The Bodyguard (2004) Reviews

• That's how comedies should be!

  SanShow2005-10-20

  I only watched this because of the cast from Ong Bak was in it and to my great surprise it was one of the funniest movies I have seen. I was not expecting much because I thought it would just be plain silly and not so funny. But I was not so wrong, it was silly, but so funny that sometimes I found myself cleaning the floor when I was rolling on it. In such movies you have begin it on a high and they surely managed it with the shootout. And during the rest of the movie I never took the smile of my face. That's how comedies should be! Great job by Petchtai Wongkamlao and fantastic cameo appearance by Tony Jaa. But the best was the bald guy who ends the movie really on a high.

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• Absolutely hysterical

  larley2005-04-10

  I was lucky enough to see this movie at a film festival, and had been looking for it since. Petchtai Wongkamlao---Dirty Balls from Ong-Bak, though he was originally a stand-up comedian---is hysterical as Wongkom, and I was laughing throughout the entire film at his random antics. Most of the cast from Ong Bak was in this movie (Tony Jaa even makes a brief appearance in a supermarket), but the two have nothing else in common, despite the fact that Tony Jaa refers to Wong Kom (the bodyguard) as Humleih (Dirty Balls) only to be told "Wrong movie!" With a nod to every action movie out there, it's one of the best parodies ever, and I'd say it's one of the top Asian movies I have ever seen!

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• A very good-action comedy..

  smiley-322005-10-29

  I saw this movie a while ago.. I must admit, it was very funny.. The idea of this bodyguard WongKom, who gets fired after the death of his client is just of those clichés. But then later on, WongKom realises that a group of assassins are after the client's son, so that they can their hands on the fortune.. There were some funny scenes, good one liners.. Fights scenes and shoot out scenes, they were great.. Just like what you may've seen in another film ONG-BAK.. I think with this guy Petchai WongKomlao.. I think he'll be Asia's next Jackie Chan. So he used to be a comedian, unlike another Asian favourite, Takeshi Kitano.. But now as he takes the director's chair.. He really gave the film a good going over.. with all the thrills and spills of any action movie and combined with a bit of a slapstick humour just to add to all the fun.. I manage to see the behind-the-scenes featurette, which basically looks at the film on how it was made, as well as having the cast and crew interviews.. Well, not much crews.. But I must say, I've enjoyed it.. It was very good! A thumbs up! 9 out of 10!

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• I didn't get it, but I am farang...

  joe-10902005-09-01

  I live in Thailand and try to see Thai movies when I can. Some of them have been excellent--Ong-Bak, Suriyothai, Tropical Malady, Tom Yum Goong, Mor Jeb, Luang Phii Theng, to name a few. The Bodyguard doesn't fall into the excellent category. It falls into "what the hell is going on and why are all the Thai people laughing" category. This movie is supposed to be a comedy. The English subtitles were particularly bad, I speak more than a little Thai and many times I knew the English was not good because I understood the Thai. I didn't laugh once with the rest of the audience--all Thai, I was the only Caucasian (farang). Then there were the 3 or 4 times I did laugh out loud, and I was the only one laughing! This movie is of almost the "slapstick" variety, chock full of "inside" jokes (being on the inside in this case means being Thai or understanding the Thai language better than I do) and silly humor. It stars one of Thailand's most popular comedians, Piphat Apiraktanakorn, more commonly known by his nickname "Mahm" (usually spelled Mom, but he's a guy and not a real mom that I know of...) I think this guy is great and funny. This lends credence to my theory that the English subtitling was just awful. Mahm has a 3 minute cameo in "Luang Phii Theng" that is the funniest part of the movie. Try one of the other Thai films before going to this one. Especially Ong-Bak, probably the best martial arts film I have ever seen--And Tony Jaa is the best martial arts movie fighter I have ever seen (and he does it all without stunt double, wires, or computer effects). If you see one Thai film this year, make it Ong-Bak, not the Bodyguard!

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• Not what I expected but OK

  jose_moscardo2015-02-17

  Well... what can I say? When I watched this movie I thought that it was a Thai action movie like "Ong Bak", "Born to fight" or "Chocolate". Instead of that, what I found was a comedy action (sometimes a very crazy comedy) so my first reaction was to wonder "what the hell is this?". But that was my mistake, don't you think so? After changing my expectations while I was watching the film, I found myself laughing sometimes (hysterically at a couple of jokes). Not bad if I think that I'm not so easy to laugh. But what I primarily liked was the relation between the young heir and the girl from the suburbs and her family and neighbors. That was a nice touch, obviously not very developed in a movie like this but anyway nice and likable. Not bad at all, yes... Sometimes it's silly but it has its moments too. My two sons liked it, probably more than me. But I didn't dislike it either, so I give it 6 out of 10.

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