Written by Kongkiat Khomsiri
Directed by Kongkiat Khomsiri
Thailand, 2012
Templates exist for a reason. Their existence can serve as inspiration for future inventors, politicians, activists and artists to build upon and carve their own meaningful place within the domain of their choosing. In the case of art, use of a preceding piece of artistic expression can be both useful or counterproductive to creating something new. In film, the gangster genre has its legion of fans, yet at this point in time it is increasingly challenging to tell a fresh story. Thai director Kongkiat Khomsiri delves into the genre with a lavishly produced period piece aptly entitled The Gangster, which nestles itself in a semi-satisfactory zone by neither feeling like a completely tired retread on familiar ground nor bringing anything especially new to the foray.
Proposing a dramatization of the criminal careers of some of Thailand’s legendary lawless citizens from the 1950s and 1960s, Khomsiri’s picture begins by focussing on the friendship and exploits of Jod (Krisada Sukosol Clapp) and Daeng (Somchai Kemgald), but soon shifts focus to share some of the spotlight with two younger hoodlums who admire Jod and Daeng like no other and attempt to follow the footsteps of their idols. Infrequently intercut within the drama are snippets of interviews with some elderly men and women who lived through the infamous era when gangsters, Elvis Presley and James Dean ruled everything.
If there is one thing The Gangster for which shines brightest it is the character arcs, most of which feel very well realized, complete and ultimately fulfilling by the time the action-packed conclusion roars. The director and screenwriters actually take the time to develop not one one but two protagonist threads. Jod is the gangster soldier who rises within the organization’s ranks early on, therefore building himself a reputation despite several of his reservations towards mafioso practices. His story is that of a man whose purpose in life and in the clan is somewhat of a mystery, even to himself. On the one hand certain privileges entertain him, while the idea of ‘taking people out’ is not exactly his cup of tea despite that he is forced to do so on a few occasions. When given the option, Jod would much rather take a stab at less obviously violent means of resolution. One might consider him to be a gangster with a conscious, a quality that does not go unappreciated among some members yet is frowned upon by others. Krisada Sukosol Clapp, who really looks like an Asian Christian Bale, may not demonstrate the same calibre of acting, but there is an undeniable magnetism about his aura. Melancholic, pensive and very humane are easily communicated thorough his performance.
The second, interconnected thread follows the two aforementioned long time friend who look up to Jod. Their own career within the organization moves along at a decidedly slower pace, compensation coming from soaking up every bit of first hand experience they have the privilege of living. As can be expected, the dark clouds of greed eventually create a rift between them, splitting the blood brothers apart, resulting in a destructive rivalry. This subplot does not hold as much weight as does Jod’s personal journey of redemption through the myriad of criminal activity for the mere fact that it is a story viewers have seen told more than enough times in film. To be fair, there is nothing wrong per say with the performances, only that the young actors are working with terribly familiar material. It’s not bad material, nor even poorly executed material, just predictable material.
Another aspect The Gangster handles with a great sense of style is the impact American pop culture of the period influenced the behaviour of regular Thai people and the hoodlums. The songs and persona of Elvis Presley and shortly thereafter James Dean were revered by the ambitious if morally confused youth. Movies theatres would be filled to the brim if an Elvis movie was playing (which leads to one of the film’s better moments of humour) and the boys would slab copious amounts of jell in their hair to emulate the one and only King. The irony is that The Gangster‘s script follows the pattern of American gangster pictures a bit too well and within its story demonstrates how much American culture was importance to the characters.
The addition of brief interviews clips proves disappointing. The commentaries are only fifteen to twenty seconds in length and add absolutely nothing to the story. Worse still, the dramatization itself features some narration, oftentimes the content of which is repeated, practically verbatim, by the interviewees. Had director Khomsiri thought out the structure of his film a bit more fully, the intercutting of documentary footage with fictional representations of the stories the subjects recall might have been far more compelling. As stands, it is utterly pointless.
Is The Gangster an absolute must see? From the point of view of someone in search of an exhilarating new take on the genre, not particularly. The main reason to seek it out would be to discover a Thai version of a story already told, often extremely well. The lead, Krisada Sukosol Clapp, is very compelling and, in a very ‘meta’ way, the movie comments in how American culture was revered by people all the while closely adhering to the template of American gangster pictures. The Gangster should satisfy the curious, but a bit like when listening to too many Elvis songs, it begins to all sound the same in the end.
-Edgar Chaput
****
The Fantasia Film Festival celebrates 15 years and runs from July 18th to August 7th, 2013. For a complete schedule of films, screening times, and ticket information, please visit the official website for the Fantasia Film Festival.
