When a hitman decides he’ll take one more assignment before getting out of the game, his plans go awry. Sound familiar? Of course. But in Bangkok Dangerous, Nicolas Cage nails this clichéd character by using his trademark emotionless voice plus his ability to project a vulnerability behind the hitman’s cynicism. Adding to the film’s watchability are Charlie Yeung’s touching performance as Cage’s deaf mute love interest, Decha Srimantra’s stunning cinematography, and Bryan Tyler’s splendid background music.

It’s puzzling to me why I enjoy movies about hitmen so much. Collateral and The Last Hit Man held me spellbound.  I also have to confess being entertained by Hitman. Maybe the possibility of redemption even for the worst of us draws me to the characters being portrayed. In the case of Bangkok Dangerous, I found myself wanting Joe (Cage), the anonymous American hitman, to seek and find that redemption right away.  Something about him got to me immediately. Was it his unkempt hair? His troubled eyes? His drug addiction?  Probably all those factors came into play for me.

After accepting a job in Bangkok -- one that involves four targets -- Joe hires Kong (Shahkrit Yamnarm) as his delivery boy. It’s not long before Joe breaks one of his principles. He starts to become fond of Kong and begins teaching him tricks of the hitman trade. Deviating further from his beliefs, Joe falls for the lovely Fon (Yeung), a pharmacy worker who communicates in sign language.  Joe’s involvement with Kong and Fon soon leads him down a path of change.

I loved the tender scenes between Joe and Fon, especially their visit to a temple -- which looks gorgeous under cinematographer Srimantra’s (Chocolate) artistic eye.  

By now I’ll bet you’re asking, “What about thrills, violence and suspense?” Fortunately, there’s enough of these elements here to satisfy most action fans, and  I definitely preferred seeing an exciting water chase instead of the speeding cars usually included in this type of movie. Gun fights, explosions, blood and gore abound -- but not to a ridiculous extreme. And Tyler’s (The Greatest Game Ever Played) original music never interferes with all this activity on screen, merely enhances it.

Directed by Oxide Pang and Danny Pang from Jason Richman’s (Swing Vote) adaptation of the 1999 Thai film of the same name, Bangkok Dangerous is as predictable as a snowstorm in December. However, don’t let that worry you. It’s a visually intriguing movie with excellent performances by Nicolas Cage and Charlie Yeung, who fills the screen with charm and grace.

(Released by Lionsgate and rated “R” for violence, language and some sexuality.)

NOTE:  First Look Studios has released a DVD of the  original Bangkok Dangerous. Click here to order that DVD. Both movies were made by the same writer/director duo of Oxide and Danny Pang.