6ixtynin9 [DVD]

This is the first Thai movie I've ever seen, and I was skeptical about watching it after seeing the previews for it. After all, Thailand isn't known for its film industry. As I watched it, I was surprised at every turn, as this movie is quite sophisticated in playing with your expectations from the get-go and going in a completely opposite direction. Just when you think you know what's going to happen next, something else happens instead. I suppose that's to be expected from the title of the film ("6ixtynin9"). Don't let that fool you, its nothing more than a marketing gimmick to play with your expectations of what that number represents. The actual "Thai language title" of the film is "A Comedy about the numbers 6 and 9."The film is about a woman (Tum) who is laid off from work and one morning finds a mysterious box outside her apartment door. Since her apartment number is a 6 that keeps falling around to the number 9, this sets off a series of comedic capers when she takes the box in and discovers that its full of Thai baht, the equivalent of $25,000. She calls her best friend and speaks hypothetically to find out what her friend would do in such a scenario. Tum decides to keep the money and that's when things are thrown off kilter. Two guys come looking for the money, and we learn the money is for fixing a Thai boxing match, and once it has gone missing, everyone starts looking for it, and the dead bodies that keep piling up as a result.What makes this film a surprisingly entertaining and absolute joy to watch are the talented cast of off-beat characters, most especially the nosy downstairs neighbor. She is a riot, with her exaggerated facial expressions and manner of speaking, you just can't help but love her. This film perfectly captures Thai society, with the bribery system and how much money plays a role in people's lives. The caper keeps upping the ante with new twists, as you don't know who's bad or good in this, other than the woman who started the movie by keeping the money. Its vaguely reminiscent of the Tom Hanks film "The Man With One Red Shoe", as Tum isn't completely aware of all the bad going on around her. By the movie's end, you get to see what happens when an obscene phone caller sets off a roomful of trigger happy people, and the ultimate message of all...how greed ruins many people's lives. Its simply profound, symbolic, with hints of the Thai buddhist culture, fantastic acting, funny situations, and an overall message that could just as well speak to our country's obsession with money. There are several "artistic" scenes of absolute brilliance (such as when the screen is all red when Tum does a deed she hates doing and imagines someone else doing it for her). All in all, a great surprise and simply one of the best foreign language films I've ever seen, period. It is worth seeing, and well worth owning for any serious fan of foreign films.

Pen-ek Ratanaruang has talent. I first became aware of it when I saw his masterly Last Life In The Universe. There were moments of splendor in Invisible Waves. And while not on the same level as Last Life, there's 6ixtynin9. I guess there's a sort of conventional crime film located within this film. However, what separates it from those films that are endlessly churned out by Hollywood with different degrees of artistry is the fact that this particular film is set in Bangkok, which is unconventional and much more exotic than Hollywood or Miami. Add to the mix, the fact that Ratanaruang has an art film streak in his execution of films-there is some stunning slice of life footage in Bangkok interspersed throughout the film that prefigures the visual artistry of Last Life. The ending may reflect some cultural/religious views of the Thais and was somewhat unsatisfying for me. However, overall I enjoyed the ride so to speak-it is an audacious film that was very entertaining.

For a film produced out of Thailand this was a surprisingly good movie. I am obsessed with Thailand, which is why I ordered and viewed this film, and I have seen some very bad Thai movies as well as some decent ones. This one is on my top ten list, I would even watch it again. The actress that plays the main character is cute, which is a plus. The production budget was obviously adequate enough to produce a well made piece that could be considered a high step above a "B-Movie". It's evident that the creative team behind production of the film is talented and will hopefully produce other good work in the near future. The story was simple but entertaining and well told. There are elements of humor, spirituality, gore, and sadness, and they are all presented in a manner that manages to hang on to enough of reality to avoid things becoming downright silly and ridiculous. This film is definitely worth watching.

I saw 6ixtynin9 three years ago. I thought it was one of the best movies ever made and the first I've ever seen from Thailand. Completely well made with an amazing cast of characters.Okay, let's start off with our main character, Tum, who gets fired in a style that the love child of Donald Trump and Diddy would freaking envy. So she's stuck with fact of being cute, jobless, and totally broke. Yet, when she wakes up one morning to the weirdest phone sex call, she gets the greatest surprise ever: a box full of cash $25,000 worth. Yet, this gift comes with a price, the weirdest day she will ever have. Corrupted Thai boxers, gangsters, cops, and crazy neighbors gives this movie the kick it needs because of the deaths and the seriously epic standoff between the gangsters, thai boxers, and police.There's so many ridiculous scenes but the funny thing about this movie is that no matter how ridiculous they are, the scenes and situations Tum is dragged into are all freakishly believable.Perfect film from from Thailand.

This movie is a really good example of chance,karma,yin yang,and any crazy situations that you can think of, that in the end would bit you in the butt! The main character finds money on her door step after loosing her job and has to decide whether to keep it. Obviously it belonged to someone else and they (criminals of course) will do anything to get it back. The dirty money was for a rigged kick boxing match, and she ends up in the middle of the search for the money because she has it. From cop to hit men, to her boss, and her best friend, all end up in the middle of it and die in the process. If there is anything you can learn from this movie, it doesn't matter how desperate you are, never take anything that doesn't belong to you!

After seeing 'Last Life In The Universe' (Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's fourth film) I had no choice but to go back and explore his earlier works, and while very different to the endearing Last Life... this is without a shadow of doubt a film of the same high-calibre.'6ixtynin9' follows a black comedy/ crime thriller formula, wherein an everyday woman named Tum is fired from a financial corporation during the Asia crisis, and is left to return home with no money. However, the next day she finds a box with a small fortune inside at her front door, and decides to keep it. However, the people that left it there realise they dropped it off at the wrong address, because of a mix-up in door numbers, and want it back. From this moment on every character in the film falls into an uncontrolled succession of events that pushes them toward actions that defy their usual sense of morality. It's all handled inventively here, with slow pacing that builds remarkable tension (especially during the latter half of the film), and some great dry humour that always comes out of nowhere - I almost think it should be bought just for the hysterical manicure scene ("What salon was that?"). It should also be noted that the cinematography and performances are dazzling from start to finish also. I can't believe this is the only film Lalita Panyopas has been in.