Director Chaya Supannarat and the majority of the cast of Bangkok Dog return to Gladiator Underground. D.Y. Sao, Brian Le, Sahajak Boonthanakit, and Ron Smoorenburg. While some of the roles were small. I do have to admit that some of them were impressive.
I wasn't impressed with Ron Smoorenburg in Bangkok Dog. But he was in Gladiator Underground. He pulled some grand moves. Too bad, he wasn't allowed to have a bigger part. D.Y. Sao is basically an anti-hero. While I did root for him, they never properly explained why he was at odds with his sifu and brother. I guess it made sense story-wise to leave that a mystery. Although I wished they had done a better job motivating his actions. It would have given the film a stronger story.
That being said, the story is very minimal and very much in service of the action. Basically, there is enough story to back up the fighting that occurs. To be honest, that is all we need. In essence, Gladiator Underground is like a less sophisticated version of Bloodsport, where some mechanics are changed up.
Sponsors of fighters can put in extra money to give their fighters an edge. While this is highly unfair, it did make events more compelling. Most of the martial arts are of high quality. Unfortunately, the film fails to make these feel like something is at stake.
I liked the ending, and it makes up for a lot of the shortcomings. But with all the talent involved, it could have been far better!
Please watch/listen to my thoughts on the film
T
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