( 2006 / Thailand )
( 2006 / Thailand )
Review By-Paul Cooke Director: Pleo Sirisuwan Starring: Andy Tungprasert , Charlad Na Sinkhole & Jerapat Wongpisanluk Source : Celestial Pictures / NTSC Region 3 DVD / Wide Screen Ratio 2:35:1 / Anamorphic 16:9 Enhanced / Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Sound / English Language Subtitles
‘‘You guys must leave here now !’’
Creatures born of folklore , and whispered tales of monstrously insidious beings , run amok in the new world. When disturbed within their own sanctuary , deep within a mysteriously pernicious forest , these phantom entities take on a very real and deadly form.
A circular shaped stone artifact holds the key to resetting time back to before the shape shifting life forms came to be. One lawful man has the opportunity to place the key , but other less scrupulous men seek to claim it for its all consuming abilities. The fight between good and evil plays out in the shrouded forest where even with others you can still be so very , very alone !.
A gang of escaped killers hold up in a small Thai village but are tracked down by the police. Led by a young captain named Wut a handful of police officers are forced to follow after the drug dealing thieves , and murderers , into the neighbouring jungle. Beyond the jungle is a desolate forest where legend has it that a terrible creature known as the Kinnorn dwells.
Naso , the leader of the criminals , steals an artifact from the villages residing monk , a carved circular stone that may bestow upon its keeper magical powers when its secret is unraveled. As Naso and his men are pursued into the forest , by Captain Wut and his fellow officers , above the centre of the jungle terrain hovers a perpetually dark and foreboding cloud. Wut and his men lose the services of their guide who is terrified to go beyond the jungle and into the mysterious forest. Undeterred both groups forge on in into the harsh realm. The deeper they go the farther away they become from the reality of the world they know. Assistance is not far behind the band of police as news gets back to the village , and an old tracker along with his guide trained daughter go after them to give their help. The old man knows what grave danger awaits and it is not long before events befall them all !.
The indigenous inhabitants of the forest pervasively encroach in order to reject the unwanted human presence , first appearing in the guise of a swarm of Tiger Wasps. Straying from the beaten track , even to innocently collect fresh water , is never a smart idea as the group of antagonists soon learn to their horror. With frightening precision the manifested swarm swoops down upon one singular unfortunate , stupid enough not to duck down , and with a near instantaneous feeding frenzy devour the flesh from his bones !. Thus begins the opening assault in this killer ‘B’ movie ( well , killer wasps by all account ! ).
The blood letting follows thick and fast , as do the varied monstrosities in many a shape and form. A woman’s voice hauntingly echoes through the forests night air , calling out to those that are not oblivious by the draw of sleep. An overly inquisitive police officer investigates and comes across a trio of sexy night nymphs , bathing naked in a stream. Beautiful heavenly bodied harpies using their womanly wiles to ensnare their male victims , before revealing their true form and ensnaring their prey in a deadly trap. These creatures of the night are a form of vampire. Suddenly ‘fangs’ aren’t all that they appear to be and its vampire central !. Only the timely arrival of the old man guide and his daughter save the rest of the group from having their toes tagged and a neck brace embossed with R.I.P.
Very atmospheric stuff , well played out and reminiscent of Hammer Horror dressed with a set by the great Italian Director Mario Bava. The harpies , it is told , are the Fruit Tree Maidens. Easy to see how most guys could fancy a ‘pear’ !. No time to dwell on events though as everyone’s now so knee deep within the woods that the Kinnorn’s monstrous minions can smell the blood of these human intruders. A carnivorous entourage of mini Dino lizards attack with military precision just as both groups come together and any issues are put aside in order to fight off the invasion. Get ready for some nice slice and dice Action Jurassic Park style as these frisky little critters have more teeth between them than a Bee Gees tribute convention . They , however , prove to be but the entrée for the largest feeder of them all as a gargantuan reptilian monster snake appears , and there’s no antidote for its killer kiss. Squeezing the life out of its victims and then swallowing whole , not even a presidential secretary has the throat capacity of this big boy !.
The two fractious groups are no longer fighting each other , but fighting to survive !.
More monster mayhem befalls the now vastly depleted human species until the mysterious appearance of two sisters , who belong to a tribe aligned to the artifact now in the reclaimed possession of Captain Wut. The survivors are taken to the sisters village and once night time falls things get even more bizarre !. The seemingly altruistic folk aren’t all that they appear , especially come the full moon !. What follows is a mass monster manifestation showdown , in an all out roundhouse closure. One heck of a ‘hell yeah’ finale that screams out the DVD recommendation - ‘Vengeance’ should be thine.
DVD Footnote: Due to Thai censorship scenes involving guns pointed at heads and lit cigarettes are annoyingly blurred. Thankfully only a few scenes contain such imagery but nonetheless a blot on an otherwise very nicely rendered DVD.
Trailer: www.vengeance-movie.com/eng/trailer.php
© 2007 cinema-nocturna.com
