Beautiful Boxer

[aka]

Just watched this today, excellent movie. Unfortunately, like Ong Bak, the only version I could find wasn't in English. However it wasnt very difficult to follow the story.

Basically its about this kid who wants to be a dancer, but is also secretly an admirer of muay thai. he gets bullied into fighting at a local event, and uses the only technique he knows- roundhouse kick, which he learnt from watching his brother- to win the match (after taking quite a beating)

after this he goes and joins a muay thai camp but it isnt quite what he wants- drill camp like training isnt his cup of tea. however the girl who cooks their food shows him the advanced fighters training in the woods and he is immediately taken with the beauty and grace of muay thai. It progresses from here with him fighting, winning, making money, and finally "coming out" that he is actually a woman trapped in a mans body. Finally, when he is rich enough, he gets the operation to change him into a woman. (weirdly enough, she is now a model in Bangkok- Thais are very open minded )

Movie is a bit slow to start off with, especially when you dont understand the language but when the action starts its awesome. The fights are some of the most realistic I have ever seen, while still adding in a bit of movie fu- flying elbows and some older muay boran techniques are mixed in with the brawling-, and all the people who act in it are trained muay thai fighters- you wont see any laughably uncomfortable actors trying to be kung fu masters ala the matrix here. The movie is very well acted, directed... honestly, this puts most big money hollywood films to shame.

And yes, it is a true story. Parinya Charoenphol is something of a legend in Thailand, and was an extremely accomplished fighter.

This Movie does come in a Region 0 sub-titled version you should be able to get it at Asiancultcinema.com

[Otaku Waffle]

I had to go to a Gay Movie Festival to get to see this movie around here...next time I'm wearing a sign which reads "No, I'm not gay, I'm here to see the fights.".

Nice thing was, I was one of the few not to be disappointed by this movie.

[WingChun Lawyer]

Good fighting, bad acting.

By the way, was I the only one who found it weird that the guy´s coach is a bloody caucasian?

[Poop Loops]

Damn whiteys ruining everything.

PL

[alex]

i thought the acting was alright. sure as **** better than ong bak, although that was more of a slapstick comedy anyway

[Lights Out]

I can´t beleive you guys haven´t heard of this movie until now.

Man, I even saw the guy/girl who´s life is the base for the script in interviews when the movie came to the theaters.

I´ve heard that sex change operations are quite common in thailand. And that Thai transexuals are the hardest to find out they are.

I know that some of you have heard the word "ladyboy" before...

I guess the sex change thing has to do with thailand being the biggest brotel on earth. Sucha a shame what can happen to a such a country with an intersting history and culture, and the homeland of one of the baddest MA... oh well, such is life...

[lifetime]

Tagline for Beautiful Boxer is "A champ has to fight like a man to become a woman"

It's been out in Asia for a few years now but I never picked it up because it looked too typically Thai creepy. I don't get what the hell is up with Asians and genderbending in sports, but god damn that's fucked up.

[Lights Out]

Yeah, I think there was a video of a MT fight in which one of the fighters moved, hairdressed and acted like a total fag. And by this i mean that he was acting like that on pretty purpose. He won on points the othre guy and you should see the reaction, the one beated was really pissed, like "I can´t belevie I lost to this fag" while the other was dancing booty-shake style all around the ring, and then he gave the loser a kiss.

Man this post looks like an AOL´er.

[isol8d]

Beautiful Boxer Official Site

I'm doing some work up in Hartford, CT. I picked up the local weekly paper, always a good source of restaurant reviews, and they reviewed this movie.

Very bizzare, I guess it's playing at the local Gay/Lesbian movie fesitval.

[Poop Loops]

Red fingernails make his butt look big.