an intangible way an accurate sense of the late 1980s and add to the plausibility. Once you've watched this you will never again go through customs without a mild sweat and when you see a white sheet hanging out to dry you will go wobbly at the knees.This is a tale of determination, friendship and redemption that creeps up on you and gets under your skin.

Jess Smith Great! Very intense. One of Nicole Kidman's finest roles. 1989's Bangkok Hilton is everything 1999's Brokedown Palace isn't. It's a well-written story with wonderfully crafted characters. Kidman is spot on throughout the film; a very convincing portrayal of a young woman whose life begins and almost ends when she sets off in search of her father. The supporting cast: Denholm Elliot (from the Indiana Jones series) and Hugo Weaving (The Matrix) are wonderful in their supporting roles. Highly recommended viewing. 5 stars.One of Nicole Kidman's finest roles. 1989's Bangkok Hilton is everything 1999's Brokedown Palace isn't. It's a well-written story with wonderfully crafted characters. Kidman is spot on throughout the film; a very convincing portrayal of a young woman whose life begins and almost ends when she sets off in search of her father. The supporting cast: Denholm Elliot (from the Indiana Jones series) and Hugo Weaving (The Matrix) are wonderful in their supporting roles. Highly recommended viewing. 5 stars.

CineCritic2517 When I first saw the series, I was 15 years old. Ever since I saw it, the first thing that came to mind whenever I heard the name Nicole Kidman was this series. And it was also something that tended to come up at the dinnertable when we were going back discussing television-shows.Now, some 17 years later I accidentally stumbled upon the DVD and I was rather reserved about the thought of seeing it again because what else but disappointment was there to gain from seeing something which held a good memory but was surely going to be completely outdated.Imagine my surprise that although it was rather dated, it had actually aged so well. Another surprise was finding no one less than Hugo Weaving playing a major role in it. An actor I had grown to love ever since I saw him in 'The Interview' and the later classics such as LOTR and the Matrix.Bangkok Hilton has survived the test of time basically because of the really great acting performances, script, story and ambiance. And apparently this was all that it needed to remain the classic that it has become. And by no means the cinematography, which wouldn't stand a chance against even the average soap opera we see today.When you compare the story and the screenplay to modern similar tales such as the prison-series OZ, you will find that it is really hopeless out of date. The hell-hole of a jail in which Kidman is kept, is like a Disneyride compared to what the men in Emerald City had to endure in OZ. You will find no 'spooning' practices in Bangkok Hilton if you know what I mean.Perhaps this is what makes this mini series so great, that it's the story that keeps you on the edge of your seat rather than a form of (graphic) violence which seems to be todays primary ingredient for a success film-wise. Just see Labirinto Del Fauno if you want to check my point. That was a so called 'message movie' with really no message at all but in stead featured a been there done that war-drama and cardboard characters. Nonetheless, that movie was hailed by the public and professional movie critics when all it had to offer was a vapid contrast between fable and really graphic violence replacing what used to be a tale between good and evil and its 'grey zone'.Bangkok Hilton confirmed what I suspected all along, namely that cinema (although achieving greater technical marvels day by day) is becoming increasingly more banal and formula driven, even in the successful, so called 'art house films'.I'm sorry for letting this review turn out to be such a rant. Thanks for reading and see Bankok Hilton whenever you get a chance.cheers!

Dana Wang WARNING: SPOILERSNicole Kidman delivers a powerful performance in this well-made, very gripping mini-series, and the rest of the cast is perfect as well.Katrina Stanton (Nicole Kidman), a twenty-year-old Australian woman goes to England to search for her father, Hal Stanton (Denholm Elliot), whom she has never met in her entire life. She finds out that her father may live in Thailand now and at the same time she meets Arkie Ragan (Jerome Ehlers), a freelance newspaper photographer. In Bangkok, Katrina gets in contact with her father's lawyer, Richard Carlisle (Hugo Weaving) but Hal refuses to meet her, so she has to fly back to Australia. At the airport she is arrested- two kilos of heroine has been found in one of her suitcases, and Arkie vanishes without a trace. Katrina is then sent to the notorious prison 'Bangkok Hilton', where she endures horrid conditions. At last Richard and Hal are willing to help her but Hal chooses not to reveal his true identity to his daughter, as he pratically never does to the outside world. Richard takes Katrina's case and meanwhile, Hal begins to search for Arkie Ragan in order to bring the drug smuggler to justice. Katrina befriends an inmate named Mandy Engels (Joy Smithers) who has carried seven kilos of heroine and is to be sentenced to death. Soon, Katrina will face the same fate.When I first saw this many years ago I was profoundly moved by the intensity of the plot- Katrina's longing for finding her father, her father's tragic past, her mother's tortured state and her being betrayed. At one point I actually believed this was a true story (I was, after all, still very young) and Nicole Kidman's acting is so convincing. I finally got the videos at an online shop about a month ago.However, every play has its loopholes, and this one is no exception. Just to name two here: firstly, why does Katrina call herself 'Katrina Stanton'? Hal Stanton never marries her mother, Catherine Faulkner (Judy Morris), and she is raised by her mother, hence her surname should be Faulkner.Secondly, Richard Carlisle is Hal Stanton's lawyer who deals with his financial matters, but he later becomes Katrina's defence lawyer. Is he a criminal lawyer as well?Notwithstanding the loopholes, this is nonetheless a great drama, a fine piece of work. Highly recommended.