Fantastic Fest 2009

From time to time a film comes along that is simply far, far better than it has any right to be -- a film that somehow rises above a ludicrous premise to become something far more than the sum of its parts. In 2009 that film is Thai combat-basketball film Fireball. Combat basketball? You bet. Fireball revolves around an underground to-the-death variant of basketball, a game played with the first team to score or, should a team fail to score, the team with the last man standing declared the winner. Itís preposterous, yes, but firm direction and a sharp eye from helmer Thanakorn Pongsuwan (Opapatika), a surprisingly strong script that treats its characters with respect and a winning cast that give said characters a believable edge make Fireball a winning guilty pleasure.

 

Freshly released from prison thanks to funds spread liberally in the right places by his identical twin brother Tan, Tai returns home to discover that all is not well. Tan is hospitalized and in a coma, the result of serious head wounds suffered in mysterious circumstances. He was clearly involved in something illegal to generate the funds for Taiís release but nobody knows exactly what he was doing, the only clue that he had been coming home badly bruised from playing basketball in the weeks before Tai's homecoming.  Determined to find the truth and exact revenge Tai goes to the courts where his brother played, assuming Tanís identity to learn what he can.

 

Director Pongsuwan is quickly establishing himself in the upper level of Thai genre directors. His sense of character is spot on, he has a sharp eye and he draws shockingly good performances from his cast of largely unknown stuntmen, all of whom could act circles around a certain other Thai mega-star. More importantly, however, Pongsuwan knows exactly what kind of film he is making here and he dives in to his chosen world with such gusto and dedication that the required suspension of disbelief becomes effortless. Every fireball match is a full on, no holds barred contest of bare knuckle brutality where everything goes. Hugely entertaining and surprisingly well made, Fireball is a pure, unrepentant b-film that takes its premise and pushes it as far as it can possibly go. Game on. (Todd Brown)