Description

The ancient kingdom of Langkasuka is in peril, its Queen besieged on all sides by those hungry for her power. Powerful pirates have enlisted the aid of dark magic. Neighbouring kingdoms practice treachery. Her own court is not to be trusted. The Queen's best hope for peace lies with the military superiority that a new type of cannon she has in development may bring, a sort of peace through dominance. Her goal is simply to make her enemies afraid to attack. But word of the cannon has gotten out and her enemies know that if they can get it first, the entire region will be theirs…

A gorgeous fantasy epic that stars Thai stalwarts Dan Chupong (BORN TO FIGHT) as the Queen's personal bodyguard and Ananda Everingham (SHUTTER) as a sea gypsy training in a dangerous form of undersea magic to play out his own private drama of revenge against the pirates who killed his family, QUEENS OF LANGKASUKA is the long in development dream project from Thai auteur Nonzee Nimibutr (JAN DARA, NANG NAK). While fans of Nonzee's previous work will be thrilled to see his trademark attention to visual detail brought to stunning life here, what may come as a bit of a surprise is his love of pulp adventure. While the look of QUEENS may be high art—and it truly is stunning to look at—the story is jam-packed with soap-opera melodrama, the busy plot line brimming with unrequited love, betrayals, daring rescues, bitter revenge and the quest for power. Everingham brings some solid dramatic weight to his role while Chupong, finally given a role with a bit of meat on it, plays the loyal military man with charisma and grace and a handful of hugely impressive martial arts sequences. More WILLOW than LORD OF THE RINGS, QUEENS OF LANGKASUKA stands proud as Nimibutr's tribute to the fantasy adventures of his youth.

—Todd Brown