The battle scenes are bloody, visceral, and expertly edited.

It's far too bloody for the art house crowd and too leisurely paced and obscure for more general audiences.

Jitnukul can direct action, and every slice of the blade, thwack of the arrow and the glistening of sweat on near-naked bodies makes Bang Rajan a mostly pleasurable diversion.

The acting is facial-expressions- visible-from- 100-feet overdone and the choppy editing makes for awkward storytelling. However, the battle scenes, which make up at least half the movie, are killer.