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Tears of the Black Tiger (Wisit Sasanatieng, 2000)
This is a stylish Thai romantic melodrama, filled with sad love songs on the soundtrack, yet it seems to fancy itself to be a western at times. Most of the film seems to be set in the mid-20th century with characters riding in cars and the police riding in trucks. But the "bad guys" all ride horses and wear clothes which would most likely be found worn at a dude ranch. Yes, they use pistols and shotguns, but sometimes they use machine guns and bazookas too.
For the most part, the film is very melancholy, which does keep it firmly planted in the East Asian tradition, but when the violence erupts, it's pretty graphic. The director uses many stylistic devices, including painted backdrops (see above), colored filters, and computer technology to sometimes drain the film of its color or other times to add in pastels. The film is watchable, but the mishmash of genres and time periods, ultimately make it seem like too much of a gimmick movie. I'd recommend that one watch it because it might really hit home with you, but for several others, one viewing will be enough, or perhaps, even too much. That said, the director is a talent to watch.
This is a stylish Thai romantic melodrama, filled with sad love songs on the soundtrack, yet it seems to fancy itself to be a western at times. Most of the film seems to be set in the mid-20th century with characters riding in cars and the police riding in trucks. But the "bad guys" all ride horses and wear clothes which would most likely be found worn at a dude ranch. Yes, they use pistols and shotguns, but sometimes they use machine guns and bazookas too.
For the most part, the film is very melancholy, which does keep it firmly planted in the East Asian tradition, but when the violence erupts, it's pretty graphic. The director uses many stylistic devices, including painted backdrops (see above), colored filters, and computer technology to sometimes drain the film of its color or other times to add in pastels. The film is watchable, but the mishmash of genres and time periods, ultimately make it seem like too much of a gimmick movie. I'd recommend that one watch it because it might really hit home with you, but for several others, one viewing will be enough, or perhaps, even too much. That said, the director is a talent to watch.