A Stranger in Paradise

I watched this movie as it came up on my Netflix feed and I saw some faces in the cast which are at least a little promising.... What a waste of time. The premise of the story is not too complicated and should allow for a simple, no nonsense action flick. A simple enough task even for the most mediocre storyteller or director, but alas, they failed completely. The story is full of gaping holes that are impossible to miss or ignore, the acting is mostly flat and worthy only of soap-operas.And the photography is derivative and bland as well. Not worth my time, nor that of any person that seriously likes films really.

Josh (Colin Egglesfield) is an investment banker under investigation by the SEC. He can't figure out why. His boss sends him to paradise or Bangkok to visit his club owner brother Paul (Stuart Townsend). While he is there he discovers everyone around him is in the Thai mafia laundering money. There is a body count, some torturing, and bad cops. The film is rather bland. Watching Colin on the screen, I kept thinking about how much he looks like Tom Cruise and how much he can't act like him. I can almost hear Colin say, "I could tell you, but then my girlfriend would have to kill you." In a way the film reminded me of "Runner Runner" with all the bells and whistles and no substance to make us care. Somehow when people are chasing after money in bank accounts, the thrill evaporates from action/ thrillers. Parental Guide: F-bomb, sex, * nudity.

The music in the film was good and the photography wasn't bad when considering the low budget this film was using. The script and action in the film was a bit stale and cliché, due to direction that appears to lack passion and a unique vision. The acting wasn't too great due to Colin Egglesfield's limited ability, though it was better than his lead role in the Thai horror film "Vampires: The Turning". Not many Thai gangster films exist, that are accessible to an American audience, so that is a good reason to see this film. This film has greed as a central component, drawing a connection between wall street greed, money laundry, and the Thai mafia. So, it isn't a surprise that it doesn't have a large budget and isn't well received. The main reason to watch this film is that these topics are difficult to find elsewhere as a Thai film.

I watched this movie a few weeks ago and honestly I cannot recall the entire plot line! Even the plot summary here on IMDb doesn't help much. But I did watch this movie because I recall that Lek takes Josh on as a partner in his investment company then tries to setup Josh as the fall guy for the criminal abuses of Lek's hedge fund. Lek gets caught by the SEC in the end and Josh gets the pretty girl. Josh also has a corrupt brother in Bangkok but Josh seems OK with this - maybe - I really don't fully remember. There are some action scenes in Bangkok and you can pretty much guess the rest of the story.

Good movie!