Clash is a
terrible movie.
A Thai martial arts picture, Clash has all the earmarks of a train wreck: lazy choreography,
poor blocking, wooden acting, and a story that’s just plain dull.
Let’s start with the story: it’s a Maguffin hunt, pure and
simple. The heroes don’t say
much. The villain listens to opera
and wears white shoes. There’s a
shootout at the end. Boring.
Fact is, however, that you can get away with that in your
action picture so long as the set-pieces work. Clash’s don’t. Yes, there are a number of good
stunts. But Clash doesn’t show me anything I haven’t seen before, and the
blocking ensures that I’ll notice the inch between the foot/fist/weapon of one
stuntman and the face of the other.
It doesn’t help when your leads know three expressions:
scowling, sullen, and cackling.
Not for one moment did I believe I Clash was showing me real people. Not for one moment did I feel any sense of vicarious
danger. Not for one moment did I
believe.
I was hoping for so much better.