A Fun Film for Keris and Dyak Blade Lovers!!

CharlesS · 7th July 2011, 01:31 AM

I just finished watching the 2010 Thai film The Legend of the Tsunami Warrior. It was a little hokey but fun, and somehow seemed to be the Thai take on The Pirates of the Carribean franchise! Lots of goofy magic, but the really appealing thing was that this movie was set among the pirate seas of southern Thailand and the Malay pennisula in the mid-late 1500s. There were mandaus, sundangs, and keris galore, with a jimpul thrown in from time to time for good measure, not to mention fascinating costumes. Many of the weapons seemed oversized, but somebody in the film's creation was at least trying to go for a correct style of weapon.

We collectors rarely get to see weapons of this type shown in feature films so it was a real treat for me.

Oddly, as a Thai film I don't think I counted a single dha!

It may never be a classic, but was a fun flick for the ethnographic sword collector!

Rick · 9th July 2011, 03:04 AM

Just finished it on netflix; super fun adventure, wide in scope .
Loved the weapons shown .
Interesting techniques w/the sundang .

David · 9th July 2011, 04:29 AM

Well, you might as well watch the trailer...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf-cuXSwEG4

ThePepperSkull · 9th July 2011, 05:08 PM

I was introduced to this film with the title Queens of Langkasuka.

Very nice movie to watch if you want to watch a fantasy film with loads of swashbuckling goodness. My favourite was Dan Chupong as the General, Lord Jarang. I'm a big fan of Tony Jaa and his stunt team (of which Dan Chupong is a member of in addition to starring in his owm films as of recent), and seeing Dan Chupong swinging a three-luk sundang with an ivory kakatua hilt definitely caught the attention of the ethnographic blade enthusiast in me.

In terms of how I felt the film was, however, I thought there was too much going on to fit into one film. The overall narrative would have benefitted by breaking it up into several films. That way, the characters would have been fleshed out more, the stakes for defending Langkasuka would have had time to sink in (not to mention that the suspense could have been built up regarding the impending raid), and there could have been a bigger exploration of what I thought was the main character, Pari, and his Luke-Skywalker-esque journey from simple small-tribe Dayak boy into Dulum(this film's equivalent to the Force)-wielding mystic.

Basically I felt that everything plot/narrative-wise moved too fast for a fantasy epic. If I watch this with the mindset of action/swashbuckler, however, I am more than thorougly amused and in that respect this film did really really well.

...but if we had this movie spread over several parts, we would have gotten to see Dan Chupong kick more butt as Lord Jarang:

Bill M · 8th June 2013, 02:02 PM

Just watched this. A LOT of fun and want to see it again am sure that we missed a lot (Netflix streaming video). Did not realize that Pari was Dayak.

It was . . . . different . . . . to see Javanese and Balinese keris being swung like swords, though the Philippine kris were great battle weapons.

Noticed that the keris used by Princess Ungu and Black Ray (who was also White Ray) was a Naga Sasra.

7th July 2011, 01:31 AM	#1
CharlesS Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greenville, NC Posts: 1,855	A Fun Film for Keris and Dyak Blade Lovers!! I just finished watching the 2010 Thai film The Legend of the Tsunami Warrior. It was a little hokey but fun, and somehow seemed to be the Thai take on The Pirates of the Carribean franchise! Lots of goofy magic, but the really appealing thing was that this movie was set among the pirate seas of southern Thailand and the Malay pennisula in the mid-late 1500s. There were mandaus, sundangs, and keris galore, with a jimpul thrown in from time to time for good measure, not to mention fascinating costumes. Many of the weapons seemed oversized, but somebody in the film's creation was at least trying to go for a correct style of weapon. We collectors rarely get to see weapons of this type shown in feature films so it was a real treat for me. Oddly, as a Thai film I don't think I counted a single dha! It may never be a classic, but was a fun flick for the ethnographic sword collector!

9th July 2011, 03:04 AM	#2
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,262	Romp Just finished it on netflix; super fun adventure, wide in scope . Loved the weapons shown . Interesting techniques w/the sundang .

9th July 2011, 05:08 PM	#4
ThePepperSkull Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 338	I was introduced to this film with the title *Queens of Langkasuka*. Very nice movie to watch if you want to watch a fantasy film with loads of swashbuckling goodness. My favourite was Dan Chupong as the General, Lord Jarang. I'm a big fan of Tony Jaa and his stunt team (of which Dan Chupong is a member of in addition to starring in his owm films as of recent), and seeing Dan Chupong swinging a three-luk sundang with an ivory kakatua hilt definitely caught the attention of the ethnographic blade enthusiast in me. In terms of how I felt the film was, however, I thought there was too much going on to fit into one film. The overall narrative would have benefitted by breaking it up into several films. That way, the characters would have been fleshed out more, the stakes for defending Langkasuka would have had time to sink in (not to mention that the suspense could have been built up regarding the impending raid), and there could have been a bigger exploration of what I thought was the main character, Pari, and his Luke-Skywalker-esque journey from simple small-tribe Dayak boy into Dulum(this film's equivalent to the Force)-wielding mystic. Basically I felt that everything plot/narrative-wise moved too fast for a fantasy epic. If I watch this with the mindset of action/swashbuckler, however, I am more than thorougly amused and in that respect this film did really really well. ...but if we had this movie spread over several parts, we would have gotten to see Dan Chupong kick more butt as Lord Jarang: Attached Images

9th July 2011, 04:29 AM	#3
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,023	Well, you might as well watch the trailer... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf-cuXSwEG4

8th June 2013, 02:02 PM	#5
Bill M Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: USA Georgia Posts: 1,599	Just watched this. A LOT of fun and want to see it again am sure that we missed a lot (Netflix streaming video). Did not realize that Pari was Dayak. It was . . . . different . . . . to see Javanese and Balinese keris being swung like swords, though the Philippine kris were great battle weapons. Noticed that the keris used by Princess Ungu and Black Ray (who was also White Ray) was a Naga Sasra.