Bullet Points: One Night in Bangkok

When I saw there was a new Mark Dacascos movie coming out, I knew I had to watch. Add in the Oriental setting and I did not know what I was getting.  When I saw Kane Kosugi was part of it I thought this movie has the creme de la creme, it has everyone but Yul Brynner. One Night in Bangkok is the kind of action movie that makes you believe the world is your oyster. And if you are lucky then the God is a she and I can feel some One Night in Bangkok Bullet Points sliding up to you and me.

• Makes A Hard Man Humble – Kai Kahale (Mark Dacascos, Cradle 2 the Grave) arrives in Bangkok with no luggage and only his cell phone. Kai gets picked up at the airport from a man on a scooter and handed a bag with guns, another phone and lots of money. Kai uses the phone to schedule a ride from a Thai ridesharing app and we are introduced to Kai’s ride for the evening, Fha. This is all done before Kai has spoken more than two words.  The driver and passenger quickly develop a rapport and talk about innocuous stuff that will no way be important later. Kai soon propositions Fha to be his driver for the night, offering her $6,000 to take him to five stops. Again, the movie doesn’t give too much detail behind Kai’s plans for the night but learn as the film goes along

• Not Much Between Despair and Ecstasy – The first stop is a lawyer and she quickly gets a gunshot to the forehead from Kai. I love the look of uneasiness from Kai after he knows he just killed someone. It makes it easier for the audience to root for someone when we know he isn’t totally amoral. We also learn as the movie goes along that Kai is on a mission… a revenge mission. While Kai show a moment of trepidation after murdering the attorney, it doesn’t stop him from playing his favorite mobile game while making it seem that the meeting is still going on. Stop two is an apartment complex, and we get a brief glimpse of the fight skills of Kai, but another gunshot puts an end to victim #2.

• Can’t Be Too Careful With Your Company – Stops three and four again show glimpses of Kai’s fighting, but end pretty quickly for the victims. In fact, the action overall in One Night in Bangkok is light, but there is a tension and uneasiness that brings it through. The relationship and chemistry between Kai and Fha is the real heart of the film. That doesn’t mean when stop three is a nightclub that nobody is going to get shot and when stop four at the hospital that Kai will come out unscathed. It just means that the conversation between Kai and Fha while stopping for food may carry the most emotional weight, especially as we learn of the connection of everyone involved in the evening.

• I Can Feel The Devil Walking Next To Me – The Bangkok police are on the case and they begin to learn of the connection behind the night’s murders. That is thanks to the lead detective’s wife who is at home with her newborn magically researching everything and anything on an unseen computer. It was a strange tactic to have the detective constantly talking to his wife, but the detective being a father plays an important role. The detective figures out who the last target is going to be, but not before Kai arrives. And hopefully you guessed it, Kane Kosugi as the Japanese fixer. I have deliberately left a lot of the plot out because of how it is revealed in One Night in Bangkok and won’t spoil how or who survives so you can enjoy for yourself. But if you thought there was going to be a movie with Mark Dacascos and Kane Kosugi in which they don’t face out you are a fool. The pairing doesn’t disappoint and was way more brutal than I would have expected.

One Night in Bangkok is a fine addition to the Mark Dacascos filmography. Some might say it’s a drag, it’s a bore. It really is such a pity to think that way. Yes the action is on the light side and the plot is similar to Collateral, but in this one the passenger is not a hitman, but a man looking for revenge and much easier to root for. The movie looks great with the vibrant colors of Bangkok and some slick but limited usage of split screens. Mark Dacascos shines as the man looking for revenge and is able to show a variety of emotion and the rest of the cast rises to the occasion. If you are a Mark Dacascos fan, or enjoy a slower paced action film, you can do far worse than One Night in Bangkok. If you enjoy a special ending to these Bullet Points you can do far worse than the One Night in Bangkok Bonus Bullet Points.

• Passport Fun – When Kai shows his passport at the airport his birthday is August 25, the day the movie was released. It also says he was born in 1954 (ten year before Mark Dacascos). Are you telling me that Kai is supposed to be in his mid-60s because I don’t believe it. The signature in the passport also says Mark Dacascos and not Kai Kahale… oops.
• If You Ever… – Wanted to see Mark Dacasos use a urinal four times in one evening than One Night in Bangkok is for you. Four times in one night? I’m starting to believe he is in his mid-60s.
• Domestic Dispute – I wonder if Mark Dacascos got a kick out of shooting his real life wife Julie Condra right in the face. Condra plays the nasty mother of a spoiled rich kid who wronged Kai.
• Favorite Pro Action Movie Quote – “If you are old enough to kill, you are old enough to die.”
• Favorite Anti Action Movie Quote – “Vigilante justice is still homicide.”
• Truth – Kane Kosugi does have nice hair.