Elephant White (2011) User Reviews

Kevin Bacon suited the part.

[rawiri42 · 6/10 · 8 May 2013]

Elephant White is a B Grade movie. But does that necessarily mean it's bad? NO it doesn't! Djimon Hounsou really impressed me - or should I say, his character did. I get really sick of movies where the hero only disables bad guys so that, after a remarkably fast recovery, they come back to give him more aggravation. Not so Curtie. He is a professional killer who eliminated low-lives very effectively and permanently! Of course, as is so typical with films like this, the bad guys are always terrible shots and probably couldn't hit a barn door at ten paces which is always annoying. Nevertheless, in this movie Curtie (Djimon) does get hit. Fortunately, of course, it wasn't fatal but it certainly gave the film a bit more credibility.

Kevin Bacon really suited playing an Englishman. I have never been much of a KB fan but, for some reason that I can't pinpoint, as a "pom" he was excellent. Someone else (an American) has written that Kevin's English accent was terrible and I would like to ask him how he knows. Kevin's English accent was great and really suited the part! Jason Statham eat your heart out!!

Since I didn't read the IMDb page about this movie, I didn't know that there was a fantasy element - which may or may not have been a good thing depending how you look at it. So when some weird things started happening I was quite taken by surprise. I'm not sure that the film actually needed that either.

Viewers should also bear in mind that this is a Thai film. The director Pracha Pinkaew is Thai and had six previous exploits as a director (half of those with Thai titles) and so they should remember that cultural differences are bound to be evident. He is obviously respected among his peers enough to have been elected president of the Thai Film Directors' Association.

So watch Elephant White with an open mind and enjoy it for what it is. The messages at the beginning of the end credits make it obvious that a statement was being made as well as presented in an entertaining manner. And next time you go to Thailand for a holiday, just think about it.

Guy is told to kill someone, guy gets a gun, guy starts killing, for an hour and a half. Great action. Good acting. I say B+

[cosmo_tiger · 7/10 · 16 May 2011]

Can you save someone by using a gun? When mercenary Curtie Church (Hounsou) is hired to take out the head of a human trafficking ring he finds himself not sure who's side he is on. When a girl named Meg finds him, he has another reason to stop the ring. This is a great action movie. Guy hires guy to kill someone, guy gets guns, starts killing...for an hour and a half. If you like movies with intricate plot lines and in-depth character development, this is not it. If you like non stop action, guns and fighting, this is the movie for you. The acting is actually pretty good, led by Djimon Hounsou and Kevin Bacon, but the action is what drives the movie. Very few action movies have a twist at the end that makes you want to re-watch right away to see if you can catch the moments that lead up to the twist, this is one of them. I'd be surprised if anyone can predict the twist to this. Very entertaining action movie that is worth watching. I give it a B+.

Would I watch again? - Yes I would to see if I can catch the twist moments I missed.

*Also try - Out Of Reach & Takedown

The theme of the movie makes it special!

[Julian0922 · 7/10 · 9 May 2011]

Although it a common action/thriller movie with lots of shootings its the actual theme of the movie that makes it worth watching. Child prostitution! A theme that is very very rarely covered and yet makes, according to the end of the movie billions of dollars each year.

Taken is the only movie I can remember that also had this theme. Elephant White is not as good as Taken, its missing some elements, but the story goes a bit deeper. Bacon plays Bacon, as usual, just his English accent its kinda funny.

Altogether, like I said, worth watching, for those who like action movies and for those who won't be shocked or disturbed to see how harsh real life really can be and obviously is, for some children!

If you can look past certain things you might enjoy this movie.

[jcramblet · 5/10 · 18 May 2011]

Was this the best movie I have ever seen? Absolutely not. Was it the worst movie I have ever seen? No again. This movie served one purpose, to showcase a martial arts, action and explosions. And to that effect, I think it hit its mark. I do have to say that the award for worst accent of 2010 goes to Kevin Bacon, but all in all I was entertained with the movie and have seen far more futile attempts in the past. I think the premise of the movie has entertaining, though done before. If you have the time to kill, I say give it a watch, but don't go sleepless at night because you haven't seen it yet. I say a solid 5 out of 10.

Really enjoyable action film

[shanaboxer · 4 August 2011]

OK I read the other reviews of this film before I decided to watch it, and to be honest I really don't know what the people who gave this film a really bad review, are talking about. I mean alright it was not an Oscar winner, but come on it wasn't a bad film, in fact I enjoyed it. The action scenes were shot well, and the dialogue while not fantastic, it was enough to keep you interested. Moreover, the story line about human trafficking and child prostitution is a one which is very real and about time more is done to tackle it in the real world, anyway the twist at the end of the film was surprising and completed the well rounded story. I have to say that Djimon Hounsou is a fantastic actor and did not disappoint in this film, Kevin Bacon was alright as well apart from the strange accent ( I actually thought my speakers were broken when he first began to talk !, I am from the UK and trust me no one talks like that here !). I was also impressed by Jirantanin Pitakporntrakul, who I thought acted really well and played a really good character, Mae and I hope to see her in more films in the future.

So would I recommend this film, well the answer is yes, it was an action packed film with a good story line and good acting, and more importantly the bad guys get their asses kicked, which is something that we don't really see to much of nowadays.

Strange little movie

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 10 July 2013]

I can't really put my finger on this one. But I did like its strangeness. It felt and probably was more than a little weird, but it did work. Even smaller roles like the one Kevin Bacon plays, are leaving an impression. Of course our main actor here is more than just a man on a mission. I reckon not everyone will buy into the philosophical aspect of the movie and if you feel the same, you should stop watching it or not watch it at all.

If you do try to watch it, you might be pleasantly surprised though. Keep your mind open if you can and just remember that this isn't a big budget movie. It does look very good (cinematography wise), but it doesn't mean it had a lot of money to spent. You'll either cherish that or you will be annoyed is my guess

" Take a Different route back, so the Spirits of the Dead can't follow you "

[thinker1691 · 8/10 · 25 December 2012]

The country of Thailand has been engaged in Human Trafficking for years and has reached epidemic proportions. Now, director Prachya Pinkaew has taken a story written by noted screenwriter Kevin Bernhardt and posted it on the silver screen. " Elephant White " is a misnomer. Although it's name implies various things it's roughly translate to Spirit or Ghost. From this simple explanation audiences are introduced to our hero, Curtie Church (Djimon Hounsou) who is a professional and prolific Hit-man who has accumulating a sizable cash reserve from his clandestine trade. His impressive store of weapons is amply provided by his English arms dealer Jimmy. (Kevin Bacon) Nearing the time when he feels he can retire, Curtie is on his last assignment when he is enjoined by a fleeting but beautiful young girl name Mae. (Jirantanin Pitakporntrakul) During the completion of his final score, Curtie is annoyed by Mae who wonders why the Hit-man is killing in the first place. Curtie plainly explains it for the money, the girl informs him that other Bad men need his expertise and brand of justice. Curtie thereafter sets out to stop the Traffing of child prostitutes by eliminating those who deal in human flesh. With Jimmy's endless source of arms the movie escalates into high gear with numerous and explosive action scenes, while the philosophical reasoning is elusive. Still it is a good film, despite the low caliber actor in the lead role, Bacon is relegated to a subservient part but manages to keep the audience's attention while the movie makes it's obvious point. Human trafficking is still a lucrative trade in Thailand and will continue until it's ambivalent government takes action. Recommended, but troubling to view. ****

Truly Awful

[mark-987-931841 · 2/10 · 26 February 2011]

The highlight of this film is Kevin Bacon's accent. He plays 'Jimmy the Brit' just so everyone knows he's supposed to be British (not an Aussie). His accent is a cross between Jason Statham and Dick Van Dyke with a good dollop of Ramsey-esque swearing thrown in.

Djimon Hounsou plays 'Curtie Church' (seriously) a troubled, spiritual mercenary with a conscience (Steven Seagal must have been unavailable). He has little to do in the film apart from shooting, slicing and generally rolling around an ever increasing number of bad guys.

The characters are all stereotypical, the script is lazy ("You're dark, and I don't mean your skin tone...") and the action scenes are bland, boring and forgettable.

Messy Action Flick

[claudio_carvalho · 5/10 · 19 May 2011]

In Bangkok, the assassin Curtie Church (Djimon Hounsou) is hired by a businessman to kill six men. Job done, the employer proposes another contract to Curtie to kill the lord of the traffickers that had addicted, prostituted and murdered his daughter.

Curtie seeks out the Englishman Jimmy (Kevin Bacon) that is an arm dealer and he rents heavy weapons. Then Curtie provokes a war between gangs to eliminate the greatest number of white slave traders. Meanwhile, the young prostitute Mae (Jirantanin Pitakporntrakul) meets Church and helps him to release other girls. When Mae vanishes, Curtie seeks her out and finds the truth about Mae.

"Elephant White" is a messy action flick with great action scenes but a confused screenplay that blends mystery, thriller and action. Kevin Bacon is weird with his British accent and I do not understand why the production didn't hire a British actor for the role of Jimmy. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Olho por Olho" ("Eye for an Eye")

Waste of time!

[canike07 · 4/10 · 2 March 2011]

I had the chance to see this movie and all I can say is that it was 90 minutes of my life that I wont get back.I had been looking forward to this, being that it was the English language debut of the guy(whose name is to long to spell out) who brought us ong bak & the protector. Dijamon Honsou was miscast, Kevin bacon did it for the paycheck and the movie as a whole just really didn't make sense and was boring. Bad direction, Weak plot, bad acting (Kevin Bacon's accent=horrible)The action scenes tried hard to look cool and stylish but just fail. To sum things up, I can see why this movie is headed straight to DVD & Blu-ray!

Underestimated

[lee-butler-138-820991 · 20 August 2011]

Very very unfair reviews. Kevin Bacon made a super job of the accent. Just because you're not used to seeing him do an English accent does not mean it is bad. Actually it was quite good. Overall the acting was good and the action scenes where good. The story line was good and the ending was good. What more do you want! Blood? For people who visit Bangkok or knows anything about day to day life in Thailand it adds entertainment for sure. Amalgamating Asian casts for western audiences is probably the hardest exercise in the film industry until we get another Bruce Lee. This film is not about martial arts at all, contrary to many posts here. The last film that tried this Bangkok dangerous failed miserably and I can assure you this film comes to the rescue in that department. Overall entertaining and well put together.

Entertaining Movie

[stevensteeler · 9/10 · 8 May 2011]

The plot was simple and the acting OK, but overall I really enjoyed this movie. I don't know what people expect from a movie. There are many bad reviews for this one, but I found it to have just enough action and I love seeing bad guys getting what they deserve. Kevin Bacon's accent is overdone, but I think it is suppose to be. I thought it was pretty funny. The lead actor was cast perfectly. He is strong in every role I have seen him in. There is no love story, but every once in a while a director has the courage to make a movie without a love story. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who hates bad guys. Check it out.

Very enjoyable and entertaining...

[Right-Wing-Man · 10/10 · 1 March 2011]

So far the reviews that were posted were very negative and so negative I almost didn't watch this movie. I am so glad that I trusted my gut on this one. Every Kevin Bacon movie that I have watched he has always delivered his character's with style and grace and a great work ethic and the same can be said for Djimon Hounsou.

What always upsets me personally is all of these jokers becoming movie critics and bashing on everyone, because their own lives suck.

I enjoyed this movie from start to finish; it was a good action movie, with good acting and a good story, now here is the part where most of the idiots that have reviewed this movie didn't get, because they are too shallow...

The movie is speaking to a much deeper issue as addressed in the movie, "Taken" and several others.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS A MAJOR SICKNESS on this planet and it's poignant movies like this that keep addressing the issue. I for one am grateful to the makers of this movie for delivering a very entertaining movie, but also a deeply human issue. Cheers... and P.S. Kevin Bacon's English accent was perfect!

It's actually a good movie

[onassis-lebogang · 7/10 · 29 May 2011]

OK i have to say it has its bad moments there and there but it was actually quite entertaining and quite catchy , it just needed a really good director and a good budget to to make some scenes stick.

I loved the fact that it has a lot of truth behind it, and that was masterfully portrait. the spiritual aspect of it made this take a different direction compared to most movies of the same genre

please go see this and don't discard it just because someone else said it was bad, this was a really well executed concept kind of delayed watching it cause a lot of people gave this a lot of bad reviews of which at this point i don't get at all.

My 409th Review: Good well-paced assassin in Bankok action film

[intelearts · 7/10 · 3 May 2011]

It's not often you get reviews that are either all 1 star or 10. This is a well-made tale about a lone gunman aided by a Brit nightclub owner who decides to take out one of the major crime families and their hordes single-handedly.

Excellent action sequences, some good acting, and all around this is one of the better action films of the year so far. It has some moral vision, albeit disguised amongst the prostitution and the guns, and two cracking lead performances.

If action films are your thing then this is definitely worth a view - it has pace, style, action, and some serious hardware, as well as some subtext that surprises. All in all, no way as bad as some of the reviewers here are suggesting and better than most by a mile.

"Do you like what you do?"

[lost-in-limbo · 5/10 · 28 January 2012]

An offbeat, but muddled and unsatisfying hit-man / revenge fare by film-maker Prachya Pinkaew (Ong-bak) in the mould of Liam Neeson's "Taken", but with a surreal spiritual take on things and a forced message (on human trafficking and child prostitution). The seedy narrative is an odd one, so are some of the performances with out-of-place Kevin Bacon using a strong cockney accent as a larger-than-life British arms dealer and Djimon Hounsou sleep-walking through it as the sleuth assassin. An American hired gun in Thailand takes on a job from a Thai businessman, whose daughter was abducted and murdered, but then finds himself caught up in an underworld war while also encountering a young prostitute (Jirantanin Pitakporntrakul) who he tries to help. At times there seems to be too much going on in the bombastic plot, but even with that factor it feels like its going through the motions. All dressed up, but no where to go but obviously something to say. Exotic Thailand locations add atmosphere, but the action while packing a brutal punch (the night time forest onslaught) and flashy imagery doesn't have much rhythm in its choreography and the talky nature often makes it meander. Fascinating in parts, but mainly an instinctively unfocused action thriller.

"Feels like I'm losing my mind."

Seen it all before... and better

[bowmanblue · 5/10 · 5 August 2014]

There's not an awful lot to say about 'Elephant White' (apart from observations regarding Kevin Bacon's accent, but we'll get to that later). It's about an assassin, hired to destroy gangs in Thailand in revenge for what they did to his daughter.

So he goes and kills them.

It's a revenge movie. Yes, the bad guys get punished - as you would expect - and yes, the hero does at least run into some trouble along the way. And, our hero is aided by none other than a British Kevin Bacon. For some reason, he has been told to adopt a borderline cockney/southern accent. When I first heard it, I thought the film had been dubbed. At least he's consistent throughout the film, but his voice is rather off-putting. However, he's not in it as much as the film's advertising poster may hope to imply. Fans of Kevin be warned: he's not in it that much.

Yes, there's action. And there's some nice 'sniper fights' which make a change from simply blasting the bad guys up close and personal. However, it's all been done before. It's an okay movie, but there's nothing original enough to make it into a really great movie (apart from Bacon's weird accent - that's worth hearing in itself).

http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

A mixed bag

[esseff_UK · 6/10 · 5 May 2011]

Kevin Bacon is probably the best thing about this, although his supposed British accent keeps going 'down under' into Australian. It also looked like it had to be over-dubbed afterwards as he clearly doesn't do accents well.

Djimon Hounsou is very believable, and the action scenes where he partakes in hand-to-hand combat are realistic and well executed. The dialogue is a bit patchy and the Thai characters are mostly your typical one-dimensional China/South East Asian stereotypes. I'm not familiar with the Thai director and I dare say in other hands the film might've been very different, but then access to Thailand may have been more restrictive, so swings and roundabouts.

Kevin bacon's small part is interesting but Djimon Hounsou makes this worth watching, for the integrity of the action if nothing else, but it's perhaps better suited to a home viewing rather than a ticket at the cinema.

Another day in paradise....no, in Bangkok

[torrentstorm · 2/10 · 26 February 2011]

Another day in paradise...no, in Bangkok (again). Another movie based on the less appealing side of Thailand...let's see: a cute Thai girl following a black guy (something smacks of a stereotype which porn films have successfully exploited), a sleazy Aussie involved with the underworld = honestly, I think this was one of Kevin Bacon's worst acting roles ever - i.e., girls, bar scenes, supplier of guns ... this guy has an arsenal!, then more big guns as the hit-man decides he needs to kill more people, and then even bigger guns when the hit-man decides he needs to kill even bigger numbers!

And Kevin Bacon with an Aussie accent? C'mon now, why an Aussie? Because Aussie's regard Thailand as one of their fav spots for drinking and whoring? What's this, a cliché?

In all this, the little Thai girl's role isn't clear until the end when we find out she is somehow linked to a white elephant that the head honcho keeps as a pet of sorts. I'm not sure what "new meaning" this entailed for the hit-man, but there you have it if you want to find out. I didn't understand it. Then, near the end, we have the dude saying goodbye with a new dress as a gift and a stash of foreign money - huh? it is unbelievable what a cheap image of Thailand such movies give, not just abroad, but within as well. It is no secret people there, girls especially, look upon foreigners as walking banks.

What was an intelligent director like Mr. Prachya Pinkaew trying to do here, other than give the World another vision of violence and sleaze which is prevalent in some circles in his otherwise beautiful country? Of course, it's all money, is it not? That is why he brought in Kevin Bacon and Djimon Hounsou, whom I watched in disbelief after remembering them in great movies like "A Few Good Men" and "Amistad". Big names, maybe, to adorn something akin to what you see in Thai TV every day? Guns, killing, brutalizing young girls...well, about 20 minutes into the film I said to myself: "Who made this? another Thai mentality, I'm sure", and when the end credits rolled by - there it was, true to type!

But maybe I am getting a little ahead of myself, because even though I am not Thai, I have been in Thailand some 6 or 7 times now, and every time I am impressed by the people, usually sweet, loving, and kind. In this the girl Mae (should be spelled 'Mei', the Thai form), -Jirantanin Pitakporntrakul- acted her part perfectly as the embodiment of what a nice girl behaves like in general. Her acting and expressions were spot on with what I have also seen many times there. I believe she single-handedly saved the movie in some way. Back dropping to another film of similar nature (Bangkok Dangerous, yeah, another based-in-Bangkok hit man movie - man, they churn these out by numbers there, don't they?), it was the girl, the deaf-mute who played Nick Cage's love interest, who gave some sense to that flick.

Back to 'Elephant White', I couldn't understand why Mae chose Curtie Church (Djimon Hounsou) as her 'avenging angel', since she repeatedly warned him about killing so many people. The Buddhist belief pleads forgiveness, understanding and acceptance. What I somehow understood was that as he was the one hired by the Head Honcho's son (disguised), to avenge 'his daughter's death' (how come a seasoned hit man didn't see through trick?), she became involved, although you will learn things go somewhat deeper, if you can get through the jumpy scenes, poorly filmed actions, disconnected story lines, incoherent sub-plots.

If you want to see naked Thai girls being forced into prostitution, drugs being injected between their toes, bullied, killing after killing, an Aussie and a hit-man in a silly rent-my-guns-today-but-break-my-nose-tomorrow, then this is the movie for you. Oh, and don't forget the everlasting dogma posted at the end, "2 million girls are forced into prostitution and slavery", a figure that has been disputed by serious authorities both in Thailand and abroad. Again, another negative check - no wonder every time I am asked 'where did you go', and I say Bangkok or Thailand, I spot the sneaky, suspicious expressions on people's faces. It's an image that unfortunately has become de facto thanks to movies and other media like this.

Aren't there more interesting and beautiful dramas and stories to be told from or in Thailand? Many places have some wonderful legends. How about a nice drama?

Why not tell some of these?

Accent all wrong

[medusamyth41 · 7/10 · 22 May 2012]

I am a very big Kevin Bacon fan. I was disappointed with his character in this movie. I couldn't get passed the accent. I was also not keen on the actress playing the part of Mae.

On the other hand, Djimon Hounsou played a great role. I will admit that sometimes I felt that he was invincible. But I still say that without him I wouldn't have scored the movie so high.

This movie made me aware of how much child prostitution goes on in different parts of the world. I couldn't believe how these young girls were treated (drugs, beatings,forced sex etc.).

All in all it was a good movie. Worth watching.

G'day and Tally Ho!

[aaron-973-713741 · 1/10 · 3 May 2011]

Firstly I would like to start by saying that I am a big fan of both of the leads in this film and have always had a soft spot for Kevin Bacon movies. Yeah I know he ain't the best actor but there has always been a likable and believable quality to him!!! That said this was truly the worst acting i have ever seen from him, the acting was only under shadowed by the fantastically awful accent which he had taken on "the Brit" really?? more the Ozzie!! I can truly say that this is the worst English accent which I have heard since old Dicky boy in the mighty Mary Poppins, now i know that however awful Dick Van Dyke was Mary Poppins was truly a fantastic film and the accent can be overlooked - this however cannot be said about this movie as it was totally horrific! the action was slow, the fight scenes were boring and unrealistic and overall the whole film was simply a wast of my life! I can truly say that this film is the worst film i have seen in several years (and i have watched Piranha 3D so need i say more).

Is this the end of Kevin Bacon ?? :( I hope not! I gave this a star rather than none as it was the only way i could leave this and save potential watchers from wasting their own precious time the way i did!

Not Kevin Bacon's Best Outing ....

[redirect-2 · 3/10 · 26 February 2011]

Well, Kevin Bacon has a limited role in this flick, the star being some good looking black dude with an impossibly hard to pronounce name. Even if you know who this guy is, you will forget about him very soon. He is terrible. But he does have muscles and nice teeth. Whoop whoop. Oh, and his martial art sequences are almost convincing if you close one eye and overlook the fact that the actor has no balance. If Kevin Bacon takes another project like this, he too will lose star power.

This movie is BAD. Very bad. No plot, no point, no story; and even the action sequences are out of sync. It takes place in Thailand, primarily in the red light district it would seem. Seems like every scene is shot at night too.

Dialogue is forced, choreography is poorly executed, and Kevin Bacon's Scottish accent is phony. But maybe he was trying to speak Welsh. Or Irish. Or Indian. Someone smarter than me in linguistics can probably do a better job of figuring out where Kevin Bacon pretended to be from.

This was a huge disappointment because I really like Kevin Bacon. What the hell was he thinking? Can't he get a better role? Is he so stupid that he can't figure out what a good story is? Maybe he has never read a good book in his life .. it is the only reasonable explanation.

Don't waste your time. This movie is phony from top to bottom. Film students could do a better job, that much is certain.

not just another action-flick

[pastorniels · 7/10 · 16 September 2013]

At first glance this look like the run of the mill action movies. There's a lot of shoot outs, fighting, killing and general violence. The storyline isn't that complicated either. But that is not what make this movie interesting, yet repulsive. The movie takes place in Bangkok, in the red light district to be precise. The prostitution is controlled by mobster syndicates with no scruples and no mercy. Countless numbers of girls, which are mostly underage is forced into prostitution and drugged so the mobsters can control them. This makes them drug addicts and totally depended on their keepers, with no way to avoid the abuse. This aspect is portrait very close in the movie while it in the same time reflect the more religious and spiritual part of Thailand. Even the title "Elephant White" reflects to local religion and believe. So this makes the movie a bit hart gripping because it is not just another action movie.

Neither great or terrible

[Wizard-8 · 21 June 2011]

There are some good things one can say about "Elephant White". As is the trademark with movies made by Millennium Films, the look of the movie is outstanding. The cinematography has rich colors, and the rest of the movie looks sleek and expensive - this movie could have played in theaters. There are also some decent action sequences, and it's nice to see the lead role being played by someone of African descent, something you usually don't see in a direct-to-video movie.

But there are also some parts of the movie not deserving of merit. Kevin Bacon (what's he doing in a direct-to-video movie?) gives a strange performance, speaking his dialogue with a weird accent. The movie's story contains no surprises, even with the supposed twist that comes near the very end. And the events of the movie unfold somewhat slowly - the movie could have been tightened up a bit.

In the end, this isn't a movie to seek out. But if it comes on cable during a slow day, you could find worse ways to spend your time.

Child prostitution in Thailand

[mattwilkie-990-581319 · 10/10 · 3 March 2011]

The movie itself seemed a little odd with its titles around the web as it doesn't really match the movie. But its a movie well worth watching as its very entertaining although a bit far fetched on some details. What it does have is a constant flow of entertainment and action but also scripted in a way to get you to think about the lives of those forced into prostitution and the revenge that so easily came about in this movie has very little affect in the real world. The acting was good in most parts although a couple of occasions was a little shaky but all together the whole movie was well put together and a good couple of hours worth spent.