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Chocolate
Masashi (Hiroshi Abe) a Yakuza boss looking
to expand his territory throughout Bangkok is captivated byt the
imperfections and beauty of a young girl by the name of Zin (Ammara
Siripong), though Zin is also the girlfriend of his Thai rival, 'Numer
Eight'. The two soon begin a daring affair which leads to Zin becoming
pregnant with his child, soon after Number Eight finds out and forces
Masashi to return to Japan leaving Zin to raise her child alone.
A few years after the Zen (JeeJa Yanin) is born, she is diagnosed with
Autism, and though she isn't the social butterfly, she does have a very
unique and extraordinary skill set. With a superhuman intellectual
ability and a uncanny form of coordination, She has developed the skills
of being able to catch any object thrown at her, and that's just the
beginning. Zen grows up next to a Muay Thai academy and under her own
will, she begins watching the teachings from a far and emulating them
herself in her own backyard. As she begins to master her craft she also
takes on mimicking martial arts movies and whatever she can get her
hands on to expand her newly found love.
Soon enough, her mother Zin is diagnosed with Cancer, and as the rising
cost of medication and their dwindling money, Zen is forced to try and
search for the money needed. In a a browse around the house, she comes
across her father's old mob book, revealing a massive chain of debts
owed to her family. With her mother's life on the line, Zen decides to
go and 'collect' the debts owed which ultimately leads her to her own
'Family Reunion'.
Looking at the cover of Chocolate, it doesn't hold much promise,
especially given the crediting on the jacket stating 'From The Director
Of Ong-Bak', it's usually a sign that the script was the last thing that
is thought of in the movie process. Surprisingly though, this is a
respectable change, yes the script has a large amount of plot holes and
cliché's and some things would just make a lot more sense if they were
removed all together.
But the opening scenes of the movie does
give a lot of telling emotion and setup a great connection with the main
character 'Zen'. Jeeja Yanin really can't be asked to provide anything
more to this role, she channels Dustin Hoffman's Rain Man, while
producing Bruce Lee like speed and agility. The fight scenes are
absolutely fantastic and should be applauded, fun, chaotic, technical,
and just a touch surprising, all the things a good martial arts movie
should have. It's a fresh change from the standard Martial Arts
'Blockbusters' that come out every year, and was likely done on a
quarter of the budget. It's difficult not to spoil anything from this
movie but if you like eastern movies, you'll enjoy this, if you love
martial arts movies, then just skip the first bit and watch from half
way, either way you win.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Making Of Chocolate
Theatrical Trailer
Stills Gallery |
