Bangkok Breaking Review: Wasted Potential

Bangkok Breaking is an action-crime-thriller series created by Rehan Malik which has 6 episodes, each around an hour long. The series follows Wanchai, who joins the road rescue service after arriving in Bangkok. However, once he starts to work, he figures out a shocking conspiracy with the help of a journalist that has devastating consequences.

– No Spoilers –

Bangkok Breaking Review

Bangkok Breaking starts with a chase sequence, an accident and a few horrifying deaths. The chain reaction is nothing short of shocking to watch and it’s a great start to the six-episode-long show.

Our principal character is Wanchai. He has come to Bangkok to meet his brother Jo and earn money for his family. However, that goes horribly wrong for him and he gets embroiled in a city-wide conspiracy.

Bangkok Breaking is a confusing, boring yet mysterious series. There are moments when the series does not make a whole lot of sense and things just happen. At other times, it feels like the series might be on to something truly shocking. There is a lot of blood and gore and the practical effects look great. However, the story is pretty uneven and will make you skip through a lot of it.

Bangkok Breaking’s problem is that it tries to incorporate absolutely so many moving cogs that it is difficult to keep track of them. And, of course, almost all of them have some nefarious intentions and deeper meanings. It’s not the worst thing per se, but it’s just too much sometimes.

There’s a scene where Wanchai, who is untrained and does not really know a lot about rescue work, just dons a firefighter outfit and runs into a burning building. Not only is it absolutely fantastical, but it is absolutely improbable. He then promptly passes out. Listen, being a hero is fine, but this is putting more pressure on the rescue workers.

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Anyway, Bangkok Breaking focuses on different facets of rescue work, including how greedy people take advantage of a tragedy. It also asks who’s right and who’s wrong in a tight situation such as Wanchai’s. They also added the perspective of how poverty makes people do things that they normally wouldn’t do. However, it does not create the mystery in an acceptable way. The series had the capability to make us shiver in our seats. But more often than not I was quite bored with what was going on.

Our protagonists, Sukollawat Kanarot and Sushar Manaying, are pretty great though and so are the supporting actors. Most are natural and look and feel the part. Kanarot and Manaying also have good chemistry and it feels nice to watch them on-screen. The cinematography and editing are fine as well.

Final Thoughts

Bangkok Breaking could’ve been a great show. Honestly, I wanted it to be so thrilling that I wouldn’t be able to move from the edge of my seat. Unfortunately, I felt rather bored throughout large chunks of the series. Of course, there still are many redeemable moments. So, it might just be some of your cup of tea!

Bangkok Breaking is streaming on Netflix.

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