Dynamite Warrior

For a lot of guys a martial arts flick is a lot like pizza. You aren’t always up for it but when you are even if it’d not particularly good it is still a lot of fun. Now this is axiomatic mostly for us guys but I have come across a few women with similar sensibilities. This behavior is typically programmed into us as kids when a Saturday afternoon hanging out with friends frequently encompassed both a martial arts flick at a nearby Grind house theater and a couple of slices and a soda at the neighborhood pizza joint. I recently had an opportunity to relive one of those afternoons with my friends while watching one of the latest action movie offering; ‘Dynamite Warrior’. With a bucket of popcorn, a bag of Red Vines and my audio system set to emulate the acoustics of that old movie house. With the pizza on its way we popped in the disc to have some fun. While this movie is never destined for a ‘Best" list it did provide better than expected, solid entertainment. There are several factors that elevated this film above many of its peers but its country of origin is near the top of those factors, when you hear martial arts flick your mind might naturally think ‘Hong Kong’ and that would be valid since that is the most common source for this genre. ‘Dynamite Warrior’ hails from Thailand and it is extremely interesting to note the often subtle cultural differences between two Asian societies as seen through their interpretation of the action hero. One similarity is the use of comedy to provide a break in the action, there is a lot that this film has going for it making it an excellent flick for when friends drop over; a bunch of guys with a martial flick that is funny and features explosion, you really can’t go wrong.

One thing that is becoming a defining aspect of Thai martial arts movies is the way they are able to embrace sheer whimsy without much concern about looking silly. These films are not created with the intension of being taken too seriously; they were made to provide a diversion from reality and give the audience a rocking good time. Thai action movie have explored a more serious side with the popularity of ‘Ong-Bak’ but this flick is much more akin to a Jackie Chan movie than Jet Li. In some ways it is difficult to assign a particular genre to this film. Director Chalerm Wongpim is relatively new to the business and is still able to get away with straddling several different genres without a care. There is a touch of feudal drama mixed with sorcery spiced with just a dollop of fantasy. The setting is Siam in the late 1800’s where Jone Bang Fai (Dan Chupong) takes on the role of a local Robin Hood who recovers livestock stolen by poor farmers by unscrupulous cattle rustlers. Unfortunately for the bad guys Fai is extremely well trained in fileds that makes him the bane of the outlaws’ existence. Not only is he a high degree expert in the martial arts discipline Muay Thai but he is quite adept in the sciences of rocketry and demolition. It is not uncommon for him to charge into the fray astride a blazing rocket. Considering the parameters of this genre permit sword fights while balancing on thin tree branches obeying the laws of physics are not among the primary concerns of the film maker.

The main driving force behind the plot is the heinous action of local nobleman Lord Waeng (Phutiphong Sriwat). A new age of technology is dawning and Waeng invested heavily in steam powered tractors. His marketing plan is an old, albeit brutal one. Waeng hires a huge enforcer type (Somdet Kaewleu) to murder the local cattlemen and steal all of the oxen. Without the animals the framers will not be able to plant the rice crop and the community will starve. The plan hits a major bump when the thugs run up against a cattleman, Nai Hoi Sing (Samart Payakaroon) sporting an ominous tattoo and incredible fighting skills. This forces Waeng to seek the aide of the Black Wizard (Panna Ritikrai), who has a long standing curse based grudge against Sing. The curse prevents the wizard from being in the sunlight unless he is cured which requires the menstrual blood of a virgin. As you might have gathered by this point the script may have had the involvement of at least one psychotropic substance. One thing is certain, there is bound to be some aspect of this story that appeals to you. The juxtaposition of such a myriad of genres is primarily done to achieve a humorous effect. The inclusion of magical elements affords the director a certain amount of freedom in what is permissible. This said, the film, is not as visually interesting as the Hong Kong variant but it makes up for it with the tongue in cheek treatment of the characters. There is a touch of the peculiar genre called steam punk that is typically set in this time period. The thing with those films that shows up here is 1800s technology utilized to achieve modern effects. This is just another strange twisted thrown into the mix here. Many hard core martial arts junkies will be disappointed with the slap stick approach taken here but try to remember that Thai film making is still in the process of discovery its own unique path and establish itself in the global climatic community.

Posted 05/01/2010