There is a great and often quoted joke from Family Guy involving the creation of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. “Hey, you got your chocolate in my peanut butter!” “Hey, you got your peanut butter in my chocolate!” This is the way I felt when I was first introduced to comedic martial arts films from The Legend of Drunken Master to Shaolin Soccer. I didn't have high expectations for Muay Thai Giant, a new comedy/martial arts film from Thailand, but I found that like these other favorites, they have the right amount of comedy (chocolate) and great fights (peanut butter) to not only hold my interest but also entertain me.
Barney (Nathan Jones) is on vacation to Thailand when an overly friendly girl at a bar drugs him and steals his money, passport, and shirt. While looking for the tourist information center the next day, he runs into two young girls Dokya (Sasisa Jindamanee) and Katen (Nawarat Technarathanaprasert) who befriend him, give him a place to stay, and bring him back to the family restaurant for some good Thai food. Unbeknownst to the girls, Barney cannot eat spicy Thai food because it sends him into a blind Hulk-like rage. After a bite of papaya-pepper salad, Barney tears down the restaurant with his bare hands. The girls insist that he must find a way to raise the money to repair the restaurant, and they train him to compete in an underground fighting tournament.
The plot has been done many times over. Aside from a subplot involving a stolen diamond necklace, Muay Thai Giant does not aspire to more than the save-the-community-center trope of Dodgeball, Over the Top, and numerous teen TV shows. It might be an overused trope, but I actually didn't mind them using it again because like Dodgeball, Muay Thai Giant is a fun movie that refuses to take itself seriously. This movie is meant to entertain without seeking any deeper meaning or significance.
There are two reasons why I enjoyed Muay Thai Giant as much as I did. First, the leading actors are really fantastic. Nathan Jones has always played an evil henchman, but he is absolutely adorable as a gentle giant. Near the beginning of the film, there is a scene with Barney in a waiting room laughing and playing with a little wide-eyed toddler. Right away, he sold me on the idea that this giant of a man wouldn't hurt a fly. Also, the older sister Dokya, played by Sasisa Jindamanee, was outstanding. I guarantee that in a few years, everyone who follows martial arts films will be talking about her. At such a young age, she is already a very talented fighter and a fairly competent actress, and I can't wait to see where her career goes from here.
Secondly, I thought that the fight sequences were really well done for such a goofy film. The opening fight kicked things off with Dokya and Katen swinging and bouncing off of Barney like a human jungle gym, and my personal favorite was a fight in the marketplace involving papaya and a hilarious vendor who sadly does not make another appearance in the film. I'm sure that the sequence will soon be up on YouTube if it isn't already, but I highly recommend just putting Muay Thai Giant in the Netflix queue and watching the full movie.
Now, Muay Thai Giant isn't for everyone. As much as I laughed and had a good time, I know that some people expect more from their movies. The plot is the very definition of cliché, and some of the scenes with the bad guys are poorly written and poorly acted. I haven't even mentioned the preposterous nature of the premise. The muscular hero is incapable of throwing a punch unless he is in a psychotic rage from spicy Thai food. Still, Muay Thai Giant reminded me of other goofy comedy/martial arts films like Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle. If viewed with the right crowd and the proper amount of alcohol, Muay Thai Giant is a pleasant surprise and tops National Lampoon's Dirty Movie for the most shockingly enjoyable film so far this year.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
The Blu-ray release comes with a making-of featurette, some more behind-the-scenes extras, and the international trailer for Muay Thai Giant.
"Muay Thai Giant" is on sale April 26, 2011 and is rated R. Action, Comedy, Crime, Foreign, Martial-Arts. Directed by Panna Rittikrai. Starring Nathan Jones, Nawarat Technarathanaprasert, Sasisa Jindamanee.
