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

Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003) - A Review

 

One of the many posters for Ong-Bak.

Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is a Thai martial arts movie released in 2003, starring Tony Jaa, Mum Jokmok, Suchao Pongwilai, Pumwaree Yodkamol, and Chattaphong Pantana-Angkul. The movie is directed by Prachya Pinkaew, with fight and stunt choreography by Panna Rittikrai.

 In Ong-Bak, Tony Jaa plays Ting, a skilled muay thai fighter who volunteers to find the stolen head of his village's Ong-Bak statue. The village is small and impoverished, and they give the little money they have to him to help him survive the city they suspect the lead suspect lives in. In Bangkok, Ting meets up with George/Humlae (played by Mum Jokmok), his cousin who has abandoned his humble village's values. One thing leads to another, and Humlae steals the villagers' money and bets it all at an underground fighting tournament. Ting unwittingly enters the tournament and wins his fight easily. This embarrasses Komtuan (played by Pongwilai), the local crime boss, and gets Ting on his radar. From there, Ting and Humlae team up to find the Ong-Bak, with chases and fights galore!

This movie was Tony Jaa's break out role, and it is a showcase for his incredible martial arts and acrobatic skills. In the first chase sequence, you see Tony doing incredible acrobatics to run away from a crowd of thugs. The way he slides under an SUV is amazing. Not only that, he jumps over two moving cars twice in a row, all without wires! Tony Jaa makes gravity his b****!

The fight scenes are choreographed to show off a more traditional form of muay thai, and to show off Tony Jaa's fighting prowess. His second underground tournament fight is hard-hitting, and he takes on three different opponents (including a very Bruce Lee-like fighter). This is his first major fight in the movie, and he impresses! There are other fights with crazy stuff in them, like when he does a knee, then a multi-spin kick to a guy's face...with his legs on fire! Literal fire kick! Of course, the final fights are the best. You see his quickness, his agility, his weapon ability, and the power behind his strikes in these fights! The fights in this movie may not have the incredible choreography of Hong Kong movies, but Panna Rittikrai does a great job showing the power of traditional muay thai and the skill level of Tony Jaa.

The story is a bit simple, I will admit, but there is nothing wrong with that when you have characters and  action scenes that make up for it. Humlae, though a bit of a greedy scammer at the start, is great throughout this movie. You grow to like him. He is really funny, too! Komtuan, the main villain, is a very flawed character. He is very powerful, but he is confined to a wheelchair and has to talk with an electrolarynx. Even so, he is a very proud, greedy, and petty man. What a jerk! As is Don, the guy who steals the Ong-Bak head in the first place! I hate that guy!

The version I watched was the edited version released by EuropaCorp. A subplot involving Muay's sister is apparently edited out, and the final fight between Ting and Saming is shortened. It also has a hip hop/techno soundtrack, as compared to the Thai rock the original had. All in all, three minutes are edited out. Even so, I would like to see the original version. This version is very good, though! I like some of the music in it! I have to get this on Blu-Ray!

So, should you see it? I would say yes! Just keep in mind, the story is a bit basic. If you've never seen Tony Jaa in action, you need to see this NOW! I just hope Tony Jaa will gain that superstardom that has eluded him since. He is way too talented to not be starring in huge action movies!

Front cover of the DVD I watched for this review.

Back cover of DVD.

Disc of version I watched.

Reviewed by David Williams