Som and Bank: Bangkok for Sale (2001) Reviews

• Uhm that's quite good

  summoner1312006-10-11

  I've just watch 2 films of Pang brothers, The Eye and One take only. When I watched The Eye, I was kind of disappointed about this two guys, who I had heard good words about them before. That film (The Eye) has a really bad script, especially the ending (childish,cliche and too coincident in my opinion) , but its still good in photography and experimental images. So I decided to see One take only and I didn't disappointed again. Still great photography, stunning image, MTV-style editing, cool music and this time,the story has a lot of indie spirit,logical and beautiful, you'll see some tiny plot holes, but it doesn't cause any trouble with the storyline. The only problem about this film is I get a bad DVD.

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• The weakest of the three Pang brothers movies I've seen to date. 'One Take Only' pales in comparison with some of the amazing movies coming out of Asia in recent years like 'Sympathy For Mr Vengeance', 'Batt

  Infofreak2004-03-08

  I never watch movies wanting to be disappointed, so despite not thinking very highly of the Pang brothers 'Bangkok Dangerous' and 'The Eye', I was hoping that 'One Take Only' would impress. Unfortunately it doesn't. Unlike the other two movies this time Oxide Pang Chun directs solo and his brother Danny only co-produces but I don't think that's got anything much to do with the lack of substance in the finished film. I'm no expert on Thai culture but I believe the movie had a lot of trouble with the local censors. As the movie has virtually no sex and the violence isn't that extreme I assume that "cutting edge" film in Thailand means something quite different that other Asian countries. It may be unfair to judge this movie by the standards of Japanese and Korean cinema, but when you've got amazing movies like 'Ichi The Killer', 'Sympathy For Mr Vengeance', and 'Battle Royale' around 'One Take Only' pales in comparison (And I won't even mention the astonishing 'Visitor Q'!!). Pawalit Mongkolpisit who played the deaf hitman in 'Bangkok Dangerous' stars as a small time drug runner who falls in love with a girl (Wanatchada Siwapornchai) who he discovers is a prostitute. A successful drug deal enables the two of them to get the taste of the good life, and all looks well, but then an even bigger score comes up and it proves to be too tempting to resist... I think we've all seen enough movies with similar scenarios to guess what might happen next. The two leads are cool enough and adequate actors but the script is so underwritten (even more so than 'Bangkok Dangerous') so there's very little to keep the viewer involved. I thought Mongkolpisist gave a better performance in 'Bangkok Dangerous', but then again his character in that movie was a bit more complex and sympathetic. I'd like to see this actor in a more substantial role, in say a Takashi Miike movie to see what he's really capable of. Having seen the brilliant Korean crime thriller 'Sympathy For Mr Vengeance' recently and having it fresh in my mind (it also incidentally like 'Bangkok Dangerous' features a deaf mute protagonist) I couldn't help but wish 'One Take Only' was much more ambitious and original. As it is, it's the weakest of the three Pang brothers movies I've seen to date, and I can't recommend it.

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• Rather pointless...

  paul_haakonsen2013-06-01

  "One Take Only" is not your average Oxide Pang movie. So is that good or bad? Well, I supposed that depends on what side of the table you are sitting. I must admit that I didn't really enjoy this movie all that much. Despite the acting in the movie was really good, then the storyline was flat, hollow and rather pointless. Once the movie ended, I sat there on the couch thinking 'was that really it?' The story is about Som, who is a young prostitute, who runs into Bank, who is a drug dealer. They have been living in the same building but never noticed each other. These two spark a friendship and end up in some heavy drug dealing, heading down a very wrong path... Certain aspects of the movie were nice, as it does deal with some real life issues, but overall, then this movie was rather pointless and not that entertaining. For an Oxide Pang movie, then "One Take Only" was below average, and there are far better movies from the same director available.

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• One Take Only

  guest-792008-07-09

  It was fabulous! The photography, editing, cinematography, music combined to transport us to the dangerous side of a tourist destination. It was the enjoyment of "slumming," without going through the danger. We were there! The dream sequences and flashback-sequence-ending were fresh. It spoke to me. Keep up the good work! Another of that genre is City of God. Also - don't laugh! - the comedy, Desperately Seeking Susan. Nice ensemble types, with great performances by all. Sorry, I think Training Day fits that genre as well, with fantastic performances by an ensemble cast. I had to switch the channel on some of the gritty sequences, but all-in-all, a great film!

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• Love comes in strange packages (PROBABLE SPOILERS)

  Mariana Cornejo2004-10-18

  A young girl surviving as a prostitute. A cheap hustler who wants to get the big score. They meet each other in Thailand. You may think by the opening titles it's going to be a violent movie but it is also a story of love with two persons in their own struggle to get the money for a better way of life. This film feels like an essay sometimes because of its changes of images, but still refreshing. This story is also about Eros and Thanatos. "It's not an original joke but it is well told" says a character and that also applies to this one: We've seen the story but this way we see it. Thailand appears in hot tones, the photograph going from one colored to a multicolored place. And it captures the city as the cage of this imperfect persons. There is also a good use of the music to dot the actions.

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