Raging Phoenix
Directed by:Rashane LimtrakulStarring: JeeJa Yanin Synopsis: Deu (Yanin) is the drummer of a local punk band. When she see’s her boyfriend two-timing her at her own gig, she goes nuts and attacks him. Abandoned by her band, she hits the bottle and stumbles the streets. She finds herself targeted by The Jaguar gang, who abduct women and extract their pheromones for an exclusive perfume. The gang nearly abduct her, but she is saved by Sanim, an expert in an obscure martial art called Mayraiyuth. He and his associates train Deu in their fighting style, in the hope that she will act as bait – all have a score to settle with the Jaguar Gang… Review:A lot of martial arts movies are accused of forsaking plot and character development at the expense of elaborate fight scenes, but I can’t remember any film which pushes the balance so far as Raging Phoenix does. The art of Mayraiyuth is admittedly amazing to watch, and famed choreographer Panna Rittikrai has developed some excellent eye-candy: the fighting style is a mix of drunken boxing and breakdancing moves. On paper it sounds horrible but is a joy to watch. The fights start out quite playful but develop a darker, meaner and harder tone as the film progresses to the third act. Jeeja Yanin, who made such an impact in Chocolate, is well on-form here, contorting her body in amazing ways while dealing out bone-crunching ass-kickings. There are plenty of not only “how the hell did she do that?”, but also “how the hell did she survive that?” moments. 
Where Raging Phoenix falls down is with the story it’s trying to tell. The plotting is very badly seeded and is given very little dramatic weight for the first two thirds of the film. Neither of the main characters are particularly likeable either, which makes it difficult to get behind them once the real action gets underway. The antagonists in Raging Phoenix are completely absent for long periods of time. The film centers so much on Deu training with Sanin and the other guys that the Jaguar gang, other than a brief appearance from some lower-ranking members early on, don’t get a look-in until the final chapters. 
Things start to get a bit weird and melodramatic in turn during the climax of the film. The leader of the Jaguar gang proves to be a lethal opponent and resides in a strange cavernous lair. The dark oppressive atmosphere is completely at odds to the breezy, colourful earlier scenes that the ending feels part of a different movie altogether. It certainly hasn’t earned the sort of emotional resonance it’s trying to convey. Verdict It looks fantastic, but Raging Phoenix is ultimately all empty spectacle. It’s great to look at, not so much to actually watch. Jeeja Yanin is definitely a star in the making though and will undoubtedly make better movies than this. 6 out of 10 (MikeOutWest)
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