Butterfly Man

Again I noticed that votes on IMDb are not always representable. When you compare 'The Beach' the MTV kids vote higher because DiCaprio plays in it. I watched both movies in a short period, and this movie 'Butterfly Man' was a real good story! I liked it even more because there were no real famous actors in it, which made it more realistic. Nowadays you see george clooney in every movie, with beard - without, you get tired of the same faces in every movie. The cast & acting was great!!!! You really should hire or buy this one if you like real good movies, suspense is build up good, you can't easily predict what is going to happen. I'm not going to reveal the story, don't read the rest, just go for the movie, you won't regret. It's not as lame as the beach where DiCaprio stops a shark with his HAND :) that was a laugh! It's realistic, you see real Thai life, atmosphere, and the nice Budha statues and sunsets. One word : definitely recommended, 8/10. Beware of other movies with low votings due to mtv kids! They need famous actors, guns and violence. I need a good story,good acting and atmosphere, that is what movies are about. I wandered about 1 hour in the local videostore and chose this one. I think I'm becoming a movie-geek with all the bad movies coming out :)

Thailand is infamous for being a sexual shangri-la for Western men, a place where even a dopey-looking Brit (like the guy in this movie) can be a "butterfly man", flitting from one pretty Thai girl to another. Nevertheless, this movie seems VERY romanticized. In fact, it borrows heavily from one of the most romantic love stories of all times, "A Farewell to Arms", even though the Far East "sex tourist" trade hardly provides the dramaticic background of the World War I setting of the famous Hemingway novel.

I've only spent a short time in Thailand myself, but nevertheless several things in this movie struck me as inaccurate or at least very highly romanticized. The Thai prostitutes may be more demure than other prostitutes, but they're probably no more likely to have the mythical "heart of gold" like the girl in this movie does. I also found it a little too convenient, given today's political climate, that the girl's vicious pimp is an American. American soldiers may have heavily subsidized the Thai sex trade during the Vietnam War, but it probably owes a lot more today to the Europeans, the Aussies, and the Japanese. And Americans certainly are not running things (the guys who were always trying to drag me off the Bangkok streets and into the go-go bars and massage parlors all pretty much seemed to be locals).

This movie is lyrical and heart-breaking like other reviewers have said, but it is also somewhat at odds with a reality that is often just seedy and depressing. See it by all means, but balance it out with something like "Lilya 4ever" which is equally lyrical and heart-breaking but also much more realistic.

Beautiful location shots and richly lit interiors fail to provide sufficient distraction from a naive and clumsily told story.

Lacking in emotional credibility Adam and Em mechanically fulfil what the plot demands of them, reaching an epiphany that elicited groans of derision not tears of empathy from a fidgeting audience.

One would hope that an independent film-maker working to a limited budget would attempt to punch above his weight with an emphasis on strong character and believable dialogue. Instead we are delivered a series of preachy monologue, awkward plot exposition and clichéd melodrama that squanders any goodwill the audience may have had.

Kaprice Kea is undoubtedly a talented cinematographer, and I for one will be looking forward to his next film, but let's hope that this time he leaves the writing duties to others.

Adam arrives in Bangkok with his girlfriend and they abruptly split- up over a minor disagreement, but the relationship's been on the slide for a while and when Adam finds his significant other in the guesthouse room next door with a dreadlocked sandal seller we know the honeymoon is truly over. Thailand has a habit of testing Western boy-girl-relationships and in this case the couple split in less than 24 hours.

The lovers split their separate ways and Adam heads to Ko Samui, determined to see out his holiday. Here he meets a character many of us know (and if we don't know one we might just be him) - the middle- aged boozy expat not above dalliance with indigenous females – Joey - played brilliantly in this case by Francis Magee. Joey convinces Adam to visit a massage joint where we're introduced to Em the beautiful masseuse who Adam falls for and thus begins the vortex, the downward spiral, the lies, the mistruths, the deceptions that often follow an East / West relationship. Em retains her typical Thai conservative streak, hoping perhaps Adam will hold out for marriage and the house in the village. Inpatient and frustrated Adam hooks up with Noi one of the many bargirls on the beach and has to confess to Em that he has suddenly metamorphosed into a straight up, genuine Butterfly Man – a lover who goes from lady to lady, taking a piece of pollen from each as he so does. But Lady Fate doesn't smile on those men who spread it about on the islands, things continue to spiral down for Adam his triangular love affair leading to him being drugged, and robbed and finally having to beg on the beach in a charming sequence of som nom na – serves' you right.

Our old friend Joey returns and offers Adam a chance to make some quick cash on the neighboring Ko Phangnan. After some indecision he makes it over to meet a character named No Name, a statuesque blond, played by Abigail Good who pedals a shady sideline.

Adam uncovers a human trafficking ring and rescues Em by stowing her away on a boat where she lies in his arms, having married him in a brief ceremony conducted by the charmingly Thai boat captain. Events unfold in a tragically entertaining fashion and this is all weaved together seamlessly as the final twist and turns lead Adam to Em's Isaan village where he is making a new life for himself in the real Thailand.

Overall a rewarding picture. The score by Stephen Bentley-Klein is worth mentioning along with the title track by Skye Edwards (formally of the band Morcheeba). Producer Tom Waller did a sterling job putting it all together and the cinematography was at times sublime. The acting from the foreign cast was impressive throughout and a few roles really shone. A film entitled Butterfly Man was bound to have the odd Thai / foreigner cliché, and was at times charmingly naïve, but that doesn't take anything away from the movie. This is in many ways a better, more honest movie than Danny Boyle's adaptation of The Beach and for those who first came to the Kingdom before the omnipresent mobile telephone, cyber stickers, and emjois Butterfly Man is a nostalgic treat full of personal memories and hidden rewards and it is well worth hunting down a copy or a download.

This film starts off like so many others with a couple on holiday in a remote and utterly stunning background, usually in Asia. Unlike the rest this film explores the contrast of Thailand from the picturesque beaches for relaxing and gazing as the sun sets to the other extreme. It begins slowly letting the audience be encaptured by the swaying palm trees and secluded spots and then accelerates into a excellent drama about the redemption of a man. The location shots are something to revel in as they bring out the raw beauty of Thailand.

Featuring an ex Eastenders star could have made this film go from beauty to action thriller a matter of minutes but neither the director or the actors portray any sense of improbability. The plot is closely driven to show the change that Thailand has gone under.

Everything considered this makes refreshing watching compared with the Hollywood rota changing between the very sentimental and the very action packed. With its underlying message this film shows that nothing is truly pure and that things only last for a short time.

Grade B