Director: Bin
Bunluerit
Notable Cast: Buakaw
Banchamek, Sornsin Maneewan, Nanthawut Boonrubsub, Pootarit Prombundal,
Kochakorn Nimakorn, Rapeepat Ekpankul, Jaran Ngamdee, Nirut Saosudchart,
Vannapoom Songsupap, Chutirada Junthit, Manop Aswathep
The martial arts quest film is one of the more popular
formulas for the genre. Even if it comes as a part of the whole, having our
heroes strive to learn more and better themselves through tests and challenges
is a key part to the genre and one that fans usually celebrate with almost no
regard to the actual quality of the quest itself. This is what makes the Thai
period film Broken Sword Hero a
rather fun twist on the usual tropes of the genre. It’s a quest film,
certainly, but often times instead of just a series of montages showing growth
or finding a single challenge they must overcome, Broken Sword Hero approaches it like a road trip film. There’s a
destination and on the way our hero meets friends that become fellow travelers
where they learn about themselves and the world around them as a vicious
villain chases them down. It’s almost refreshing that the tone of the quest is
different here and, in spite of some issues with the consistency of tone and
some of the cheesier moments, it ends up being a highly enjoyable martial arts
cinematic experience.