Bangkok DangerousMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 24 out of 100 Generally unfavorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
15 Iffy for 15+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 60
    The Hollywood Reporter |

    Bangkok won't be making any appearances at the Oscars, but it is executed with skill and -- a severed limb or two notwithstanding -- without too much bloody excess. Read full review

  • 50
    Variety |

    Without the technical nastiness and fatal realism that made the initial film so compelling, the remake feels like a hollow excuse to present the myriad ways in which a bullet can pierce a cranium, rather than an edgy portrait of Third World violence. Read full review

  • 40
    Los Angeles Times |

    Pretty much all the things that made the original so original are filtered out of this un-original. Read full review

  • 30
    Austin Chronicle | Marc Savlov

    I'm beginning to suspect there's some sort of ancient, or at least post-Pearl Harbor, curse in play that stops genre-oriented Asian filmmakers from creating anything of all but the most negligible merit once they hit the California shore. Read full review

  • 30
    The New York Times | Nathan Lee

    Of all the shoddy, insipid qualities of Bangkok Dangerous, the most egregious is the most fundamental: The film is simply dreadful to look at. Read full review

  • 25
    Philadelphia Inquirer | David Hiltbrand

    As a cinematic experience, it's like being locked in a coffin for an hour and a half. Read full review

  • 20
    New York Daily News | Joe Neumaier

    Adds to the sad realization that this once-vibrant and witty actor (Cage) is completely controlled now by his inner teenager. Read full review

  • 20
    L.A. Weekly |

    Another of those dopey crime thrillers where the hardcore, bad-ass antihero inexplicably decides one day to lower his guard and open his heart, causing all kinds of hell to break loose. Read full review

  • 12
    Boston Globe | Wesley Morris

    Bangkok Dangerous is bad without lifting a finger toward interesting. The trouble with it is that the people who've made it don't appear to understand life enough to allow any of it into their movie. This is an airless affair. Read full review

  • 0
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    The filmmakers even manage to turn seamy Bangkok into the least exotic setting imaginable. Read full review

View more reviews for Bangkok Dangerous on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 15+ Slow action thriller from bored-looking Nic Cage.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this remake of a 1999 Thai thriller stars Nicolas Cage and has been targeting teen audiences -- and because of the hit man subject matter, it's likely to appeal to teen boys. Those who watch are in for a fair amount of violence, including a couple of grislier scenes of dismembered limbs. Two scenes feature a topless woman -- one during sex and another lounging. Other than those scenes, the sexuality is limited to flirting, embraces, hand-holding, and brief kisses. Nearly all of the movie's strong language (mostly "f--k" and its many derivatives) is spoken in Thai and subtitled in English. Expect some drinking and drug references, too.
  • Families can talk about the appeal of stories about assassins. Why are professional hit men the protagonists of so many action thrillers? Despite what they do, are they sympathetic characters? Why or why not? The movie implies that killing "bad" men is OK but killing "good" men isn't. What do you think about that message? What separates the "good" guys and the "bad" guys in this movie?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: At first the assassin believes there's no "right" or "wrong" and kills whomever he's paid to eliminate. But by the end of the film, he discovers his conscience and puts his life at risk to save someone else's.
What to watch for
  • violence false4 Violence: Explicit violence is to be expected in an assassin thriller, but most of the violence here is on the tamer side -- until the final sequence. Joe usually kills his targets by shooting them from afar, but one is drowned and another is shot by a gun taken from his own amputated hand. There are a few beatings in addition to gun violence, and the last shoot-out involves some grislier moments of a torso-less man and a suicide/murder.
  • sex false4 Sex: Sexy Thai go-go dancers perform at a club in several scenes. A middle-aged man is shown having sex with two young women; one is topless. A couple flirts, hugs, and kisses.
  • language false3 Language: Surprisingly little cursing ... in English. Nearly all of the swear words are spoken in Thai and subtitled, including "f--k," "motherf---er," etc.
  • consumerism false2 Consumerism: Some, but not excessive. Mercedes, cell phones, and a couple of expensive Japanese motorcycles.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Club-goers drink, as do gangsters at dinner; a cold bottle of beer is placed on a man's bruises; heroin is discussed and shown in a Ziploc bag, but it's not used.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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