A very gritty movie involving the harsh penal system in Thailand has arrived on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD. A Prayer Before Dawn a twisted thriller that works its magic with some excellent acting, filming and direction. The three elements combine with a story so hypnotic and disturbing that you’ll be engrossed to its very startling finale. Not for the faint of heart or easily repulsed, the audience here are those that like something a bit out of the ordinary. The true story was filmed at a real prison in Thailand.
Liverpool, England backpacker Billy Moore (Joe Cole) has been living in Thailand for months where he has been street kickboxing and sells dope to make enough money to extend his stay there. Arrested for drug possession, the novice kickboxer gets sentenced to violent Songkran prison. Rife with treacherous street gangs and murders he’ll have to fend for himself, especially since he’s a foreigner. Considered fresh meat for the sick and twisted inmates, he’s targeted by the leader of a sadistic group for easy sexual prey. After narrowly escaping a fate worse than death, he gets picked for a kick-boxing tournament that will determine his fate.
The acting by Joe Cole puts him in a class of thriller actors who can make a character fascinating, believable and unpredictable. As Billy Moore he has to face a very dangerous and vile crowd of inmates, avoid being killed, take a lot of punishment, and test his will at every turn. Being a true story he had help depicting the real Billy Moore who coached him in each phase of his grim life in prison. Like most movies about fighters whether it be boxing, wrestlers, mixed martial arts, or kickboxing the central character has to create a persona of a determined person that will show his desire to get into the ring against an opponent in order to attain greatness. And Joe Cole proves to be up there with some of the notable actors who filled the shoes of a fighter.
BONUS FEATURES:
Two excellent extras are included on both the Blu-ray and DVD for A Prayer Before Dawn. Like all bonus features, it’s best not to watch them before seeing the film because they contain spoilers.
“Locked Inside the Walls: Making A Prayer Before Dawn” It’s an account on how the film was made and some of the real person’s background. It also goes into the production, locations and the prison in Thailand where it was filmed. Includes the director Jean-Stephane Sauvaire and Joe Cole, the actor who plays Billy. And much more.
“Billy Moore: In His Own Words” The actual Billy gives a talk on how it all really happened and how he got the script in front of the right people.
A Prayer Before Dawn has been rated R by the MPAA for strong violence including a brutal rape sequence, drug use and language throughout, some sexual content and nudity. The rape scene is hard to watch as with some of the ring fighting. If you are into brutal thrill films as in this motion picture where the actors are really landing punches and kicks, then you won’t get much more reality than this gut-wrenching movie.
FINAL ANALYSIS: For thrill seekers it’s a winner. (4 out of 5 Stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Starring: Joe Cole, Vithaya Pansringarm, Nicolas Shake, Pornchanok Mabklang, Panya Vimmujmphai
Directed by: Jean-Stephane Sauvaire
Genre: Action, Biography, Crime
Running Time: 11 hr. 56 min.
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence including a brutal rape sequence, drug use and language throughout, some sexual content and nudity
Original Theatrical Release: August 10, 2018
Video Release Date: October 9, 2018
Language: English
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray
Audio: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Video: 1080p HD, 16×9 Aspect Ratio 2.38:1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Number of Discs: 1 Disc, Digital download code
Distributed by: Lionsgate
Released Formats: Blu-ray, DVD, Digital HD
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
