Chocolate review

Chocolate is Thailand movie from the director of ONG BAK, Prachya Pinkaew with his new main lead Jeeja Vismistananda. I know it's two years movie but I just saw it yesterday. I didn't had much expectation for this movie, simply because many portrayed it as Ong Bak with chick. Don't get me wrong I'm not a sexist, but the stunts that Tony Ja (Ong Bak) pulled off is almost inhuman, it'd be a tall order for a girl to do that. Even if she could do it, Tony Ja took a lot of damage in Ong Bak, surely a girl could not took such punishment. If so then the main lead would breeze through the film unscratched like Aya Ueto in Azumi. I couldn't be more wrong.

The movie is about autistic girl whose mother had a dark past with Yakuza and Triad. When her mother is sick with cancer, she and her best friend try to collect large debt from her mother shady acquaintances. The cinematography isn't that good, many plot holes, overcomplicated stereotype Yakuza plot and the worst is its slow start. The acting also isn't that great, for main lead to play autistic char is not easy, like Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, certainly not a role for starting actress.

She might looks timd now..

The good thing is she is like-able, mainly because she's plain. She is normal, wears just simple blouse and skirt, minimal make-up and hairdo, which looks plausible considering the genre. This is not stereotype Charlie's Angels idol pop model and that's a good thing, she is more relate-able and because her background story, it is easy to cheer for her in fights scene. For any who thinks sexed-up glittering pop idol is better, shame on you, sir.

The directing suffers some flaws. You'd think after a couple of movies, the director would improved. To be fair, it's better than Ong Bak, but it has some plodding terrible pace and lack of direction. It's clear from start, he aimed for gritty dark tone, but then the movie turned into comedy when Jeeja became autistic kung fu master / debt collector, then it became noir Yakuza flick when people got headshot all over the place. I know martial art movie do that sometimes, like Kung Fu Hustle, but for a heavy subtext such autistic plot deserves more mature approach.

The best part is the action stunt. Of all the movie I've seen, this has the best choreographed fight scenes, better than Ip man (the first at least) or Ong Bak, Hollywood movies don't even come close. One most simple reason is it's done by chick, you can see her did her own stunt because unlike movies with stunt double, the camera don't pan away from her face, sometime even attempt to close up during fights. It also has behind the scene in the credit for more info. She took a bunch of hits, full spin or overhead kick to her face. The impact from those hits are great, her slender body jerked and slammed like marionette. She practically bleeds for this, watch and learn half-ass studio that made crappy Chun Li or Dragon Ball movie.

You have to see it in motion.

It started simple with Jeet Kune Do, a tribute to Bruce Lee, if you can call it simple.. Many movies or games has Bruce Lee's knock off but never a girl doing his impression. She pulled off rapid combo low-high-roundhouse kicks with such ease and speed, thet are as fast as any jab. The "Waaaaatthaaaaahh" moment is stupid but kinda awesome at the same time. The second part is kung fu, stick play and environment stunt, a tribute to Jackie Chan. The playful tone and switch between stair, locker doors and food stands makes this a deja vu of early Jackie's movies.

The half til finish fights really ramped up the speed and tech. A mix of Muay Thai, Aikido, Capoeira, Hip-Hop Breakdance, Sword play and extreme Parkour that can only be described as poetry in motion. Any backflip or aerial stunt Tony Ja did, she could do it too. Some scenes has double or even triple takedowns or Capoeira versus aerial kicks. The director maybe isn't that good in cinematography but in fights, he's brilliant, some scenes are perfectly tailored to Jeeja. Her petite light figure allowed her to pulled off crazy stunts, like ledge-billboard-balcony jump kick from 30-40 meters height, Tony Ja with his larger and more muscular figure would probably have hard time doing this on such narrow platform.

Overall this movie is flawed, slow start and odd pacing, but the stunts more than makes up for it. IGN gave this 6/10, but the reviewer probably didn't realize Asian martial art movie needed some 70-80 years from old fashion Peking Opera to Bruce Lee cinematic to Jackie Chan comedy flair to this high pace fluid new style. I'm sure there are a bunch of scenes that makes you "Holy crap, that's gotta hurt". If you haven't see it, you are only one trip to DVD shop (toko bajakan DVD) and 5k rupiah away from martial art greatness. Rate 9/10.

Better than many many Hollywood stunt double

Quick somebody cast her as Faith from Mirror's Edge..

.. or Soi Fong from Bleach