- Actors: Buakaw Banchamek
- Director: Bin Bunluerit
- Disc Format: Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen
- Language: Thai (Dolby Digital 5.1), Thai (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region A/1
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Number of discs: 2
- Rated: Not Rated
- Studio: Well Go USA
- Release Date: October 31, 2017
- Run Time: 122 minutes
What it lacks in
narrative depth, Broken Sword Hero
makes up for in visual spectacle. Easily one of the best shot Thai films I have
ever seen, it also features nearly non-stop martial arts action throughout the
film. Although the story is often repetitive and almost inconsequential,
varying styles of fighting and interesting cinematography to capture it keep
the film engaging for much of the lengthy run-time.
Based upon the
real life of legendary Muay Thai warrior, Thongdee (Buakaw Banchamek), who went
on to be a legendary military general during Thailand’s
Ayutthaya
period, Broken Sword Hero traces the
beginnings of his journey. Even untrained, he is shown to be a natural fighter,
and the early segments of the film are simply a series of Muay Thai fights
in-between sequences of training montages. Traveling around the countryside of Thailand, our
hero and his friends learn different styles of fighting and eventually obtain
skills with a sword. Thongdee also learns humility, losing the arrogance that
he had before his first defeat.
Although there is an underdeveloped
rivalry that ends in a climactic fight for the freedom of his people, a
majority of the film is spent watching Thongdee travel to different masters to
train, before perfecting their specialty and moving on to the next one. This is
never altogether boring because of the constant martial arts action, but the
fighting would have had even more impact if the film had taken the time to give
us reason to care for the characters. Even with a love interest and comedic
relief crammed into the story, the story in the film never feels fully
realized. It is ironic that a movie about a real person would have a
protagonist that feels so underdeveloped. Technically speaking, Broken Sword Hero is something to
behold, but the narrative doesn’t come close to being as engaging.
The Blu-ray release also includes a
DVD copy, although that is just about it as far as special features are
concerned. With that being said, anyone considering watching this film should
attempt to do so in high definition. The quality of the Blu-ray presentation
highlights all of the film’s technical accomplishments. The cinematography is
the obvious reason to enjoy the Blu-ray, but the sound design for the film is
also often energetically enhanced by the DTS-HD Master Audio.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
Special Features: 2/10
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