Skip to main content


Rating: 3.5/5
Review: "The Exchange" (90 minutes)

"A decent fast-paced Thai heist thriller that is marred by weak action choreography and shoddy editing" 

It's a low-key movie. You can hardly find information about this online when you type in its English title. Perhaps you will have better luck finding information in Thai. My curiosity piqued when I couldn't find any English review on it. Should I take the risk in watching an unknown movie? I finally decided that it wouldn't hurt buying a cheap ticket (US$2.50) to experience it.

I actually enjoyed the movie but not the experience. Sure the movie has its own flaws but it is not as distracting as the badly dubbed Khmer language. The dub is emotionless and does not fit the tone of the characters. I know Thai and Khmer are two different languages but I couldn't help by being distracted with the bad lip sync throughout the whole movie.

On the other hand, the movie is fast-paced enough to hold my attention. There are tense moments slapped with some actually-funny humor. The characters' motives are sometimes questionable and act as a plot convenience. There are some smart small twists. The biggest flaw is the action choreography. It is very weak compared to the other Thai action thrillers. There is a fair share of action however none of those scenes are convincing and marred by shaky camera and shoddy editing. The impact is weak and it shows that the director is not experienced in directing action at all. The only saving grace for the action scenes is the usage of slo-mo.  

Overall: Is it worth to watch this in a cinema in Cambodia? Only if you have some extra money to spend. The movie is entertaining enough to watch on big screen. The biggest downside is watching it in a badly dubbed Khmer language. It would be great to catch it in its original language, Thai to be immersed in the movie. It comes with English subtitles.   

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rating: 3.5/5 Review: Taken DVD review Taken is a new action movie that makes the audiences want more hard and gritty action flicks. I can see that now. Taken has the drama (Yawn!) and the realistic action (Like the Borne movies). Clocking at only 1 and a half hour, the movie starts off slow with drama. After half and hour pass, it goes straight to the intensity and non-stop realistic action. I don't like the slow start. As it is only 1 and a half hour, it do not have the time for slow characters' development. It should drive straight to the action, unless it clocks around 2 hours. The story: It seems to be the usual kidnapping movies where the bad guys kidnap some random girl/boy and ask for ransom. But in this, they kidnap young women to become sex-slaves. A father of a kidnapped daughter is enraged and goes to Paris where his daughter is. "I will find you! I will kill you!" He says to the bad guys. He starts punching and kicking people to hell. He kicks men's b...
Post a Comment
Read more
Rating: 3.5/5 Review: "From Vegas To Macau 2 movie review" "Loads of fun in Wong Jing's bigger sequel." Wong Jing is back with more madness, action, explosion and a longer runtime. As every sequel tries to top its original in every way, From Vegas To Macau 2 is no different. Lots of explosion, lots of wacky humour and more CGI, if these are your entertainment, the movie will do you no wrong. From the opening gun fight to the CGI climax, the story is kept brisk to keep your attention in check. The story: Chow Yun-fat is back as the titular gambler, Ken, with the magic hand. This time, the movie exaggerates his skills with CGI poker cards until it almost becomes a fantasy. But that's to be expected in a Wong Jing's movie. This time, the location is shifted to Thailand where Mark (Nick Cheung), an accountant in a money-laundering syndicate, DOA, is chased by Interpol and DOA. Ken has to save him and help his protege, Vincent (Shawn Yue). Wong Ji...
2 comments
Read more
Rating: 3.6/5 Review: "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D season 2 TV review" Season 2 has improved greatly. Starting straight from the massive cliffhanger in season 1, season 2 is more tense, action-packed, darker and better paced. I think season 1 took its time to introduce its characters before diving into the action. The time is spread out to individual characters' development. More twists and turns make the season a stark improvement. Episode 1-22: Skye has discovered her powers and is learning how to cope with it. Meanwhile, the team has its problems. Coulson seems to be hiding secrets. In fact, everybody has secrets. More powers are unleashed. It is a little surprising that Marvel is bold enough to veer the series to a darker tone by amping up the number of deaths and more violence. The whole season has little humour and moves at a brisk pace without really pausing. As the tension between human and superhuman increases by each episode, it is an exciting season that w...
1 comment
Read more