Bangkok Breaking: Fa Narok Mueang Thewada

We've got a disgraced paramedic who feels guilty over his friend's life-changing injury during a housing project riot. But that's after he witnesses a murder at the hands of a gang there. Later, he encounters two gangsters (unrelated to the project gang) kidnapping the daughter of a wealthy businessman and accidentally becomes their getaway driver. They end up in the same housing project where the paramedic encountered the gang. Then the mercenaries working for the kidnapped girl's father show up to find the girl and now the paramedic and the kidnappers/gangsters are running from the mercenaries who are now being helped by the head of the gang. By the time that happens we are 1 hour and 40 minutes into this film, and we are STILL being introduced to new characters, albeit minor ones.

This is essentially an intriguing story about a kidnapping taking place within the epic battle between protesters and police with the added layers of drug smuggling, blackmarket organ trading, corporate corruption, police brutality and a pig on fire. Yes, there's a pig on fire. The subjects I mentioned are nothing to scoff at. They deserve to be considered and depicted for the grim realities that they are. But in this movie, they are just distracting us from the heart of the story.

Bangkok Breaking is yet another one in a long line of foreign films I've seen on the platform that are thrilling, even moving and yet pretentiously long and bloated. Others being Hell Dogs (2022) from Japan and Furioza (2021) from Poland. It leaves you wondering if we have Scorsese AND Michael Bay to thank for the directors having ambitions that far exceed those of anything we would expect of them. Scorsese and Bay are stylistically unrelated and never mentioned in the same sentence. Nevertheless, there is possibly a generation of foreign directors who show incredible promise but can't resist including 50+ speaking parts (Scorsese) and snappy editing with slow motion explosions (Bay).

Having said this, they can still be credited with offering a window into uniquely foreign subcultures. Bangkok Breaking offers up thrills, tears, laughs and a pig on fire, but the running time and epic scope are exhausting.

Oh where to begin.

The movie in short is the idiotic hero who got fired as a paramedic gets caught up in a kidnapping situation and how he manages to extract himself out.

There are waaay too many sub plots, characters who come and go and the plot loses itself after half hour. Honestly the kidnapper did a good job in acting than the protagonist. I was half hoping a bullet to hero's head would end his and the audience's misery.

The hero literally does not do anything meaningful throughout the movie. Nothing resourceful or smart to show he has brains if not brawn. He basically is a movie set property coming up in 90% of the scenes. In the 2.5 hr runtime I cant think of a single thing he did that stood out.

Oh and dont get me started on the sub plots. There is this kidnapping of a rich guy's daughter which is the main storyline. Mid way we are introduced to drug trafficking, organ trading, guns for hire, rich person plotting land grab, police vs public violence.

All in all I was exhausted by the 2 hr mark and was pleading with the movie to roll credits.

I enjoyed the movie. When you get connected to each scene you will start feeling the tense moments of this excellent movie. You can expect villain turn to heroes which I always enjoy. When the bad becomes good, its going to be a thrilling ride. It also gives you a feel survival thriller because whichever direction you run you find one or the other gang chasing you. The main leads have acted really well. And the guy who runs the housing society is quite intimidating. The scene connection of his first save at the climax was one of the best scene. Watch this movie on Netflix and enjoy it. You will like it.

There were too many plots, too many characters arcs and stories without end or focus.

Should have first focused on the film genre; is this a comedy, serious drama, action, crime noir, science fiction, dystopia?

Who is this for... is it a political commentary for the poor, against corruption, in favour of EMT's?

Who are the good guys, who are the bad guys?

...There's double cross, triple cross, back stabbings, front stabbings & a moral moron as the main protagonist.

He is an idiot!

The "Hero" cannot seem to get out of his own way!

He basically has the morality of a child - I cannot lie because lying is bad but seems to lack the understanding that you should not put a little girl in harm's way.

This film is all over the place. Do not recommend.

It's a decent Thai crime thriller that offers a glimpse into the underbelly of Bangkok's dark side. The series has a solid premise, following a rescue worker who gets tangled in a web of corruption and crime. The cinematography captures the vibrant yet gritty atmosphere of the city, making it visually appealing.

However, while the show has its moments, it struggles with pacing and character development. Some plot twists feel forced, and certain characters lack depth, making it hard to connect with them fully. There are times when the dialogue feels a bit cliché, which pulls you out of the immersive experience.

That said, the action sequences are engaging, and there are enough twists to keep you invested. It's an entertaining watch for those who enjoy crime dramas, but it doesn't quite rise above the average for the genre. Overall, "Bangkok Breaking" has potential but could have benefited from stronger writing and character arcs.