A more positive review of Fireball

Todd Brown of TwitchFilm.net has seen Thanakorn Pongsuwan's Muay Thai-basketball action drama Fireball at the European Film Market, and he gives it an absolutely glowing review, not bothered near as much as I was by the shaky cam and tight framing of the action scenes. It's all for a reason, says Brown:

The one complaint that I have heard about the action sequences is that it tends to be shot tight and edited quickly and while I do understand that sentiment -- there was more than one moment where I wished I had a clearer view of what was happening -- I think it is ultimately misplaced, the decision to shoot this way to emphasize brutality and blunt force over skill or technique. This is not a martial arts film in the sense that there are elaborate, highly choreographed movements taking place - and, honestly, trying to incorporate any sort of disciplined fighting into this world would have quickly broken the illusion - and, with that being the case, there really isn’t any need to shoot wide out to give a clear view. Pongsuwan wants us to feel the impact more than see or appreciate it and on that level he absolutely succeeds.

Hugely entertaining and surprisingly well made, Fireball is a pure, unrepentant b-film that takes its premise and pushes it as far as it can possibly go. And all I can say is bring on the sequel.

I don't know. I loved the characters, the story and the concept, but my stomach still gets queasy and my head begins to throb when I think about watching the movie on the big screen. Maybe it'll play better at home.

Update: Twitch has an English-subtitled trailer.

Update: Lots of sales at EFM, according to Screen Daily.