NYAFF 2024 Review: Pattaya Heat

It’s hard to come to terms with the fact that Hollywood has been influential across the entire globe while other countries struggle to have their specific brand of cinema recognized on a macro scale. I’m an avid lover of Hong Kong action cinema and that particular brand has at least crossed over to some degree, but ask any random US citizen what their favorite Sammo Hung film is and they’ll probably look at you like you have four heads. Now, ask someone in Hong Kong what their favorite Quentin Tarantino film is and they’ll likely be able to name all of his work.

Whether or not that is right isn’t the point of this review. When I sat down to watch Pattaya Heat (which is also titled All Men Are Brothers in some regions), I did not expect to see a Thai riff on Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. There are certainly some qualities here that can be entertaining and which are pulled off pretty well, but man… emulating Guy Ritchie is not a great way to make a good impression.

Pattaya Heat
Director: Yang Shu Peng
Release Date: February 8, 2024 (Thailand), July 14, 2024 (NYAFF)
Country: Thailand

The general plot of Pattaya Heat is all over the place, so it’s actually kind of hard to summarize. In true Tarantino and Ritchie fashion, there’s a non-linear narrative that starts with one character’s perspective before shifting to another at an earlier point in time. All of that is fine, but it never elevates the film in any fashion. It seems to have been implemented in the editing phase to distract from how mediocre everything is.

An aging and soon-to-be-retired police officer named Chai (Thaneth Warakulnukroh) begins by explaining the criminal underworld of Pattaya, Thailand (which is roughly the equivalent of Las Vegas). While he likes to fancy himself as the boss, the real boss is the gangster Simon (Ananda Everingham), who has been ruling with an iron grip for too long. While Chai is content to let things be, his daughter has some unexplained medical issues that require tons of cash, so the allure of fast money eventually sees him fall into a criminal circle headed by Gee (Chermarn Boonyasak). Gee knows a thing or two about manipulating people and is ready to flex her prowess to steal what she needs to survive.

I’m not going to bother explaining things further as the biggest issue I have with Pattaya Heat is that the majority of its dialogue is exposition. Rarely goes a moment where one character isn’t explaining something to another that could easily be shown to the audience instead. There’s this whole angle with a recently released criminal, Thod (Jirayu Thantrakul), who finds his brother, Singh (Suchat Phutchanthuek), at his pizza restaurant. Unable to change, he starts dealing drugs alongside the regular business until Singh’s wife, Fah (Gulasatree Michalsky), catches on. This then catches the eye of Hok (Krissada Sukosol Clapp), who happens to work for Gee, and I think you see where this is going.

I remember during the mid-00s when these types of ensemble, interconnected movies became a big thing following the undeserved “Best Picture” win in 2005 for Crash. That movie wanted to make some statement about racism while forgetting to be an interesting movie in its own right. That was then followed by Babel in 2006 which was an even shallower copy of Crash. The idea that everyone’s lives can intersect at any moment is certainly intriguing, but when you’re rushing through character development or storylines just to have everyone convene in the end, that often results in slush.

While I’m not familiar with any of the actors in Pattaya Heat, most of the descriptions online say it figures a laundry list of popular Thai stars. I guess it might be interesting to see all of these big shots on screen together, but much like Hollywood ensemble pieces, nothing glues this endeavor together. No one has any particular moment that stands out and while it’s certainly an impressive feat to integrate so many different individuals, the film fails to hang its plot on a singular individual.

Chai is supposed to be the main character here, but at one point, the movie becomes more about Thod’s desire for revenge (Singh gets killed early on) and then even shifts to Gee looking to prove herself. Somehow, Gee masterminds everything in the movie and it’s never particularly clear how she stacked the deck in her favor. An obvious fake out with her tarot card reading doesn’t count as that does not explain how she knew Fah would betray her husband or how Chai would have an obsession with his late wife’s movie career.

This might sound dreadful, but I can’t leave this review without pointing out some positives. When the action does crop up, Pattaya Heat can get intense. There isn’t enough to really justify the first 90 minutes being so overloaded with narrative, but a brutal slaughter in the middle of the city gives the finale some payoff. The editing is also very slick, with the director sharing credit with Chaiyapruck Pratyawiwatanadacha. I also like the usage of a techno-infused cover of “Fur Elise” that doesn’t really support any mood or theme but sounds cool.

The acting from the principal cast is also engaging enough, feeling natural without ever boiling over into cheesiness. Ananda Everingham makes a convincing villain and I was really struck by Gulasatree Michalsky’s portrayal of a dastardly and manipulative temptress. The real issue is that everything Pattaya Heat is doing has not only been done better before but reminds you of those better films at every step.

If there were more originality to Pattaya Heat apart from it being a Thai production, I would be more positive here. If I wanted to watch a pale imitation of Guy Ritchie’s entire schtick, I would just watch a modern Guy Ritchie movie. Style can carry some movies across the finish line, but Pattaya Heat is in dire need of substance to make it feel worth a watch.

I will not go as far as to say that this film is a disaster as it’s really just a mediocre crime thriller. I have seen worse movies in my life and the Thai film industry has even produced worse than this. I truly think my expectations were simply out of whack when I heard this was an action film with a gritty hook. Pattaya Heat is far from that and despite some ugliness (trigger warning for anyone who is jumpy about violence against women), this feels like the same kind of schlock we’ve seen hundreds of times before.

If you don’t mind that and really just want to soak in the atmosphere of Thailand’s criminal underworld, then I suppose Pattaya Heat will do the trick. Just don’t expect much else to come from it.