Tears of the Black Tiger (2001)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

I vote 10 out of 10. Film was great I enjoyed all of watching time. I have watched more than 5 times and whenever i think of my resemblance with character Dum. He lived alone all his life without love and only thinking Rumpey helped him worth of living. Also I had that feeling in my life that everything hasn't be happy and so this film make me felt so emotions (laughing, a little bit crying) that's for me best film ever. Directors makes films to people so they can really enjoy it and Sasaientag did it to me. Also touching soundtrack helped show the emotions if the characters. So best film ever for me I suggest to watch it at least 1 time very enjoyable!

No matter what title you want to issue it, this giddy western (eastern?) from Thailand is one to seek out if you like your entertainment loopy & left of centre. The film seems to have several over lapping plots, and probably twice as many sub plots. Don't let this throw you from having a fun time (just don't approach this with the same seriousness as you would approach a Merchant/Ivory production). The film features a top notch crackerjack cast of Thai actors (none of which I've ever heard of,but anyone with a knowledge of Thai cinema will probably go gog-ma-gog over their personal favourites). I especially admired the visual texture of the film, employing a palate of over saturated colour, giving it a look of classic Technicolor (as Hollywood & Europe used in the 1940's,until the old IB Technicolor process was pretty much phased out in the late 1970's). If you like your soundtrack music on the schmaltzy side, the music in this film will be right up your alley (if you've ever heard Thai pop music,you'll know exactly what I mean). Check your IQ at the door, sit back,relax & bask in (just under)two hours of Asian cinematic goofiness (i.e. have fun).

After his father was killed a young man named Dum joins a group of bandits who dress up cowboys and roam the countryside of Thailand. After joining them he soon has made a name for himself as the fasted gun in the east and which he is known as the Black Tiger. But in the back of his mind is a childhood sweetheart that grew up in the upper class of society and despite Dum coming from a poor family they decided to meet at a particular place to reunite. Though, Dum gets caught up in gunfight and misses the chance to be with his loved one. So because of that she is married off to a policeman, but this doesn't stop Dum from trying to get in contact with her, even if something always gets in between them.Wow! Did someone splash some sort of painting on the screen? What a feast for the eyes, but the substance was clearly drowned out by the vibrant plateau of ultra-bright colours and by also the deviously campy style the director opted out for. These visuals just leap off the screen and were more than impressive. Sadly because of the style being the film's main strong hold, the story had to fall by the wayside, really. It's simple, but not always as compelling to that of what's happening in the background. It's one of those films when style is everything. Even the spoof element foreshadows the plot. Closer attention in building something stronger in the plot could have made this a more perfect viewing.This Thai film is filled with many, that's MANY homage's from the western genre, especially that off Leone's spaghetti westerns. All of this is blended in with formulaic clichés and a romantic twist about fate. This tragic love story isn't particularly new, but the way they interwoven the eastern culture with the western. There are enough unpredictable patterns drawn up. The storyline isn't a linear one, because we explore into our protagonist's past midway through the flick, looking at why he became an outlaw and how important this girl has been in his life. While the opening and ending scenes are set in the present time. Actually, I was kind of confused about the whole setting, but I found out it's set in the modern times, but the outlaws are just dressed up as cowboys. Basically the film goes out of its way to blind us with it's weirdness and zestful context, but amongst all of this it mixes elements of Thai traditions to that of Hollywood successfully to give us a laugh and create some excitement along the way.The production follows that of the early spaghetti westerns filming techniques. These things range from sharp editing, to the kinetic and circulating camera-work. The quick pans always seem to have a mind of its own. The pulsating score splashes out a variety of eastern, but also western themes. Even one of Ennio Morricone's themes from "The Good, the bad and the Ugly" is continuously given a spin. *Hmm* the score actually seems to be on a loop. The way the film looks it does come across like a stage show and the pacing is somewhat up and down. Although when it gets into Western extravaganza with the wild shootouts and loud explosions it's simply eye catching with the amount flair and wham-bang awe that's generated. These moment are filled with arty images, but they let the red paint spill out gratuitously. They do go over-the-top at times, like its been ripped out of a comic book. That can go to the final stand off, which has some panache about it and ends rather nasty. All I got to say is Ouch! That's gotta hurt! I kept asking myself if I was watching a cartoon and that's definitely because of the look, but also the performances. These characters were beyond cheesy, and all had massive egos, well except for the two leads that were kinda flat. Those outlaws with their colourful outfits and sinister laughter were just ridiculously hilarious! I just love how it found something to take the mickey out of. Everything about the film is well equipped with it being snazzy and polished up. Replacing the grit and rawness found in most spaghetti westerns, by keeping in the mode of the technicolour Hollywood westerns. Oh, well.It's no more but a terribly cheesy parody (and a decent one too) with steroid pumping visuals. But a definite warning as this film is not for everyone. If you enjoyed the offbeat "The Happiness of the Katakuris" (2001) you might find something to like here.

If you are in for something different than you should definitely see this movie. "Tears of the Black Tiger" is a combination of a spaghetti Western (perhaps I should call it a noodle Western) and a romantic tearjerker, but as if that is not enough, it's also plenty of candy colors and some gory scenes. The story seems to come right out of the fifties and the (over-)acting will remind you of the silent movies in the 1920's and 1930's.I can assure you that it is rather surprising when you see Thai cowboys having a gun fight. It's rather obvious that the director is a great fan of Sergio Leone's work, because sometimes the scenes seem to come right out "Once Upon a Time in the West". And if they aren't almost a literal copy (the water dripping on the cowboy's hat for instance), than they sure have been influenced by it (the harmonica).The story seems to come right out of the fifties: a young couple can't be together because she's the daughter of a governor and he's a gang member from the countryside. She'll have to marry a young police officer, much against her will, and only wants to be with her lover. Of course the police officer and the 'bad guy' will meet...Sometimes the scenes are really magnificent (for instance on the lake with all the lotus flowers and the beautiful landscape), but most of the time the movie is a bit too ridiculous for me. I mean: I can still live with cowboys in Thailand and the colors were something different, but still enjoyable, but overall the story was a bit too naive and unbelievable too my taste. If this movie had been more a "classic" Asian movie, without the sometimes bizarre influences, I would have appreciated it a lot more. Now I give it a 5.5/10.