Chocolate Reviewed

Martial Arts lost their way. The spectacle of its super human feats was ruined when things went totally digital. Wire-fu and CGI were entertaining for a bit sure but the near suicidal enthusiasm of the likes of 80’s Jackie Chan’s wins hands down every time. Of course this sort of thing becomes less attractive when more money, risk, and health and safety regulations rear their head. Some film-makers have taken that as a queue to use cgi more responsibly, using it to make a safe stunt feasible and still look good instead of sending the whole scene out to a render farm. Others such as the Director/ Writer/ Producer/ Fight Choreographer team of Prachya Pinkaew and Panna Rittikrai have made a career of reviving the real danger to their stunt teams and actors to make some spectacular movies.

Making a reputation on films such as Ong Bak and Tom Yum Goong (aka The Protector and Warrior King) they were able (together with the spectacular abilities of Tony Jaa) to create new interest in modern martial arts films. It’s a back to basics approach, plotless entertainment where the action is just entertaining enough that the rest doesn’t makes any difference.

Chocolate brings the team back together with a new star Jeeja Yanin taking up the centre of the poster position. Of course she cuts a slimmer silhouette than Jaa which means fast and graceful instead of angry and punishing.

Hmm, suppose I should talk about the plot now if I must. Zen is a young autistic girl with an amazing ability to learn martial arts from watching movies, if that worked I’d surely be an expert by now but swiftly moving on. Her Mother, Zin has developed cancer and while Zen and her podgy pal Muum are already making money entertaining kids with displays of her ability, a lot more is required to pay for Zin’s treatment. Zen decides to go collect some of the many debts owed to her Mother, oh did I forget to mention Zin was a gangster who fled in a feud between her former Thai gangster boyfriend and Zen’s father a Yakuza boss (you didn’t think Zen was going to do a charity run to raise the cash or anything did you?). So there are masses of gangsters in need of a righteous seeing to and Zen. Anywho can I leave the rest to your imagination?

The young star Jeeja Yanin making her debut pulls of incredible flips and acrobatics but is not necessarily the most charismatic of performers. Her fighting style lacks the incredible bone-breaking power of Tony Jaa. The film also for the most part lacks the centre piece virtuoso fight scenes such as the one-shot restaurant fight in Warrior King. But traditional fight settings are used to good effect including the ubiquitous ice factory, a blade packed butcher, and another restaurant.

Where the film does excel is in its acrobatics. Zin flies through the air spectacularly to make even the most ridiculous of kicks look very cool. The finale then pulls it all together perfectly, the dangerous stunts are amped up, the infeasible jumps and flips are just right. That final chase fight on the outside of the building almost saves it.

Unfortunately as you may have picked up the story and characters are for the most part nonsense. Zen’s father seems to have a rather pointless role to play, her mother does her best some scenes but the change in person from the intro to doting mother seems rather difficult to take. Zen herself does well but better will be asked of her in the future.

Pinkaew and Rittikrai have been doing this for a while now and I think it’s time to expect more in the way of story and heart. You could argue that this film is little more than an assemblage of spectacular fight scenes, something that could be seen in a couple of hours trawling round youtube, on this occasion they get away with it but only just.

7/10