My Dearest Assassin

Story: Lhan is still a young girl when a group of killers, led by Phruek (Toni Rakkaen), arrives in her village; they kill her parents and attempt to abduct her. She possesses an extremely rare blood type, one required by a terminally ill billionaire. However, before the girl can be kidnapped, Po (Chai Chartayodom Hiranyasthiti) and his men intervene to rescue her. Lhan grows up among these men, who are, in fact, assassins. Over the years, Lhan (Baifern Pimchanok Luevisadpaibul) befriends Phran (Tor Thanapob Leeratanakachorn), who is the son of her rescuer, and M (Porsche Sivakorn Adulsuttikul), who is also an orphan being trained as a contract killer. Lhan is forbidden from leaving the assassins' headquarters because Phruek is still searching for her. Lhan knows nothing of this, though, nor of her rare blood. She dreams only of exacting revenge upon her parents' murderer. One day, while the assassins are away on a mission, Pran secretly takes the girl he is in love with out. Lhan is delighted, and the two share a wonderful time together. They fail to realize that Phruek has recognized the girl on the street by a distinctive scar, though. He hires a group of killers to join him in storming the assassins' headquarters...

Review: "My Dearest Assassin" is one of those films where your level of enjoyment depends heavily on the expectations you bring to it. I went in expecting a hard-hitting action flick, whereas others, likely influenced by the title, might be anticipating more of a romantic drama. Netflix, too, probably faced some difficulties in marketing the film, for in truth, neither of these groups is likely to be truly satisfied with the final result. This is precisely why audience opinion on the film is so divided. I will begin by attempting to approach this review from a neutral standpoint, before concluding with my own, more personal verdict. The first thing that stands out is the high-gloss cinematography, which bears that signature "Netflix look". This means that certain scenes, which might otherwise call to mind a B-movie, don't immediately come across as such. Perhaps, however, that assessment is a tad unfair, as one must certainly credit the director with a solid command of his craft; after all, this is not his first feature film.

Perhaps, then, the problem lies more with the screenplay? Ultimately, the plot revolves around a girl with a very rare blood type, a trait that makes her indispensable to a billionaire. He is represented by a woman who orchestrates everything from the shadows, issuing orders in a distinctly "international" style, complete with broken English. As the story unfolds, nothing really happens that offers anything more than what one would expect from a classic B-grade action movie. This is despite the fact that the script actually attempts to give more space to the characters and their emotional lives. Had the focus truly rested there, one might have been able to overlook the rest. Yet it is precisely in the characterizations that the story’s greatest weaknesses become apparent. Baifern Pimchanok Luevisadpaibul plays Lhan, and it is immediately obvious that she is a talented actress. Still, that alone is not enough to make us care about the girl. There is a hinted-at love triangle that is never properly explored; then there is the actual romance, which is executed in an extremely superficial manner; but most frustrating of all is the fact that Lhan lacks any real depth of character. We know virtually nothing about her.

Pran is our heroine’s love interest. Unfortunately — despite some rather portentous dialogue — we encounter the same problem with him. M, on the other hand, is significant at the outset, offering hope for a trio dynamic brimming with buddy-movie charm; yet, he quickly fades into the background, only to be trotted out again right at the very end. This is a shame, as he is the true action star of the piece and delivers some of the film’s best scenes when it comes to intense hand-to-hand combat. During the finale - which, strictly speaking, actually takes place after the main showdown (leaving one to wonder beforehand what on earth is supposed to happen during the remaining 25 minutes) — the bond of friendship between the three characters once again takes center stage. The sense of helplessness conveyed during this sequence — without giving too much away here — proves to be an astonishingly original narrative device. However, the inevitable drama accompanying the love story ultimately fails to convince; although a great deal of screen time is devoted to these relationships, they lead nowhere, and the characters remain too underdeveloped for us to truly root for them.

I must briefly touch upon the script's weaknesses once more, though, for it is riddled with countless plot holes. Why isn't Lhan simply told why she isn't allowed to go outside? And during the few hours she manages to sneak out anyway, she is, of all people, recognized by the one man capable of doing so, and solely on the basis of her scar? That stretches believability a bit too far, even for a film of this genre. One of the film's strengths, on the other hand, is that the dramatic elements never feel as contrived as one might have feared. To be precise, they are actually quite effective — a success owed primarily to the lead actress. It is all the more tragic, then, that the romance fails to ignite. Toward the end, there is, of course, a bit of artificially manufactured drama — a trope inherent to the structure of such films — but what proves disappointing is that this is precisely the moment when one realizes just how emotionally detached we remain from the characters and their interpersonal relationships. Naturally, the protagonist's blood also plays a role in the plot. Nonetheless, it eventually becomes rather ridiculous that every "minor" injury seems to necessitate an immediate blood transfusion...

Compared to the last Thai film I watched on Netflix — "Ziam" — the drama part actually works quite well, and the action is significantly better, too. That doesn't necessarily extend to the gunfights, however, as these tend to be rather unspectacular. It certainly doesn't help that the camera is constantly "right in the thick of the action", following our heroes (shakily, of course). When it comes to unarmed combat, though, there are a few pleasant surprises. Even Lhan gets to show off some interesting moves, though you shouldn't expect a full-blown action heroine in the vein of what we used to see from Thailand back in the day, in films like "Chocolate", for instance. Moreover, "My Dearest Assassin" can be quite violent. While the blood during the gunfights is, sadly, computer-generated, the knife fights mostly utilize practical effects and fake blood. As a result, the brawls should certainly satisfy action fans. For me, however, the various elements of the film simply didn't mesh. It felt like it was missing a soul. I therefore cannot offer a personal recommendation; yet, in light of some solid action — and, above all, the well-acted drama — I’m willing to be a little lenient with my final rating.

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