Bodyguard is an exploitative mix of all the box-office guarantee of success: a full use of comedians and a reference to the hit Thai kickboxing martial arts Ong Bak. Following the recent popularity of comedy in which comedians become the most sought-out stars and several of them even turned into the director chairs, it used the no.1 comedian Mum Jokmok to direct, write the script and certainly, took the major role as an honest bodyguard of a rich millionaire family. All of the Thai comedians were cast, leaving only a few roles for other performers. The director-cum-actor Mum is for sure a man of all kinds of gags and jokes, but this time he becomes a man of few words and does more on action. Some gags might be more perceived by local audiences: the casting of famous Thai celebrities for a role in the farthest pole. The millionaire father was in fact the Thai Bob Dylan who used to be a soul-searching singer. Bodyguard’s story is very thin: a millionaire’s son hides his own identity during his hideout from his enemy’s gunmen, and the honest guard (Mum) tries at his full strength to protect his boss. But you will enjoy the gags and action scenes which were also looked over by Panna Ritthikran, the former B-grade’s action director and co-director of Ong Bak. Many performers from Ong Bak, including the heroine and the leading actor Tony Ja also, took a cameo role. But this time, you will enjoy not only Thai kickboxing arts but Chinese kungfu and actions!
Anchalee Chaiworaporn