I wonder if Sollecito is basing this review on the theatrical release that's allegedly 20 minutes shy. I saw a screener of the upcoming Magnet DVD and it seemed complete to me.
Don't give this 'Chocolate' for Valentine's
Anthony Sollecito
Published: Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Updated: Wednesday, February 4, 2009
chocolate

As far as martial arts films go, “Chocolate” boasts a standard plot: Zen (newcomer JeeJa Yanin) loves Muay Thai and has imitated the moves of Thai action star Tony Jaa her entire life. When her dying mother can no longer afford chemotherapy, Zen puts her self-taught fighting skills to the test, setting out on a quest to collect the family’s unpaid debts and inadvertently unearthing their dangerous past in the process. Now cross that bag of clichés with “Rain Man,” and you have a high-concept revenge film starring a severely autistic, candy-loving Muay Thai savant pitted against a pimped-out crime boss and his entourage of gun-wielding, glammed-out transvestites. Oh, and our heroine suffers from a crippling fear of CGI flies.

Such a synopsis makes “Chocolate” sound unquestionably awesome but don’t be fooled: Despite its ludicrous premise, it is unfortunately just another one of the cookie-cutter, low-budget martial arts films being churned out by the Thai film industry. What is all the more surprising is the movie’s pedigree: It was directed and choreographed by Thai mainstays Prachya Pinkaew and Panna Rittikrai, who worked on Tony Jaa’s terrific international breakthroughs, “Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior” and “The Protector.” While both of those films feature similarly bare-bones plots, one should not underestimate the liveliness and sheer talent of Tony Jaa.

The same cannot be said of Yanin, whose performance lacks Jaa’s vital energy, though it is hard to say how much of that burden rests squarely on her shoulders. Stuck playing a practically mute, one-dimensional character, Yanin has a difficult time connecting emotionally with the audience. Her performance is therefore merely a display of her physical skills, and on that level, Pinkaew’s direction lets her down.

While Yanin has serious action skills, “Chocolate” commits a cardinal sin of martial arts cinema: choppy, fast-paced editing. In order for the action to feel realistic, the director must respect and highlight the dance-like quality of martial arts choreography. A director only needs to rely on editing when he must disguise an actor’s inadequacies as a fighter. “Chocolate” may feature professionals, but it feels excessively staged. Even as the film’s set pieces become more and more extravagant, it never feels as though the stuntmen are in danger of getting injured. And that is the true thrill of a martial arts film: wondering how they managed to film a scene without someone dying.

As anyone who has seen both the Thai and international versions of Pinkaew’s films knows, they tend to get chopped up by the time they are released on U.S. shores. This is also sadly the case with “Chocolate,” which runs nearly 20 minutes shorter than its original cut. Reinstating that lost time would probably improve the film’s schizophrenic pacing, disguise its gigantic plot holes and possibly even clean up its shoddy editing. One of Pinkaew’s best characteristics in his collaborations with Tony Jaa is his unflinching use of the camera, filming action in long takes and keeping the cutting to a minimum. Viewers can only assume that perhaps this Americanization of “Chocolate” has distorted his original vision. For a real treat, check out one of Pinkaev’s other films instead.