I found this to be a very interesting and enjoyable film. High Hollywood production values and good performances by both Chow Yun-Fat and Jodie Foster, as well as a bunch of cute kids and an inherently interesting story give this a shot for several Oscar nominations.
Jodie Foster is great as the English teacher bringing modern thought into 19th century Siam, and Chow Yun-Fat does well as the cunning and thoughtful King. There's no singing, but there is some dancing, and there are some pretty cool special effects. The story is well told, and the only thing that kept this film from being an absolute winner for me was that the chemistry between Foster and Chow just wasn't quite enough. Still, definitely worth seeing. Chow Yun-Fat with a huge hat, riding an elephant and smoking cigars. Sweet.
Jodie Foster is great as the English teacher bringing modern thought into 19th century Siam, and Chow Yun-Fat does well as the cunning and thoughtful King. There's no singing, but there is some dancing, and there are some pretty cool special effects. The story is well told, and the only thing that kept this film from being an absolute winner for me was that the chemistry between Foster and Chow just wasn't quite enough. Still, definitely worth seeing. Chow Yun-Fat with a huge hat, riding an elephant and smoking cigars. Sweet.