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Omen - aka “Sung horn” (2003)
Dir: Thammarak Kamuttmanoch
Three friends, Beam (Kavee Tanjararak), Dan (Woravej Danuwong ) and Big (Apichej
Kittikornjaroen) run a Graphic Design company and share a close but antagonistic
relationship.
One night, while driving home, Dan crashes his car into a tree and is knocked
unconscious. He wakes up in the run down house of a strange old women who has
the nasty habit of popping up from nowhere and then vanishing again.
A confused Dan thanks the women for looking after him and as he makes a hurried
departure she asks him “when will we meet again”?
Beam is also on his way home that night when young women named Oam (Supatchaya
Reunreung), is startled by strange voices and knocks off a flower pot onto his
car. She gives the angry Beam her phone number to arrange about damages.
We later learn that the same night Big, while stuck in traffic, is tricked by
a young street urchin who takes one of his toy cars that decorate Big’s
dashboard.
Next day, with Big giving him a lift to his broken down car, Dan sees the old
woman again at the side of the road, but she vanishes.
Sure that something truly weird is afoot Dan leads Big to the old Women’s
house. There Dan is asked the same question , “will we meet again”,
and also given a cryptic warning, an omen.
When something happens that would seem to be linked with the omen, the three
friends tell Dan to see the old women again, and more omens are foretold and
more strange events happen.
Are these omens for real? What is their link to the three friends and what happened
to them all that night? Is Oam involved? And what will happen to them all now?….
Dan Big and Beam are not only the names of the three lead characters in “Omen”,
but also the stage names of the actors themselves. You see Dan, Big and Beam
are known in Thailand as “D2B”, and that country’s hottest boy
band!
Yes, you did read that correctly but don’t run away screaming dear reader
, as they not only give fine performances but give them in a film that thankfully
ignores their boy band roots and instead gives them a chance to play serious
roles in a serious movie.
Written by Oxide and Danny Pang (famous for directing “The Eye”,
although their earlier “Bangkok Dangerous” was better) have given
the young stars a real meaty plot to master their acting abilities on and makes
sure that each of them has his moment in the spotlight.
The script plays around with the supernatural conventions we have come to know
from modern Asian cinema, but also uses it’s home grown superstitions and
beliefs to make for a movie that has enough ‘spooky weirdness’ to
appeal to Western audiences but retains a very Thai sensibility in how the movie
plays out and how that country’s traditions and beliefs shape the final
twist revelation.
It’s a twist (well, twists really as a few unexpected events come to pass)
that can be easily grasped on a basic level and thankfully works on an emotional
level (without which the film would simply die at the end for most Western viewers)
but it does also offer up a few rather confusing points to anyone not fully
tuned in to Thai folk-lore (for want of a better description) and to be honest,
if you aren’t, it’s best not to question too many of the details as
the initial satisfaction with the finale could well be damaged.
Dan (left), Big (middle), Beam (right).
What the script does do to perfection though is to showcase the charisma of
it’s leads. Like the unexpectedly effective turn by UK ex-boy band member
Luke Goss (“Bros”) as the vengeful Vampire in “Blade 2”,
Dan, Beam and Big all turn in solid turns that never jar with the rest of the
film.
Of the three it’s Woravej Danuwong (Dan) who truly shines and his character
is given by far the most interesting role. As the main link to the mysterious
old women Dan has to be essayed just right, and Woravej Danuwong does just that
giving a very satisfying and likeable performance.
Thammarak Kamuttmanoch directs at a sedate pace with only the build-up to Dan’s
crash relying on the sharp sound effects/music cues and fast edit visuals that
makes up much of Asia’s (especially Japan’s) style as far as supernatural
tales are concerned.
The biggest dangers for all ‘twist’ movies are three fold:
1) There is too little there in the script for a feature film to hold
the attention until the twist happens.
2) All was going well until the finale whereupon the twist was so bad
it ruined everything.
3) The twist is so damn obvious (no matter how good) that the film actually
ends on a low.
Thankfully “Omen” manages to avoid all three traps, although it comes
close to #1 sometimes, because of it’s assured and confident direction
and it’s four leads (as the pretty Supatchaya Reunreung also gives good
account of herself in her limited role). We like these characters and we want
things to work out for them, they are well essayed and Thammarak Kamuttmanoch
knows how to maintain our interest in them, even if when the main plot becomes
stretched. The last 3rd of the movie also provides some genuine pathos and is
successfully emotional and moving without dipping into unbearable sweetness
and fluff.
There is no gore or any real bloodshed to be seen here, no “Suspiria” style flights into otherworldly chaos and not a single juddering ghost with a hair-draped face. The supernatural part of the film is like a strange atmosphere that cloaks everything, never blasting it’s way out and never screaming in our faces. This approach actually work here, especially for the characters, although even at just over 80 minutes the film does feel like it’s been padded out just a little too much.
Away from the acting, the biggest technical and artistic strength of “Omen” is it’s excellent music and sound effects. The main theme (incorporating some highly effective ethereal voices) that opens the film works superbly in building the atmosphere and the stunning DTS sound mix used on this DVD release from ‘Panik House Entertainment’ really makes the music, and the well judged surround effects, a vital part of the film’s success.
So don’t go in expecting a full blown exercise in mayhem, or your typical Asian ghost fest (or for that matter a cheap and easy boy band cash in) and instead go in prepared for a haunting little tale that makes the characters it’s centrepiece and the performances , it’s music and it’s traditional Thai origins it’s main strengths. And if you do that, you will find a film that is for the most part engaging, fresh and generally successful in it’s twisting tale of the supernatural.
Receiving it’s Region 1 (North American) debut on the aforementioned ‘Panik
House Entertainment’ label, “Omen” has been given a nice
release both in terms of quality and content.
The anamorphic transfer (preserving its original 1.78:1 ratio) is nice with
only a bit of grain visible on the facial close-ups, the DTS soundtrack (there
is also a Dolby 5:1 and Surround mix) is beautifully crisp and clear and utilises
some excellent surround effects and the English subtitles are basically spot
on in their translation and grammar.
All in all a very nice presentation.
The extras at first seem a bit sparse (“Omen” trailer, trailer for
“Bangkok Haunted”, stills gallery, text history about “D2B”
and bios on the three guys) but hidden away on the menus are a couple of very
weighty Easter Egg treats, including a 40 minute ‘Making Of…”
with interviews and another containing ‘D2B’ related promotional material.
So go egg hunting!
Inside the DVD case you will find an insert card of the movie's poster and also
a sticker showing the DVD’s cover art.
Lastly I have to mention the lovely ‘metallic’ finish slip cover that
‘Panik House’ have used. The very cool artwork is given an
extra boost by this little beauty that radiates a rainbow sheen in direct sunlight.
Overall then 'Panik House Entertainment' have started their DVD journey very smartly with obviously appreciative attention paid to both the transfer and the presentation. Very nice indeed.