If the primary scale for measuring a nation’s collective sense of patriotism was based on the number of historical dramas it produces, then Thailand has just taken a very large step forward in nationalist pride with the two-part, five and a half-hour epic Kingdom of War. Chatrichalerm Yukol’s massive undertaking tells the story of King Naresuan who grew up in the care of a patient Buddhist and went on to liberate Siam from the brilliant conqueror, King Bayinnaung of Burma. Despite what the name of the feature might lead you to believe, Kingdom of War is as much a war film as it is a coming of age film and a political drama of the Machiavellian sort. When the two films get into a groove the pacing is flawless, however it inevitably stumbles and loses itself in a quagmire of saccharine anecdotal segments and clichéd passages dedicated to a national hero that only someone with a patriotic investment in Thailand’s history could see as more than tiresome.
The saga starts with the army of King Bayinnaung (Sompob Benjathikul) claiming victory over the kingdom of Naresuan’s father, who gives up Naresuan to the Bayinnaung’s care in exchange for becoming one of the conqueror’s subjects. The young Naresuan (Pratcha Sananwatananont) lives in Bayinnaung’s compound where he studies under a Buddhist monk (Lex de Groot) charged with teaching him the laws of the kingdom and how to fight. While there, Naresuan makes friends with a young girl of the palace, Manechan (Suchada Chekly), and the impetuous Boonting (Jirayu La-Ongmanee), and they enjoy front-row seats to the king’s conquering of the two pivotal territories of Naresuan’s extended family through a combination of Machiavellian machinations and endless sieges. Once Naresuan’s family is in ruins, he realizes he must embrace his destiny to bring about the Burmese king’s end and escapes into the hands of the Siamese people who’ve come to view him as their savior.
In the second half, years later, after maturing into a cunning warrior and charismatic leader, Naresuan (Wanchana Sawatdee) begins his war upon Bayinnaung’s heir, Nandabuyin (Jukrit Ammarat), using the lessons he learned from the monk and as a witness of the Burmese court to win the day. With Maneechan (Taksaorn Paksukcharem) and Boonting by his side, he retaliates against the Burmese attacks and beats them back in an effort that will turn the tide and ultimately win Siam its freedom at long last.
The battle sequences are all at once impressive and a bit lacking in their technical wizardry. On one hand Director Yukol has some incredible authentic buildings to use as sets, and thus the siege scenes look fantastic, but on the other hand he uses lots of CGI for explosions. His intentions are good as he’s charged with creating explosive spectacles that befit the revered king’s legacy, but the compositing work is sloppy in places and it looks fake. When Yukol uses it sparingly, like for cannon fire or background explosions, the effect feels seamless and never takes you out of the moment, but when he puts it as the cinematic centerpiece the whole presentation falls apart.
Acting ranges wildly across the board due to the film’s reliance on some talented pros, child actors, and inept pieces of wood to fill out the cast. Jirayu La-Ongmanee and Suchada Chekly are the perfect example of the painfully bad child actors who seem like they’re speaking on command according to someone standing just off-camera enticing them with a treat. They play their parts by rote instead of acting and for that reason the first half of the series suffers severely. By contrast, the actors playing young and old Naresuan, Bayinnaung, and the monk give the film enough dramatic force to keep it going between the battles. Lex de Groot and Sompob Benjathikul deserve special mention as without them the first half would have been an unendurable bore of overly composited battles and prattling musings on politics and virtue, which can be riveting but unfortunately the script for Kingdom of War seems far more invested in glorifying the name of Naresuan than it does in providing a compelling narrative when swords and cannons aren’t blazing.
The detail in the filming can be awe-inspiring thanks to the Siamese palaces coated in gold and the ornate thrones the kings and princes sit upon. The visual splendor helps to offset the editor’s distracting use of crossfades from one cut to the next, sometimes in such rapid succession that it’s confusing to watch. The audio never really impresses as the dialogue is poorly recorded and distorts consistently throughout both halves. It’s disappointing to see a film so thoroughly let down in post-production.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
Three similar featurettes, a making-of and two behind-the-scenes pieces, are the real meaty extras on the discs (each part is on its own disc). After you’ve finished those there’s a genealogical look at Naresuan’s family tree, a really sappy music video in the style of 90s movies, and the international trailers for each part.
"Kingdom of War: Parts 1 and 2" is on sale June 14, 2011 and is not rated. Action, War. Directed by Chatrichalerm Yukol. Written by Chatrichalerm Yukol, Sunait Chutintaranond. Starring Lex De Groot, Pratcha Sananwatananont, Sompob Benjathikul, Wanchana Sawatdee.
