I think it's underrated too. It's a very beautiful movieWith satisfied feeling ,it should be a big MOVIE more than being. If Hollywood like Karate kid or some Ninja revenges may be it's not your satisfactions.The movie's theme on three Thai traditional Muay Thai boys' friendships to gangster&impressive story ... Overall, it's a superb mixing to be a great movie.Absolutely check this out.Thai people should be proud on your traditional Muay Thai master for keeping this martial art to our generation pass the ruin time of gambling mafia and modern time. And this is a beautiful storyline for proving the great legend.

After I saw the commercial of this movie, I was expecting a solid Muay Thai action movie like those from Tony Ja. But I am totally wrong, there are only very limited action scenes. And all the fighting are composed with very short cuts which I personally dislike. I enjoy more median or long cuts that really show off the Marital Artist's talent like those you saw in Tony Ja or Bruce Lee's movies. OK, despite the wrong reception from the commercial, let's view it as a story telling movie. 3 bothers seek their dreams and went to 2 different directions... the plot is OK (not bad) for an action movie, but the director's story telling is just as awful as it could be. That guy certainly don't know where needs emphasizing and where should save the cuts. All those long boring scenes are unbearable to watch. Please don't waste your money and time. I certainly regret I did.

The movie was scheduled to closing The Bangkok International Festival but I missed that. After I finally see that.I was in awe of the show.3 friends from the southern Thailand, learned Muay Chaiya. Piak , Pao , Samor went to Bangkok to fight in the Professional MuayThai Boxing.Their career were included crimes.I saw the world of gangster in Boxing, life of night singer.In my opinion, its screenplay is very good because the director was professional writer before. (He was the crew in some Apichatpong film too.) It better than other Thai film and maybe better than some Hollywood film.Screenplay is very good ,so the film is the same..Kongkiat directed very well. He constructed a lot dimensions and artistic of violence.Likes Chan-Wook Park style, violence in this film is so much but he directed the view which had a reason.The friendship in childhood reminded me of City of God(Fernando Meirelles).Violences in gangster reminded me of Goodfella(Scorsese). And some photographing linked to WongKaWai style.I liked it so much especially the mixing of variable things.That made it the one of Best Thai Film of all time alongside 15kumdeaun11, Monster, Tin Mine, The Overture...Very good film,highly recommend who disappointed Tom Yum Koong. But Chaiya isn't only show Martial Art.It shows the heart of real Fighter.

At first, I thought this film was connected around martial action with some revenge among protagonists in its usual kind. However, after having finished watching it, this film is far beyond my expectation for this kind of film I have seen in years since I find my accessibility to this film quite unique.Although sequences of "Chaiya" boxing are well-choreographed and living up to acrobatic movement by its standard type of fighting, its plot is also satisfactory with subtle and multi-layered storyline, that makes some predictable ending to be easily ignored. The drama in this film, which depicts the lives of three male friends since beginning till the finale, is not that much saturated, but full of fluidity, instead. And that's the reason why the storyline emotionally affects and paves the good way for little twist, at the end, of why each protagonist has later shattered their friendship. Well-woven mixture between drama and martial bout definitely needs laurel. Additionally, besides the director sparking off his promising career, the performances, by many leading actors and supporting actresses, also do a commendable job. At last, cinematography, back to old-time Bangkok metropolis, is yet a joy to watch.Hope, when this film is globally screened, the foreign audience will see how magnificent it is. Highly recommended for this little gem.