Edge of the Empire

EDGE OF THE EMPIRE is a film of two halves that aims to cover the same kind of patriotic Thai history as BANG RAJAN. The first half, a lower-key exploration of the plight of the Thai people who find themselves increasingly oppressed under the Han Chinese dynasty, is very effective because it homes in on individual characters to explore their misery and you feel yourself caught up in their woes.

A shame, then, that the second half is so different and completely throws away the build-up that's come before. The second half tries to be a sprawling war epic, without the budget to offer more than one or two semi-standard mêlée battles with minimal combatants. Instead, there's way too much to-ing and fro-ing and a distinct lack of the full-blooded and heartfelt drama that the film promises at the outset.

A cast of forgettable characters, disorientated editing and a distinct lack of focus (at one stage the storyline jumps on four years in the blink of an eye) finally combine to make EDGE OF THE EMPIRE a dud, a film spoilt by its own ambitions. It's a shame, because BANG RAJAN was the perfect template of how to make a film like this good, by keeping it simple and focusing on a single village rather than trying to depict huge events that you don't have the budget to do justice to.