JeeJa Yanin makes for one of the strongest and most believable heroines I've seen in an action film in a long, long time. On top of having screen presence and natural acting ability, she can kick some major ass without even breaking a sweat. Case in point."Chocolate" is full of dazzling fight sequences that are as brutal and hard-hitting as they are well choreographed and coherent. They get more and more creative as the film goes on before reaching a chaotic climax that takes full advantage of the actors' physical abilities.The story is a dramatic one, dealing with Zen's (JeeJa Yanin) quest to get the money that is owed to her family by various gangs in order to pay for her dying mother's hospital bills. Zen has a problem of her own. She is autistic and emotionally unstable. She is able to use this to her advantage, though, as her reflexes are incredibly precise and more advanced than the average person's. She spends some of her time watching martial arts movies, and she's able to pick up on the various moves she sees in the film, which carries into her own move set.I haven't read too deeply into the issue of autism, but the film seemed to treat it with care and respect; nothing came off as laughable.The film's photography has a washed out look that I wasn't necessarily the biggest fan of, but I suppose it works in the long run, given the film's moody subject matter and melodrama.Another thing I liked about the film was the severe lack of slapstick and goofy humor. I've seen to many martial arts films that are full of this sort of thing, and it usually comes off as more annoying than funny.Director Prachya Pinkaew also made such martial arts flicks as Ong-bak and The Protector, which are somewhat modern classics in the Asian film community. I haven't seen them yet, but if they're as well put together as Chocolate, I see no reason why I would dislike them.Despite the film's many strengths, it was hard for me to find it amazing. It's probably because I've already seen movies like this and was expecting something truly groundbreaking for the genre. Either way, it works.JeeJa Yanin is undoubtedly the film's greatest assets, and it'll be interesting to see what future projects she takes on. Hopefully they take full advantage of her talents more often than not. Seeing her fight, I was reminded of past female martial arts experts such as Yukari Oshima (My personal favorite) and Moon Lee. She even has a similar look to these women. So it's great to see a somewhat younger version of them living up to their legacy.Well, fans of the director's other work and martial arts films in general should give this a look, if only to witness a fresh new talent with a bright future ahead of her.

After Ong-Bak and Tom Yum Goong with Tony Jaa, Prachya Pinkaew moves towards "Chocolate", this time with a remarkable female lead JeeJa Yanin.Chocolate is about a bedridden mother (Ammara Siripong) and her autistic daughter (Yanin Vismitananda) with impeccable martial art skills. She goes on a rampage to collect the money from those who owe her mother (to cover her medical expenses).First 30 minutes take the story and characters to develop and you will see how Zen learns to kick the ass i.e. by watching The Protector (2005) and Ong-bak (2003). You will be amazed by her ability to pick-up the moves by just observation and applying them. She grows into a warrior, who can defeat 50 fighters nonchalantly.While Yanin did most of her own stunts and you will love the fight at the abattoir. The choreography is breathtaking and action is all over with a breathtaking pace.It is highly recommended that you watch this to the credits and the scenes will leave you dazed, how these actors perform the stunts and risk their lives to meet the perfection? You will appreciate their meticulous work in every frame of the movie.Highly recommended My vote 8/10

What a film ! I had no idea this film was made by the director of Ong Bak so everything turned out as a most brilliant surprise.If you want to read the best review of this film read the one from EBOSSERT on 14-May-2008. It says everything there is to say about this film. Basically, if you like action films, this is one of the very best action films I have ever seen and the storyline isn't bad either. The action sequences are just fantastic, and made even more fantastic because of the natural empathy one has for Zen, that girl !! I am already getting ready to watch this film a second time - that's how good the action was !

Without divulging the plot or the ending, I want to share my thoughts about Jeeja Yanin, so that people will know what they are getting. Her father died when she was young, 11 or 12, and given that she was a gold medalist in Tae Kwon Do as a child who had achieved 3rd level Dan, (equivalent to Black Belt) she helped support her mother and brother by becoming an instructor of TKD at age 14. She auditioned at age 18 for a small part in Born To Fight, and was noticed by filmmaker Prachya Pinkaew, and action stunt trainer Panna Rittikrai, when they decided she was special enough to make an entire film for. This girl quit University studies and trained for this film for four years. She trained under Rittikrai, the mentor of Tony Jaa, and Jaa himself. She trained for 2 years in preparation and 2 years while making the film. She also studied the symptoms and behavior of autistic children, staying with them and working with them, and reading up on everything she could in available literature and film on the subject, including Rain Man, etc. In addition to this, she had to overcome fear of heights (you'll see why) and subjected herself to constant injury, including life risking stunts. Watch the movie and enjoy her spectacular debut, and remember that you were there when a star was born. Enjoy the fact that she is a very special person, who put heart and soul into making the movie.