This Girl Is Badass A.K.A. Jakkalan (2011) - A Review

 

This is one wacky movie!

This Girl Is Badass (also known as Jakkalan) is a Thai martial arts comedy released in 2011. It stars Yanin 'JeeJa' Vismistananda, Mum Jokmok, Chalerm Yamchamang, Bawriboon Chanreuang, Udom Songsaeng, Anek Intajan, and Akom Preedakul. The movie was directed by Petchtai Wongkamlao (a.k.a. Mum Jokmok), with fight choreography and stunts by Panna Rittikrai. 

Jeeja Yanin plays Jakkalan, a bike messenger who is really good at her job. Jakkalan is a normal young woman who lives with her kind uncle, Sawang (played by Jokmok). Uncle Sawang has a dark past by the way. She has quite the eccentric boss, Samureng (played by Preedakul) and a friend/co-worker in Naew (played by Chanreuang). She has a crush on the next door neighbor, who is a pretty boy musician. Duan (played by Yamchamang) is her childhood friend who has a crush on her, though Jakkalan is not interested.

Things are going well for her, even if a bit hectic, until she steals drugs from a client. This client, a mob boss (played by Intajan), finds out and wants Jakkalan to pay him back. Jakkalan steals from another mob boss client (played by Songsaeng) to pay him back, but that boss also finds out, and wants Jakkalan to pay him back. Jakkalan decides to face both mob bosses to settle things once and for all...

Despite the above description of the story, this movie is a straight up silly comedy. I will admit, a lot of the humor gets lost in translation. There is a lot of comedy that only those living in Thailand, or those who are familiar with Thai culture will get. Still, there is some funny stuff in there. There also seems to be quite a bit of ad libbing, as you see the actors breaking as they are saying their lines. That's actually pretty cool in this movie, makes it feel more natural. Those who are closed minded to other cultures will find this movie bizarre. I think it's a movie with good intentions.

JeeJa plays a complex character here. Yes, she is strong and fearless, but she goes totally girly over her crush. She destroys the hopes and dreams of Duan, her friend that has a crush on her. She is good at her job, but steals from the clients who hired her. Jakkalan is a pretty interesting character. It is also great to see her have absolutely no reaction to the nonsense that surrounds her everyday.

Unfortunately, there is not that much fighting action in this one. The first fight scene features Jakkalan fighting off thugs with her messenger bike. Pretty creative stuff here! There's a good bit of comedy in this fight, too. Another fight happens at her job, where a Gogo Yubari look-alike attacks her, and the rest of the mob join in. Jakkalan eventually has to fight them on a bike rack being dragged by a car! The final fight scene takes place in a warehouse, where a majority of the characters get involved! There is some gun play in this fight, and Jakkalan goes hard against her attackers with some muay thai strikes. There is also a lot of comedy in this fight as well! It actually kind of reminds me of the Lucky Stars movies.

Now, should you see This Girl Is Badass? It is hard to say. Humor is subjective. This is mainly a wacky comedy, so if you are wanting to watch this for the action, you'll probably be disappointed. If you go into the movie with an open mind, you may like it!  

The DVD I watched for this review. Good picture quality, too!

Back cover of the DVD.

The DVD disc. I like the art design of this DVD set.

Reviewed by David Williams