"Bangkok Hilton" (1989) TV mini-series

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Ken Cameron

Writers:

Ken Cameron (story) &
Terry Hayes (story) ...

Release Date:

9 October 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Nicole Kidman stars as Katrina, a young Australian woman whose very life is threatened by the deception of a man she loves

Plot:

The story of Kat Stanton (Kidman), an Australian woman searching for her father who, whilst travelling back from London to Australia via Thailand...

Plot Keywords:

Contraband | Drug Courier | Drugs | Framed | Prison

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Nicole Kidman	...	Katrina Stanton
Denholm Elliott	...	Hal Stanton
Hugo Weaving	...	Richard Carlisle
Joy Smithers	...	Mandy Engels
Norman Kaye	...	George McNair
Jerome Ehlers	...	Arkie Ragan
Noah Taylor	...	Billy Engels
Gerda Nicolson	...	Lady Faulkner
Lewis Fiander	...	James Stanton
Richard Carter	...	Detective King
Tan Chandraviroj	...	Major Sara
Judy Morris	...	Catherine Faulkner
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Alansu	...	Thai Police Sergeant
Vincent Ball	...	British Attache
Ambika Baxter	...	Immigration Officer, GOA
Lucy Bayler	...	Sarah
David Bennett	...	Sick Hospital Prisoner
Jonathan Biggins	...	O'Keefe
Teresa Blake	...	Kat Double
Amir Blazey	...	Indian Policeman
David Bookalil	...	Minister
Somsak Boonpetch	...	Thai Immigration Officer
Colin Borgonon	...	English Journalist
Brian Bovell	...	Postman
Terry Brady	...	Mechanic
Catherine Bull	...	Kat Stand In
Pauline Chan
Richard Colman	...	Hal Stand In
Cary Cowling	...	Major Sara's agent #1
Adolfo Cruzado	...	Senior Guard
Joseph Dibbayawan	...	Airport Security #2
Quang Dinh	...	Priest
Kat Ditthavong	...	Prison Governor
Wallas Eaton	...	Gordon Fleming
Mishi Fukinishi	...	Japanese Officer #2
Lachelle Gaymon	...	Astra's Friend
Ron Hackett	...	Senior British Officer
Amber Haidar	...	Kat Aged 5
Norman Hodges	...	Taxi Driver #1
Sally Hudson	...	Qantas Ticket Clerk
Elliot Jurd	...	Scruffy Boy
Tavit Karmolphachak	...	Judge #1
Vachira Karmolphachak	...	Airport Security #1
Ali Kay	...	Carlisle's Servant
Clarissa Kaye-Mason	...	Mrs. Cameron
Bogdan Koca	...	Picture Editor
Forin Kool	...	Thai Policeman
Lois Larimore	...	American Woman at Airport
Deidre Lassau	...	Miss Howell
Lin Chin Lee	...	Gnut
Sinan Leong	...	1st Ticket Clerk, Bangkok
Tony Lo	...	Night Guard
Gandhi MacIntyre	...	Hotel Manager, GOA
Charlie Mallanoo	...	Thai Court Officer
Lindsay McCormack	...	Male Prisoner
Raina McKeon	...	Cashier Luxury Hotel, GOA
Van Michael	...	Thai Guard
Richard Moss	...	Scotland Yard Inspector
Kazuhiro Muroyama	...	Japanese Officer #1
Helen Mutkins	...	Jane
Thieu Mai Ngo	...	Old Prison Warder
Patricia Ng	...	Boarding Clerk
Patrick Ng	...	Storeholder
Maureen O'Shaughnessy	...	Law Office Receptionist
Kirsten Overend	...	Blonde with Arkie
Chris Panasbodi	...	Executioner
Tipee Panchee	...	Court Typist
Grace Parr	...	Thai Thief
Arthur Percival	...	Taxi Driver #2
Jay Pillay	...	Air India Assistant, GOA
Don Reid	...	Doctor
Monroe Reimers	...	Indian Major
Jaime Robertson	...	War Records Office, Private
Vasant Sanpardith	...	Judge #2
John Sheerin	...	Quantas Manager
Michael Sinclair	...	Sir Richard
Angeline Sinthavachiva	...	Carlisle's Secretary
Zahrina Snell	...	Departure Clerk, GOA
Ron Stephenson	...	War Records Office Corporal
Saravut Tantiprasut	...	Maj. Sara's agent #2
Michael Tauro	...	Prison Patient
Deborah Kara Unger	...	Astra (as Deborah Unger)
William Usic	...	British Corporal
Fred Walsh	...	Hal Double
Vanessa Walton	...	Arkie's New Girl
Ram Worton	...	Anat
Chin Yu	...	Thai Doctor
Sylvia Yuen	...	2nd Ticket Clerk, Bangkok

Runtime:

Australia:270 min | Sweden:251 min | USA:240 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Balmain High School, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Kennedy Miller Productions

Movie Connections:

References The Day of the Jackal (1973)

Superior work from Australia.

This is the ultimate TV mini-series. Everything is right. The story, the acting, the filming, the length, the locations, what not?

It looks as if even the prison scenes have been filmed in a real Thai prison, although one might doubt if permission would have been given for that by the Thai authorities if the script was known to them. All the other Bangkok scenes are definitely filmed on real locations. Also the airport scenes. They were definitely filmed at Bangkok Airport. I can guarantee this, knowing the place well. In this series Nicole Kidman broke through as an actress and she would deserve an Oscar, if there were one for this category (TV movies). Her acting is so perfectly natural and it looks as if she is going through the events herself, like in a documentary. One seldom sees such superior acting in a TV mini-series. All the locations have been chosen extremely well. I happen to know Bangkok quite well and I would not have been able to suggest any better locations. The movie last for about 4.5 hours, but this is not one minute too long. One needs every scene in the movie and it never bores. One can hardly believe that 4.5 hours have passed when the end credits appear. Time flies and if one looks at a video or DVD version it is impossible to interrupt it.

This one clearly shows that a TV mini-series can be of high quality and can be far superior to a movie, made for theaters. We can be happy that there is a DVD version (at least there is one in Europe). Everybody will want to see this one more than once. Superior work from Australia! Without any hesitation: 10/10!