It was just a couple days ago that I was writing about the promo reel for the Prachya Pinkaew-produced kids action film Power Kids at the European Film Market and commenting on how it was sad that there was no trailer for the film available yet. And then today Mack posted up a couple of new posters for the picture. And now, hey looky, Wolf just pointed me to a grainy but serviceable version of the Thai theatrical trailer. And, yes, the double knee to the head is in there. Plot? Johnny Nguyen is the head of a gang of gun-toting bad guys who can only be stopped by a quintet of muay thai fighting kids. The film is to Ong Bak what The Goonies was to Raiders of the Lost Ark, basically.
You can find the trailer below the break, hopefully we'll be able to replace it with a higher-res version soon. And for those wondering what's up with Tony Jaa and Jeeja Yanin turning up in the opening moments, the promo reel used the same gimmick. The text basically translates to "Tony Jaa found fame in his twenties. Jeeja Yanin found fame in her teens. And now ..." bam, crash, thwack, etc.
Conan Stevens left comments on my blog, saying he'd filmed scenes for Power Kids four years ago! The length of time Panna and Sahamongkol take in making their action films boggles the mind. But whatever works, right?
However, if they decide to make a sequel to Power Kids and take that long, the child actors are all going to be in their 20s.
http://www.conanstevens.com/acting-movies-tv-film/tall-actor-blog/power-kids-movie-flyer.html
It looks like a fun ride
It just feels kinda esoteric to me. I mean it's cool yeah but seems as though thai action has hit a plateau and they're content to gimmick it up now with what's essentially the same kinda stuff over and over again. True the same can be said for the majority of action fims in general, but just look at the Yip and Yen collaboration where each successive film creates a different identity through the varied take on action alone. I'd buy a cheap disc for sure but y'know...I've seen the stunt guys taking knees like that plenty already.
Ok let the kids put on some green turtle outfits and give them a bo, nunchaku, katana, or a sai and then I will watch. Johnny Nguyen getting beat up again? He's got to get a better agent, or just keep making his own movies.
I agree with how one-trick-pony most thai action flicks are turning out lately, also agree about Nguyen wasting time as a stock villian once more. That said, i'll give it a shot to this one just out of curiosity, but i do think that the Thai industry still needs to learn how to properly use their local talent.
I gotta agree with Btofu. Thai action was nice when it just came out but they are seriously lacking new material. Same old flying knee over and over isnt gonna cut it. Like Btofu said, the new Yip-Yen collaboration features new and refreshing choreography. If you havent checked it out yet, its definitely a must see. The kids do seem pretty talented though
Ahh, Thailand. If you don't care at all about stories in your films, you should probably stop racking your brains trying to think up more inane dialogue, endless banality, and bizarre humor that goes absolutely nowhere. Or just stop making movies altogether. Honestly, the latter sounds better.
yeah i agree thai action needs to reinvent itself before it becomes a parody of itself.. but one thing is for sure they DO HAVE the human TALENT can't wait to see this