Back to All News
Uncover the Darkest Depths in Bangkok Breaking: Heaven and Hell': Thai Action Film Climbs Global Charts
Entertainment
03 October 2024
GlobalThailand
Link copied to clipboard
Experience the wild ride of Bangkok Breaking: Heaven and Hell as viewers follow Wanchai navigating the chaos of his hellish life, all sparked by a seemingly innocent milk tea incident. This full-scale action film has soared to the No. 2 spot on Netflix's Global Top 10 Films (Non-English) chart while also ranking in the Top 10 in 32 countries - including Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, and more - with a total of 5 million hours viewed (from September 23-29, 2024).
Who would have guessed that beneath the surface of this intense action flick lies a wealth of unconventional ideas from acclaimed action-movie director Kome-Kongkiat Komesiri? This is the untold story of a hell crafted by humans and a narrative that will make you hit that replay button again and again!
Extraordinary ideas behind deeply layered characters
The secret to creating a film that goes beyond mere action set pieces lies in its uniquely crafted characters. Even if the audience only sees them for a brief moment, each character in the film was designed to tell their own story. Kome shared his vision for character creation, emphasizing the importance of making each character memorable and impactful.
One of the standout characters is Darlie, played by Day Thaitanium. Kome describes him as a Rat King - distorted on the outside and harboring a devilish nature. The goal was to make Day unrecognizable despite his fame as a rapper. Der, from the production design team, suggested Darlie should be a scary, unpredictable character with vitiligo to make him terrifying, and I agreed. Darlie is the king of this dump, so he must be a very crazy king, Kome explains. With the word Sawasdee tattooed on his forehead and a penchant for eating durian while slapping those who offend him with the peel, Darlie showcases Thai culture in a unique way.
Another complex character is Bank (Fluke-Teerapat Lohanan), who struggles with psychogenic stuttering. In the film, Bank tries to show off and present himself as a fierce thug while attempting to control the gambling den. Yet deep down, he is incredibly fragile, projecting strength and aggression that he ultimately cannot sustain - a character filled with contradictions, Kome muses.
Sumeth, played by Ping Lumpraploeng (Bhubhing Bhangsa-ard) is another notable character. Known primarily as a director with a great sense of humor, Ping takes on the role of a serious mob leader for the first time. I advised him not to be funny because we didnt want him to bring humor to this character, Kome says. It would be quite surprising to see him in this type of movie.
The multidimensional meaning of the name Saisin
Saisin is an auspicious name, but the character is often referred to as Sin, which sounds like Sil, meaning canon in Thai. This refers to principles that shouldnt be violated. However, when the screenwriting team translated the name into English, it became Sin, which adds another layer of depth to the character.
As Sin matures, he realizes that happiness doesnt rely on money; it comes from reflecting on ones past actions and the pride derived from them. The situations in the movie will test Sin and force him to choose his path as either a good guy or a bad guy.
Kome revealed why he believed Doo-Sanya Kunakorn would be perfect for this role: I chose Doo because of his looks, particularly his glasses, and his well-known role as an MC, which shapes public perception of him. I aimed to make the audience question whether that was really Doo-Sanya. It's a surprise, and Doo loved it because he was able to change his persona and do something he hadn't done before. No one on set recognized him. It was a true transformation, and we believe we are offering the audience something they havent seen before.
Mind 4EVE, who plays Meiji, shared her experience from the shoot: When I saw Doo on set, I was a bit scared of him because he had transformed into a completely different person! He was portraying such a scary character and delivered his performance very convincingly. But once the director said cut, he returned to being his kind self. I want you all to see him in this film.
A housing community brought to life
Kongkiat envisioned the Ruamjai Housing Community as a run-down area - one that no one would want to enter. Life within the community is unknown to outsiders; a hellscape filled with crime, gangsters, and impoverished residents that was crafted so realistically that Doo-Sanya Kunakorn thought it was a real place: I walked in and thought, Is there really a place like this in Thailand?' It looked so scary. However, the art department informed me that everything I was seeing was created by their team. They had constructed concrete building shells in a flooded swamp, which was incredible. It felt like being in another world.
It wasnt just the set that was believable, but the people too. Doo-Sanya continued, On the first day of filming, about 50 actors played homeless people. Usually, supporting actors wear minimal makeup because theyre far from the camera; but in this production, they were fully immersed in their roles. The crew was meticulous, ensuring every detail felt authentic.
A movie that showcases the survival of individuals across different generations
Kongkiat, who both directed and wrote the screenplay, wanted to convey to the audience that no matter what terrible circumstances life throws our way, the key to survival is to simply keep breathing.
Weir-Sukollawat Kanaros, who plays Wanchai, shares: This film brings together many generations, and each character represents different backgrounds, perspectives, occupations, and ages
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
08/09/2026
Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) has announced a multi-year agreement with A E...
08/09/2026
Spectra Logic today announced the availability of Media Insight, a new capabilit...
08/09/2026
Rogers Communications and Quebecor have announced a 12-year sublicensing agreement for French-language national NHL games beginning with the 2026-27 season. TVA...
08/09/2026
Skyline Communications and Bridge Technologies will demonstrate two integrations...
08/09/2026
Boland Communications will make the European debut of its 4K55HDR7SNB 55-inch super-narrow-bezel monitor at IBC2026 (Stand 12.C57, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-1...
08/09/2026
Ateme and Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) have announced a collaboration comb...
08/09/2026
Haivision has joined the IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme as part of t...
08/09/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced price reductions on its PYXIS 6K and Cinema Camera 6K models, effective immediately through Blackmagic Design resellers worldwid...
08/09/2026
AI-Media will demonstrate its LEXI Suite at IBC2026 (Booth 5.C34, September 11-1...
08/09/2026
Bitmovin and Ad Insertion Platform (AIP) have announced the first live deploymen...
08/09/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate story-centric media workflows at IBC2026 (Booth 9.A01, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14), connecting newsroom production, content ma...
08/09/2026
M2A Media and Ateme have announced a partnership integrating Ateme's video processing solutions into M2A Media's MediaToAnywhere platform for live sport...
08/09/2026
Ikegami will exhibit at IBC2026 (Stand 12.A31, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14), including a Day 1 introduction of new cameras in the UNICAM XE series. Additiona...
08/09/2026
Broadcast industry analysts will be gathering plenty of insights at the 2026 IBC Show this weekend in Amsterdam, but Caretta Research has offered up some though...
08/09/2026
SENSHI and DAZN have announced a global broadcast partnership that will bring SENSHI's live events free to viewers in more than 200 markets. The partnership...
08/09/2026
New architecture built with Evertz will bring 4K HDR to Monday Night Football, N...
08/09/2026
Built for rap producers, by rap producers
Sauceware Audio, the independent plug-in company founded by Grammy-nominated producer Jacob (Travis Scott, 21 Sava...
08/09/2026
Classic Sound Techniques design revived
Warm Audio's latest release delivers a meticulous recreation of the preamp circuitry employed by the Sound Techn...
08/09/2026
Latest soft synth inspired by the Memorymoog
XILS Lab have just launched a software instrument that draws its inspiration from Moog's iconic Memorymoog,...
08/09/2026
The Airport Chaplain takes off as SBS's biggest launch of 2026
8 September, 2026
Media releases
1.67 million viewers on National Total TV to date
Best...
08/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/09/2026
Mo-Sys, the world-leading developer of virtual production, camera robotics and image tracking technology, has completed a business restructuring, which has incl...
08/09/2026
New York, September 8, 2026 The TSAmediaHUB audiovisual contribution and distribution infrastructure developed by Telef nica's Audiovisual Services area re...
08/09/2026
Expanded Riyadh operation brings Asharq and Thmanyah services together on a resilient on-premises Pebble platform.
Pebble, the leading automation, content mana...
08/09/2026
Techex, a pioneering leader in live video workflows, will showcase its broadest software feature set to date at IBC 2026 (Stand 2.B45), extending its lead in so...
08/09/2026
Visitors to Grass Valley's booth at IBC2026 will be introduced to new Framelight X capabilities that connect content acquisition, management, editing and pu...
08/09/2026
BCNEXXT will showcase the latest evolution of Vipe at IBC2026 (Stand 2.B09), introducing a series of innovations designed to deliver higher-quality audience exp...
08/09/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Ad Insertion Platform (AIP), a leading innovator in advanced ad insertion technologies, to...
08/09/2026
Brainstorm, a leading manufacturer of real-time graphics and augmented and virtual production, is announcing a major package of enhancements to its Suite 7 soft...
08/09/2026
Big Blue Marble is supporting TDF, French infrastructure and network operator, broadcasting Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and radio services, as a techno...
08/09/2026
Agents work inside a single production environment, from incoming wire copy to a live studio show...
08/09/2026
Building on their strategic partnership, Ceeblue and Layercake make the unthinkable possible: scalable sub-second streaming over standard DRM, SSAI, and CDN wor...
08/09/2026
Brainstorm, a leading manufacturer of real-time graphics, augmented and virtual production, is completing the environment for fast-paced broadcast production wi...
08/09/2026
A SaaS portfolio built to work together, helping operators grow audiences, monetise smarter and run leaner, on their own terms
At IBC 2026 (stand 1.B49) Synam...
08/09/2026
Accedo, global provider of video streaming software and services, has been selected by PlayOn Sports, a national leader in high school sports technology, to exp...
08/09/2026
LiveU, the leader in live IP-video solutions, is enabling The Associated Press to take global newsgathering to the next stage with intelligent connectivity and ...
08/09/2026
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, today announced the latest evolution of it...
08/09/2026
Compact, power-efficient X Platform performance brings broadcast-grade reliability and ultra-low latency to space-constrained remote production (REMI) workflows...
08/09/2026
Zixi, the leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, and Kiloview, a leading provider of professional IP video encoding and decoding solutions, t...
08/09/2026
Collaboration gives content owners scalable CDN capacity and broadcasters enhanced flexibility, including for C-band transition planning
Quortex today announce...
08/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/09/2026
Telos Alliance and Pluxbox Announce Dynamic Media Facility Integration Partnersh...
08/09/2026
J nger Audio Showcases Industry-First S-ADM Cloud Workflow at IBC 2026
Search
Dolby, MainConcept, Techex and J nger Audio will showcase the industry's ...
08/09/2026
Tuesday 8 September 2026
Sky Go gets a major upgrade for Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers
Today, Sky launches a new version of the Sky Go app for Sky Glass ...
08/09/2026
Documentary thriller simulating a Russian attack on UK soil will culminate in a live final episode reuniting the playersTuesday 8 September 2026
Trailer releas...
08/09/2026
Tuesday 8 September 2026
Jamie Demetriou and Amelia Dimoldenberg to host next t...
08/09/2026
Wuppertal September 8, 2026
Riedel Introduces New OnAir Headset PlatformRiedel Communications today announced the launch of its new OnAir headset platform, a...
Back to All News
