Bangkok Love Story

The trailer for this movie was beautiful. But the movie left me wanting. To me, it was unrealistic and just didn't flow right. The scenes, as beautiful as they are, were too drawn out, and somewhat ackward. This had such potential, but fell short. :(

Maek is an assassin for hire who kidnaps Iht, a married police informant. After taking Iht to his bosses, however, Maek learns that Iht is an innocent bystander and refuses to execute him, saying he does not kill innocent people. In the resulting fight, Maek is shot and escapes with the help of Iht. The two men hide out together and Iht nurses Maek back to health.

We gradually learn Maek's backstory, and discover he kills to earn money to care for his brother and his dying mother. As Iht and Maek grow closer, a romance develops between them. Maek must struggle with his own feelings of shame and memories of his abusive father as their enemies close in on the two men and their relationship is discovered.

Bangkok Love Story is very well acted and beautifully filmed. The two leads are attractive and likable and deliver very good performances. Rattanaballang Tohssawat is a standout as the tortured Maek. Some of the plot twists stretched the boundaries of believability for me, especially at the end, and prevent me giving it five stars. On the whole, this is a very beautiful and moving film. Highly recommended.

Per the comments here, I wrote to TLA asking about the running time, and here is their reply:

"The film was edited down to 90 minutes with the director's approval to tighten the structure of the film. The edited scenes will be included as extras in the DVD release for both the US and the UK."

"Bangkok Love Story"

Brilliant

Amos Lassen

"Bangkok Love Story" is a tale of forbidden love and it is presented in a romantic thriller that some have called the Thai "Brokeback Mountain". Set against sweaty and humid nights as a backdrop we watch two men embrace "the love that dare not speak its name".
Maek is a cold-blooded assassin for hire. He is sent to kill a police informant and by mistake and a twist of fate, the killer is shot because he refused to pull the trigger. After the two men escape together, they begin a strong bond. The assassin is nursed back to health by the handsome yet married informant. As the relationship between the two men grows stronger and feelings of desire arise between the two, their relationship is discovered by not only the biggest crime boss in Thailand but by the informant's wife as well. Friends and lovers become pitted against each other and the point of no return is reached. The future of the two lovers is put at risk and the twists and turns of the plot keep the viewer on the edge of his chair.
The film is visually beautiful to watch. The director, Poj Arnon, gives us the film in beautiful sepia-toned lighting with lots of thrilling action sequences as well as old-fashioned melodrama. The two males who play the leading roles are physically beautiful to watch. He acting is excellent and the final scene is heart wrenching. "Bangkok Love Story" is a beautiful movie that should be seen by all.

This brilliant movie ran 110 minutes at the London LGBT Film Festival. IMDB.com lists the runtime as 110 minutes. But both the Region 1 and Region 2 DVDs released by TLA state 90 minutes as the runtime. OK. Where'd the missing 20 minutes go? Is TLA offering the censored version that so frustrated moviegoers in Singapore? Demand an explanation from TLA before parting with your hard-earned cash...
UPDATE! UPDATE!
Like the "Fan of the Avengers etc" who has commented here, I wrote to TLA Marketing and in a very prompt and polite reply TLA did confirm that the DVD contains the deleted scenes that the director chose to excise for reasons of storytelling focus.