OJT Maybe I was expectiog too much from this film, which fails due to bad direction. Even good actors can struggle when instruction is not up to top notch work.Djimon Hounsou and Kevin Bacon isn't able to lift this film from mediocrity.The start reveals the films problem. Beautiful colorful Thailand is the background for this film about trafficking, made by Thailands perhaps most famous director Prachya Pinkaew. It's action filled and tries to build up tension, but it fails.The plot is simple, but told in a way that makes you think it's hard to follow the story. we meet up with a hit-man, which is a sharp sniper. He is paid to find a daughter which is lures into sex-trafficking. The film is also littered with stupid light weight violence, and imperfect timing and falling. and the film music is both cliché and ill fitted.The best things, except the colors, is the stylistic filming. you might also say that this films manages to entertain a little, but not enough to make up for the flaws. The acting is not quite so believable that I buy it. It's easy made one shot TV-stuff, like cheap American TV-series.If you think this is a with the quality of "Blood Diomond" or "Trade" you're far from the goal here.

Daniel Hollis Sometimes a straight to DVD release can slip under the radar and become a highly under-rated and cult hit. 'Elephant White' does not fall under this category. Djimon Hounsou stars as professional hit man Church who is contracted to avenge the murder of his client's daughter. Alongside is Kevin Bacon, an arms dealer known as Jimmy who assists Church while he tracks down the men who committed this terrible act.The horrific abomination that this movie is seeps through from the very start where subject matters are introduced and dealt in truly sleazy ways. One being the a side story revolving around teenage prostitution that puts no effort into showing how revolting it truly is but merely using the dark subject and trivializing it to push the plot forward. The character development barely changes from what they all originally were. Church remains a destructive force, merely dispersing people feeling no remorse or consequence for his actions. It would be understandable if the film was trying to remain a bland action film but it feels as though it's constantly trying to push out some awareness to something but failing in every sense due to terrible direction from director Prachya Pinkaew.All these points are nothing compared to the absolutely stale performances that are woven within this destructively vile film. Notably the worst performancethat Kevin Bacon has done in his career. He brings across his own take of a British accent, which teeters between that of a southern Englishman and an Australian. Accompanied with this is his Keith Richards impersonation he adds to the mix, which brings it to the point that you actually want to avert your eyes. Jirantanin Pitakporntrakul stars in her first role as Mae, a 14-year-old teenage prostitute and after this performance it wouldn't be surprising if it was her last role. She comes across and whiny, annoying and self centered, which could all be down to poor direction but that would not change the fact her character was not believable or easy to relate to.There is absolutely nothing to take from Elephant White, aside from a semi-enjoyable sniper segment but even after that you'll have a sour taste in your mouth just for even thinking there was something enjoyable to take away from this film. It's dripping in filth, un-moral subject matters and bland, annoying characters. Truly one of the worst films in recent memory that nobody should have to endure.

bsevingen If you are looking for an adventure movie, think again if this specific film is the one you're looking for. The plot was very simple and uninteresting. I was hoping for a Michael Mann and realistically expecting a Hollywood made Hong Kong style macho film. However this one was neither stylistic nor sophisticated enough to be those. It could be satisfactory if you're missing the younger Seagal of twenty years ago or are a shoot 'em up style computer games player expecting similar qualities in films. Even on these points the script was lousy and unenterprising. Here comes Hounsou the sniper as he targets the bad guys at their large and very brightly lit house, they all keep standing at the many windows like sitting ducks and wait to be taken out one by one.So Hounsou in total kills 50 guys and expertly beats up 100, then there is a dash of Thai mysticism as a twist and the at the end we are reminded that the film was a noble statement against sex trafficking. I think the only thing that remains from this film is that Hounsou made his claim as the potential star of bigger action movies. He was covering Russell Crowe and Leo Caprio in his previous major roles and now he proves that he is ready to go at it alone. As opposed to his appreciated and strong acting in former films, he was too bland, unengaged and nasty this time even for the standards of a mercenary, so we have no Jackal here either. I think these might be a problem for him in the future lest he ends up becoming another Dolph Lundgren.I can't seem to find a thing I liked about this film apart from watching nice bits of Thai noir cityscape. Well on that count this one was superior to Bangkok Dangerous I think (nice cinematography plus we were spared Nick Cage and his wig here). I don't care a lot about accents so for me Kevin Bacon's low key presence was negligible. Can't really recommend this film.

jakob_ronnerfors Lack of story-line. Addresses an important issue, like trafficking, but without a well-reasoned story, sensitiveness and passion. It's an orgy in killing and brutality. Solve terror with more terror, kill the bad guys ... is that really the right way to go?! Good acting though, but that isn't enough to lift the movie.What you will get, is an insight in the terrible situation that trafficking victims are living in. The world needs a change, but I don't believe in the solution offered in Elephant white.