59
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasThe vigorous Bang Rajan moves with a sure sense of direction and authority to its major culminating battle, a singularly savage and wrenching encounter that for all its bloodshed is never exploitative and concludes the film on a resounding note of tragic grandeur.
- 80L.A. WeeklyElla TaylorL.A. WeeklyElla TaylorIt's not easy to spend the better part of two hours with your heart parked in your mouth, but this roaring battle epic is worth the risk of your palpitations.
- 70VarietyDerek ElleyVarietyDerek ElleyVisceral and sweat-drenched, but also attaining a genuinely epic stature in its final reels.
- 70Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonVillage VoiceMichael AtkinsonAs hokey as "Braveheart" and yet much more apocalyptic, Thanit Jitnukul's muscular jungle bloodbath outdoes Hollywood's recent efforts at combat ultra-realism.
- 70Washington PostAnn HornadayWashington PostAnn HornadayA wartime epic in the most flamboyant, operatic tradition of the genre.
- 60Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesChicago ReaderJ.R. JonesThe battle scenes are bloody, visceral, and expertly edited, though arterial spray consumes so much screen time that the numerous subplots, involving 11 legendary Siamese defenders well-known to Thais, may feel perfunctory to Westerners despite some strong performances.
- 50The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe action, while busy, never produces much excitement, particularly since Thanit never gives the audience any reason to care about the characters, beyond their underdog status.
- 50Boston GlobeJanice PageBoston GlobeJanice PageChoppy, cheesy historical war epic really has only a couple of things going for it, and its biggest asset remains the heroic popular legend that inspired its making.
- 40Film ThreatPhil HallFilm ThreatPhil HallWooden, one-dimensional epic.
- 30Washington PostMichael O'SullivanWashington PostMichael O'SullivanIt becomes, after a while, little more than a mind-numbing bloodbath.