and I pray you send me a man with better hair next time, k?
R
Nicolas Cage, Shahkrit Yamnarm, Charlie Yeung
Joe (Cage) is a hitman who is in Bangkok, working his last job. He hires a street thief, Kong (Yamnarm), to be his expendable help, but eventually grows closer to Kong and becomes his teacher. This relationship, and a growing romantic relationship with a deaf woman who works in a small store causes Joe to start violating some of the rules he’s always lived by. Rules that have kept him alive.
Definitely not the worst Nic Cage movie I’ve seen, but far from quality cinema. Cage just isn’t very good at these kinds of serious characters. He’s much better in quirky roles, like in Raising Arizona, Matchstick Men, etc.
The direction seems a little lackluster too. Everything feels so subdued and low-key. There’s no real emotion involved in anything. Not in the romance, not in the teacher/student relationship, and certainly not in the convoluted plot about the people who hired Joe apparently betraying his trust. Everybody just seems to be sleepwalking through the whole production.
I thought Kong’s story would have been much more interesting to follow than Joe’s. At least he’s an interesting character with some charisma. Instead we’re subjected to Joe’s dull, rambling narration, bad hair, blank stares, and awkward dates with Fon (Yeung). Plus, we’re left with an ending that just doesn’t seem in keeping with the character that has been established as Joe.
So yeah, not a particularly good movie. Boring, drab, ugly, confusing…and not at all dangerous.
Try not to take a job running errands for a hitman.
10 – 3 because it’s dull and ugly looking – 1.2 for some lackluster acting throughout – 1 for that ending = 4.8
The Robot Who Likes Pretty Things 