Elephant White (2011)

I was curious to see this film because of very different reviews - i love Kevin Bacon as an actor and i could not believe that he would choose to take upon a bad role - thou many here said that this was his worst film ever... So i embraced myself for the worst... And i wasn't disappointed - yes, the film itself is a bit strange and at first it was hard to watch... Thou the key-point of this film is the story the creators want to tell - the dark and hard truth about human trafficking. There is not much glamor in it - a lot of truth is told here - truth we tend to ignore or we just don't think about it... So it's really worth watching. Besides, there is a bit of everything - a bit of action, a bit of fighting and shooting, a bit of friendship and respect... And of course - the mostly discussed topic - Kevin's accent and acting. I think it was brilliant! He nailed it perfectly - because that was the idea - a bit fake, a bit shallow and glamorous at the surface but at the same time - real, loyal and true friend, having his own understanding of the world, values and good vs bad. I am not saying that this film is some miracle - but it's not as bad as a lot of you are saying... Enjoy it!

At first glance this look like the run of the mill action movies. There's a lot of shoot outs, fighting, killing and general violence. The storyline isn't that complicated either. But that is not what make this movie interesting, yet repulsive. The movie takes place in Bangkok, in the red light district to be precise. The prostitution is controlled by mobster syndicates with no scruples and no mercy. Countless numbers of girls, which are mostly underage is forced into prostitution and drugged so the mobsters can control them. This makes them drug addicts and totally depended on their keepers, with no way to avoid the abuse. This aspect is portrait very close in the movie while it in the same time reflect the more religious and spiritual part of Thailand. Even the title "Elephant White" reflects to local religion and believe. So this makes the movie a bit hart gripping because it is not just another action movie.

The country of Thailand has been engaged in Human Trafficking for years and has reached epidemic proportions. Now, director Prachya Pinkaew has taken a story written by noted screenwriter Kevin Bernhardt and posted it on the silver screen. " Elephant White " is a misnomer. Although it's name implies various things it's roughly translate to Spirit or Ghost. From this simple explanation audiences are introduced to our hero, Curtie Church (Djimon Hounsou) who is a professional and prolific Hit-man who has accumulating a sizable cash reserve from his clandestine trade. His impressive store of weapons is amply provided by his English arms dealer Jimmy. (Kevin Bacon) Nearing the time when he feels he can retire, Curtie is on his last assignment when he is enjoined by a fleeting but beautiful young girl name Mae. (Jirantanin Pitakporntrakul) During the completion of his final score, Curtie is annoyed by Mae who wonders why the Hit-man is killing in the first place. Curtie plainly explains it for the money, the girl informs him that other Bad men need his expertise and brand of justice. Curtie thereafter sets out to stop the Traffing of child prostitutes by eliminating those who deal in human flesh. With Jimmy's endless source of arms the movie escalates into high gear with numerous and explosive action scenes, while the philosophical reasoning is elusive. Still it is a good film, despite the low caliber actor in the lead role, Bacon is relegated to a subservient part but manages to keep the audience's attention while the movie makes it's obvious point. Human trafficking is still a lucrative trade in Thailand and will continue until it's ambivalent government takes action. Recommended, but troubling to view. ****

An offbeat, but muddled and unsatisfying hit-man / revenge fare by film-maker Prachya Pinkaew (Ong-bak) in the mould of Liam Neeson's "Taken", but with a surreal spiritual take on things and a forced message (on human trafficking and child prostitution). The seedy narrative is an odd one, so are some of the performances with out-of-place Kevin Bacon using a strong cockney accent as a larger-than-life British arms dealer and Djimon Hounsou sleep-walking through it as the sleuth assassin. An American hired gun in Thailand takes on a job from a Thai businessman, whose daughter was abducted and murdered, but then finds himself caught up in an underworld war while also encountering a young prostitute (Jirantanin Pitakporntrakul) who he tries to help. At times there seems to be too much going on in the bombastic plot, but even with that factor it feels like its going through the motions. All dressed up, but no where to go but obviously something to say. Exotic Thailand locations add atmosphere, but the action while packing a brutal punch (the night time forest onslaught) and flashy imagery doesn't have much rhythm in its choreography and the talky nature often makes it meander. Fascinating in parts, but mainly an instinctively unfocused action thriller."Feels like I'm losing my mind."