Trailer for Thai actioner ‘The Sanctuary’

A trailer is out for THE SANCTUARY, writer-director Thanapon Maliwan’s second feature film after the action comedy BRAVE (2007). Both star up-and-coming martial arts actor Michael B. who started out as a stuntman working under action director Panna Rittikrai in ONG-BAK and BORN TO FIGHT.

THE SANCTUARY is a co-production between Las Vegas-based Birth Tree Entertainment and India’s Infinity Filmed Entertainment. Birch Tree specializes in martial arts action and has so far produced or co-produced four other related films including BRAVE, HIGH KICK GIRL, HONOR, and THE PROCESS starring Ernie Reyes Jr.

A young Muay Thai warrior is accused of stealing a holy emerald that his master appointed him to protect. Now on the run from the police, he must retrieve the emerald from the mafia in order to prove his innocence and return the emerald to its holy place.

Michael graduated to action director and star in 2005 with the action drama DEK-DEHN and is now looking to join the ranks of Thailand’s top male action talents including Tony Jaa and Dan Chupong.

According to Twitch Film, THE SANTUARY started out as another movie called DEAD END which ran into a literal dead end financially until its re-launch with Chinese-American actor Russell Wong (ROMEO MUST DIE) added to the cast.

A year ago Variety stated that THE SANCTUARY was going to be an English-language film co-starring British martial arts actor Gary Daniels. With Daniels nowhere in sight in the trailer, I’m guessing he was replaced by Wong at some point.

I still feel sorry for Wong after his BLASH SASH TV series fizzled. He’s been cast in a lot of action roles for projects that have turned out to be stinkers. There aren’t a lot of successful Asian actors working in Hollywood and it seems like they have to leave the country to find decent work. Look at Daniel Wu, Donnie Yen, Conan Lee, Johnny Tri Nguyen, and the list goes on.

It looks like Wong has a solid fighting role in this movie. Honestly, I like his moves in the trailer more than the over-stylized, slo-mo stuff the other fighters are displaying. There seems to be way too much dazzle and not enough substance, which has consistently been the problem with Thai action cinema. I’d love to be proven wrong though. Mike B. looks like another genuinely talented screen fighter.

Source: Twitch Film