Final Target

Oh no.

Noting the poor reception, nonetheless I had to ask myself, "how bad could it be?" We find out quickly exactly how bad it can be. Even in the very first scene, before two minutes have passed, one begins to understand how fundamentally troubled this film is going to be. I trust that the cast would demonstrate greater skills if given the opportunity to do so. I trust that as both writer and director Manop Udomdej has learned from their experiences here, and has grown in their skills in the subsequent years. I trust that the film, as we see it, reflects modest means and resources. I trust that all those involved would do better, if they had the chance to prove it. None of this changes the fact that from the very, very start, 'Vanquisher' is laborious and almost unwatchable.

Udomdej's direction results in acting and pacing that are terribly stilted, and sometimes acting that's direly forced and overblown. Their screenplay is no better, however, with awful, hackneyed, amateurish dialogue and scene writing, stock characters, and to be blunt, poor elucidation of the story at any given time; the narrative is incohesive and incoherent, struggles to feel complete on a basic level, and seems to throw in action sequences on a whim rather than attach them to the tale. Marketing plays up the involvement of women as action heroes, yet the script treats them like faceless agents of Something Or Other, and the camera illustrates loathsome male gaze in no few instances. I can forgive a cookie cutter Action Flick narrative, but that doesn't exactly help this title's case, either, least of all with meek, flimsy, unconvincing, and choppy plot development. The whole feature is majorly overproduced, betraying the inauthenticity, often (and inconsistently) with a soft, waxy sheen lying over the whole affair (and conversely, sometimes with a look and feel so barren and plainspoken as to almost hurt one's eyes). The CGI is painfully obvious, and for as overproduced as 'Vanquisher' is, even scenes that don't employ CGI often look just as fake and unbelievable. All this applies equally to stunts and effects. Moreover, between the fundamental visual appearance, the chewing of scenery that characterizes the performances, the lousy script, the overbearing and stuttered direction - and the use of slow motion in action sequences - I can only suppose that Udomdej matriculated from the Zack Snyder school of film-making, where style is prioritized over substance and even the style is rotten. In the very least, I readily thought of '300,' which is unquestionably one of the worst pictures I've ever seen. In some ways this 2009 flick might even have a leg up on the latter abomination, though unfortunately, overall, they're pretty much right on par.

The production design is meager (again I assume limited resources). The cinematography and editing are both equally overzealous and far too excitable, often dicing into mincemeat sequences that should elicit excitement and inspire engagement. The music is mostly very dull, bland, and repetitive. Even the credits, built-in subtitles, and text identifying the setting - words laid over top of the image - seem feeble and unprofessional, the work of someone without any experience. Where the pacing isn't stilted, it's rushed; Udomdej uses too many takes in which lines are flubbed, and one can only assume they never gave the actors even a second take to get it right. The result of all this is that ninety minutes crawl, tortuously, with storytelling that's hopelessly sloppy and weak, and film-making that frankly and pointedly recalls The Asylum, Uncork'd Entertainment, or maybe Uwe Boll as much as it does Zack Snyder. Ouch.

Judgment is rendered by the time only one-third of the length has elapsed, and that damning impression will not change. 'Vanquisher' is not representative of Thai cinema in its entirety, and we must be thankful for this. It is, however, representative of low-grade pablum (to the point of nearly being self-parodying) that reflects poorly on everyone who participated in its creation, whether they were witting perpetrators or unwitting victims. I earnestly wish only the best for all, and may they show their quality in other movies. Though nothing here came out well, I recognize the shadow of skill that had the potential to churn out a quality action thriller, and there is scattered value that almost rescues the picture from the bottom of the barrel. Yet the key word is "almost." No one needs to watch this, except as an example of How Not To Make Movies. Whatever it is you were hoping to get from it, I strongly advise that you look anywhere else. 'Vanquisher' is rubbish, and it belongs where all other rubbish goes.