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BY MAGGIE SCOTT

Something was lost in translation when the Pang Brothers decided to direct an American version of their 1999 film, “Bangkok Dangerous.” Low budget looks aren’t helped by the presence of big budget star Nicolas Cage, and one of the world’s most exotic, colorful destinations in the world comes off as grimy and dismal.

Most of the action is set at night in uninspiring locations (Cage’s character finds love in a fluorescent lit pharmacy!) photographed in such a way that everything looks like it’s been doused in crude oil. It’s mostly underbelly all the way, with a story about a hit man finding a bit of unexpected respite from his grimly automated existence.

Joe’s line of work and his own ironclad rules pretty much rule out satisfying the basic human needs for love and a place to call home. He’s been philosophical about the work’s downside and handled the loneliness until now.

But, in Bangkok, Joe starts to lose his edge. He starts to feel something. He “sees himself” in Kong, the brash young hustler he hires off the street to be his go-between, and becomes his teacher. And, one night he walks into a drugstore and is mesmerized by the shy, lovely young clerk who helps him, despite her inability to hear, with finding something to treat a superficial wound he suffered during a hit.

The purity of their interaction, their cultural difference and her deafness provide a sense of security for Joe. He can leave the world of death behind, live in the moment and be a charming enigma to the innocent girl whose name means “rain.” Joe’s interaction with Kong and with Rain put him on a trajectory to tragedy.

Kong’s romantic indiscretion makes him vulnerable to men trying to get to Joe, and Rain’s accidental exposure to Joe’s second-nature skill at cold-blooded killing turn her against the man she thought was gentle and kind. Suddenly, it’s no longer a question of “taking the money for this last job and disappearing.” Joe has to face the consequences of making contact again with the human race. Redemption will have a high price.

Long on violence and barely registering on the sex, car chase and explosion scales, Bangkok Dangerous feels cheap and suspiciously like a job Cage took to pay for his vacation in a city and a country that deserve something a lot spicier than what the Pang Brothers have delivered.

Rated R for nudity, sexual content, violence, language
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