''Sai Lor Fah'' ( th, สายล่อฟ้า or ''Pattaya Maniac'') is a

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

written and directed by

Yuthlert Sippapak Yuthlert Sippapak ( th, ยุทธเลิศ สิปปภาค, born November 8, 1966 in Loei, Thailand) is a Thai film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for his genre-blending films '' Killer Tattoo'' (comedy and actio ...

. Filmed on location in

Pattaya Pattaya ( th, พัทยา, , ) is a city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about southeast of Bangkok, within, but not part of, Bang Lamung district in the province of Chonburi province, Chonburi. Pattaya City ( ...

,‘Sai lor fah’ shooting completed in Pattaya
''Pattaya Mail'', May 28- June 3, 2004. it is the story of friends who become mixed up in an escalating series of crimes.

Plot

Tun and Tao are friends who enjoy spending time together in

karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...

bars in

. Tao has the bad habit, however, of always singing a loud, off-key rendition of the Asanee-Wasan song "Sai Lor Fah" ("Lighting Rod"), which always results in Tao and his friends being thrown out of the club. Tao is dealer of

counterfeit To counterfeit means to imitate something authentic, with the intent to steal, destroy, or replace the original, for use in illegal transactions, or otherwise to deceive individuals into believing that the fake is of equal or greater value tha ...

DVDs, but his real vocation is

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

and he frequently bets on

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

. He finally wins some money and decides to pay back a 100,000

baht The baht (; th, บาท, ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand. Society for Worldw ...

loan from Tun and also treat Tun to a big night out at the city's finest karaoke club. At the club, the shy, portly Tun meets a young woman, Nok, shares a duet with her, and ends up taking her back to his house. The next morning, Nok disappears. It turns out she is the

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...

of Mee, a local crime kingpin, and Tao paid her for a one-time deal to sleep with his friend. Tun, a dealer in rare

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects ...

s, becomes obsessed with finding Nok. He gives the 100,000 baht he received from Tun to a

transvestite Transvestism is the practice of dressing in a manner traditionally associated with the opposite sex. In some cultures, transvestism is practiced for religious, traditional, or ceremonial reasons. The term is considered outdated in Western c ...

pimp Procuring or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute or other sex worker in the arrangement of a sex act with a customer. A procurer, colloquially called a pimp (if male) or a madam (if female, though the term pimp has still ...

who might have a lead on Nok. Tun, meanwhile, is involved with crimes of his own, and has become beholden to Mee and a rival kingpin, Moo, who are both interested in obtaining a rare amulet that Tao has in his possession. In a complicated scheme, Tao ends up perpetuating the

kidnapping In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear: the p ...

of a wealthy American man's daughter, and holding her for 3 million baht ransom. Also, a shadowy female assassin has entered the picture to complicate matters.

Cast

Choosak Eamsuk Choosak Eamsuk or spelt Chusak Iamsuk ( th, ชูศักดิ์ เอี่ยมสุข, nicknamed Nong), known professionally as Nong Cha-cha-cha (โหน่ง ชะชะช่า) is a famous Thai comedian, actor, and former dan ...

as Tun *

Somchai Kemglad Somchai Khemglad ( th, สมชาย เข็มกลัด), born 26 January 1974 in Bangkok, also familiarly known as Tao (เต๋า) or Tao Somchai, is a Thai actor and singer. Biography & career Kemglad was born into a poor Thai Mon ...

as Tao * Pitchanart Sakakorn as Nok *

Somlek Sakdikul Somlek Sakdikul ( th, สมเล็ก ศักดิกุล) (born, 10 November 1953) is a Thai film actor and musician. He is sometimes credited as Somchai Sakdikul. He portrayed "Suwat" or "Daddy", the lecherous music producer in Pen-Ek R ...

as Moo *

Black Pomthong Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...

as Mee *

Petchtai Wongkamlao Petchtai Wongkamlao, ( th, เพ็ชรทาย วงษ์คำเหลา, , ; born on June 24, 1965, in Yasothon province, Thailand, is a Thai comedian, actor and film director. He is best known in Thailand by his stage name, Mum Jokmok ...

Casting notes

(also known as Nong Cha Cha Cha) is a popular comedian and comic actor in Thailand. He was cast in the leading dramatic role, a trademark of director Yuthlert Sippapak. In a further role reversal,

, an actor who played the dramatic lead in Yuthert's debut film, ''

Killer Tattoo ''Killer Tattoo'' (Thai: มือปืน/โลก/พระ/จัน ''Mue Puen/Lok/Phra/Chan'') is a 2001 Thai action comedy film written and directed by Yuthlert Sippapak. It was the debut film by Yuthlert, and also was the feature-film de ...

'', was given the

comic relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...

role in ''Sai Lor Fah''.

References

* Williamson, Rob. September 2005
"Take it easy chicken: Yuthlert Sippapak interviewed
, ''Firecracker''.

Notes

External links

* * {{Yuthlert Sippapak 2004 films 2000s crime comedy films GMM Tai Hub films Thai crime comedy films Thai-language films 2004 comedy films Films set in Pattaya