2000
Director Wisit Sasanatieng
Acclaimed Thai auteur Wisit Sasanatieng’s latest offering establishes its unusual tone early. After an impressive display of marksmanship from protagonist Dum (Chartchai
Ngamsan), the screen separating the audience from the action is breached, and a message appears, asking if we would like to see the shot again. Take Tears of the Black Tiger seriously at your own peril.
Sasanatieng’s western melodrama concentrates comically on the fractured relationship of two childhood sweethearts: Stella Malucchi’s privileged Rumpoey and the trigger-happy Dum, a lowly bandit in league with notorious outlaws Fai (Sombat Metanee) and the sadistic Mahesuan (Supakorn Kitsuwon). Rumpoey’s arranged marriage to Arawat Ruangvuth’s conservative Police Captain Kumjorn places the lovers on opposite sides of the law as the film spirals towards its climax.
Written and directed by Sasanatieng, Tears of the Black Tiger is as much homage to western cinema and Hong Kong action as it is a parody of Thailand’s own screenscapes. Despite cinematographer Nattawut Kittikhun’s outrageous yet gorgeous visuals - the opening shot of Rumpoey waiting in the gazebo for her lover, as the rain pours, is particularly striking -, it requires effort not to spend the film’s duration counting cinematic 
winks and nods. Showdowns between Dum and Mahesuan are complete with endless twitching retinas, a blatant tip of the hat to the Spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone. The explosive violence of Sam Peckinpah, the balletic gore of John Woo, and even iconic imagery from Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead make similar, identifiable appearances. This in no way detracts from the narrative; it would be hard to make it any more inconsequential.
From the purposeful scenery consumption of characters such as the cackling Mahesuan, to the mawkish moping of the doomed lovers, this melodramatic parody overpowers the senses, creating an unsettlingly bizarre viewing experience.
** ¾ / *****
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