Tarm Kah 20,000 Miles (ตามฆ่า 20,000 ไมล์, 1977)

A few years after the big blaxploitation wave the Thai's thought it was time to do their own funky, "black", flick. The result became Tarm Kah 20,000 Miles, starring (not surprising) Sorapong Chatree and Krung Srivilai as two groovy cops (well, at least one of them is an FBI agent I think) with funky clothes and in one case (Sorapong's) a fine, juicy, awesome afro-wig! As usual with me I've been watching a movie on VCD and there was no subtitles. I have no idea really what the movie was about, but here's what I could decipher:

Krung travels to the United States where he hooks up with FBI agent Sorapong. Theyr'e having a ball, beating bad guys and also investigating a brutal murder. But someone don't want them to look to close and Sorapong's family is killed! Furious of revenge he and Krung takes on the baddies and kills as many as possible, but the syndicate behind it all is still after them. Back in Thailand they dig even deeper and find that a crime organization is doing something fishy! More death and mayhem etc etc.

So I have no idea why everything is happening. Drugs? Gold? Military secrets? No idea, sorry, but the crime syndicate really want to stop our heroes and tries everything to make them burn in hell. But come on, it's Sorapong - and Sorapong always wins!

Even if you don't understand the story, Tarm Kah 20,000 Miles is a damn fine action film. It looks like parts of it was shot in the US (but the quality on the VCD was so bad so it could have been shot in Norway and I wouldn't notice it!), including a good car chase in good ol' American style. There's also a shoot-out at a seedy bar and it's both bloody and spectacular I think it is not less than four times as someone jumps through a window to surprise the bad guys during the whole movie! The action is the selling point of this... thaisploitation and it also delivers in a competent low-budget way. It's a violent movie and it has it's fair share of squibs and blood, which is a nice surprise. Just the way a real gritty 70's crime movie should be.

Sorapong has always been one of my favourite actors and he's one of the few that one day can shoot a nonsense-movie and the other day do some heavy, impressive acting in a drama. Here he wanders around in a silly wig, but somehow keeps up appearances and never looses his cool style. Krung, a very fine actor, has an equally big part - but no wig.

The VCD from Lepso is another thing: just avoid it. I think there's better release out there somewhere. This looks like a third generation VHS dupe ripped from television (which it is, fragments of TV-commercials can be seen here and there) and I'm also 100 % sure it's shortened to fit some TV-slot. But this didn't stop it from being very entertaining and it's well worth watching for those that like this kind of Thai action.