Chocolate (2008)

73% of critics liked it
(33 reviews)
73% of users liked it
(11,443 ratings)

A kickboxing hero with a difference arises in this action saga from Thailand. Japanese mobster Masashi (Hiroshi Abe) and his Thai partner and girlfriend, Zin (Ammara Siripong), narrowly escape death at the hands of underworld boss Number 8 (Pongpat Wachirabunjong) and his bodyguard Priscilla… More A kickboxing hero with a difference arises in this action saga from Thailand. Japanese mobster Masashi (Hiroshi Abe) and his Thai partner and girlfriend, Zin (Ammara Siripong), narrowly escape death at the hands of underworld boss Number 8 (Pongpat Wachirabunjong) and his bodyguard Priscilla (Sirimongkol Iamthuam), but the scuffle has unexpected consequences -- Masashi's superiors order him to return to Japan, and Zin finds she's pregnant with his child. Zin raises their daughter, Zen (Yanin Vismitananda), on her own and discovers she's autistic; one of the few things that helps bring Zen out of her inner world is chocolate, and in time the girl develops a remarkable skill in the martial arts. When Zin is diagnosed with cancer, the family cannot afford the chemotherapy that could save her life until her friend Moom (Taphon Phopwandee) comes up with a plan -- plenty of people still owe Zin money from her days as an outlaw, and with Zen as a candy-fueled enforcer, he might be able to get them to pay up and raise the funds for Zin's medical bills. Chokgohlaet (aka Chocolate) was directed by Prachya Pinkaew, who previously made several pictures starring Thai martial arts master Tony Jaa. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 32 min.
Directed By: Prachya Pinkaew
Written By: Ma-Deaw Chukiatsakwirakul, Nepalee Sakweerakul
Genres: Art House & International, Action & Adventure

In Theaters: Feb 6, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Feb 10, 2009
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

Critic Reviews

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
It's called Chocolate, but Cheese would have been just as good. Soaked with tears, full of schmaltz, and yet strewn with bodies, Prachya Pinkaew's new kick-'em-up is extreme action, extreme melodrama, and extremely hard to resist.
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times
It boils down to this: Thai girl fighting. Is that enough of a movie for you?
Nathan Lee, New York Times
Chocolate is risibly sentimental even for a genre not known for its emotional sophistication.
Jim Ridley, Village Voice
The world may not have needed a Thai-language martial-arts hybrid of Kill Bill and Rain Man, but by God, it's got one now.
Russell Edwards, Variety
A less tasty martial-arts actioner featuring an autistic kickboxing queen energized by confectionery.
Don Willmott, Filmcritic.com
Ultimately there isn't much of a movie here, just a series of great-looking and expertly filmed showdowns that are worth the price of a rental
Jeffrey Chen, Window to the Movies
Anyone knows we all come here just to see the girl kick serious behind. At least she does just that, and after a while Chocolate mainly and plainly feels like the exhibition that it is.
Cynthia Fuchs, PopMatters
Chocolate (Chokgohlaet) offers sensational martial arts set pieces -- beautifully choreographed, exquisitely colored, and acrobatically shot.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Vimistananda is nothing less than an awe-inspiring force of nature.
Mark Pollard, Kung Fu Cinema
A sweet treat for martial arts movie buffs despite lightly bitter flaws.
Stan Hall, Oregonian
Character development and cogent storytelling are in short supply. Yeah, so?
Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
At its heart, Chocolate is a simple tale of a special girl trying to make her way in a considerably unspecial world.
Brian Orndorf, DVDTalk.com
Even if it doesn't make much sense, tugs shamelessly at the heartstrings, and features a heavy with Jennifer Aniston hair, the feature sparks in just the right way, making for a fist-clenching, mouth-agape sit.
Sean Axmaker, Parallax View
... delivers the "Oooh, that's gotta hurt" brand of Hong Kong stunts that can still make you wince.
Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru
Takes its time to get going, but once the action kicks in, it's mildly engaging with lots of mindless fun, especially for avid fans of martial arts films.
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com
... the fights are terrific, tightly choreographed with a good sense of ensemble movement and shot in long takes that preserve the fluidity of the action...
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine
The finale is an extended tour de force equal parts Bruce Lee, Tony Jaa, and Donkey Kong.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Lewis C

Imagine Ong-Bak or The Protector with better production values and a young girl as the main character instead of Tony Jaa. That's Chocolate, in a nut shell. As a martial arts movie, it's not bad. Zen is an autistic girl who has the amazing ability to perfectly copy the… More
Imagine Ong-Bak or The Protector with better production values and a young girl as the main character instead of Tony Jaa. That's Chocolate, in a nut shell. As a martial arts movie, it's not bad. Zen is an autistic girl who has the amazing ability to perfectly copy the fighting moves that she sees, be they on television or from watching students practice across the street from her house. And she uses them to great effect to help her mother get the money she needs for her expensive medicine, as well as to fight off various thugs and bad guys from her mother's past. The fight scenes are pretty good, even though really the only thing separating them from the fight scenes in the movies I mentioned earlier is that the impressive attacks and acrobatics are being done by JeeJa Yanin instead of Tony Jaa. She clearly is quite talented at fight choreography and acrobatics, and she's not a bad actress, either. Playing a person with a disorder with as many variations as autism can be a tricky thing, but I think she did pretty well. My main issue with Chocolate is that it's a less brutal movie than Ong Bak, and because of that, the novelty of the unique situation of the main character is really the only thing that sets it apart from the many other decent martial arts flicks that are available. It's solid fun the first time around, but there's not enough here to warrant additional viewings.
xGary X

An autistic young girl with a natural aptitude for martial arts uses her skills to recoup money owed to her cancer stricken mother, unaware that they were all members of the criminal underworld. The Karate Kid meets Rain Man in a film from the producers of Ong Bak, famous for the… More
An autistic young girl with a natural aptitude for martial arts uses her skills to recoup money owed to her cancer stricken mother, unaware that they were all members of the criminal underworld. The Karate Kid meets Rain Man in a film from the producers of Ong Bak, famous for the remarkable physical performance of its star that relied on pure skill rather than SFX and wire work. The fight scenes of Chocolate are similarly bone crunching and the brutal reality of the violence on show is underlined by the out-takes reel; it's painful to even watch! The major difference between the two films is the fact that the protagonist is a sweet natured girl which does away with all the usual posturing, macho bullshit that usually accompanies this kind of thing; it's a lot more fun watching a young girl matter of factly flattening bad guys than the usual testosterone soaked meat head. It also lacks the rather distasteful xenophobia of Ong Bak making it a film that's a lot easier to like. The story is daft as hell of course, but let's face it, no-one watches martial arts films for the sophisticated plot. The fight scenes are frenetic and fun, the characters likable enough for you want to root for them and it's executed with style and enough of a leash on the more saccharine soaked elements to the story to avoid nausea. Plus I'd pay good money to see Ammara Siripong pummel Steven Seagal's smug, fat face in.
EightThirty .

03/03/2010 (DVD) WHO DOESN'T LIKE CHOCOLATE?!! STUNNING! This is a film for those who have a sweet tooth for ACTION! A movie that both girls and boys will enjoy. It starts off as a delicate drama about a girl who is disabled, but... it then blends into this 'WOW'… More
03/03/2010 (DVD) WHO DOESN'T LIKE CHOCOLATE?!! STUNNING! This is a film for those who have a sweet tooth for ACTION! A movie that both girls and boys will enjoy. It starts off as a delicate drama about a girl who is disabled, but... it then blends into this 'WOW' thing. It just blows you away and you find yourself excited as she finds her autistic gift which is unfortunately a curse to those who cross her path. It has heart wrenches filled with fist clenching moments and it leaves your face in screws when you see what she can do to her enemies. --This is "ONG BAK" meets "THE OTHER SISTER".,. Brilliant!!
Dean M

I loved Chocolate in all its glory. Look out for the amazing fight-scene with the Adidas Capocira kid. Thai actress JeeJa Yanin is an amazing female martial artist and stuntwoman since Tony Jaa in Ong Bak as what I thought she's following… More
I loved Chocolate in all its glory. Look out for the amazing fight-scene with the Adidas Capocira kid. Thai actress JeeJa Yanin is an amazing female martial artist and stuntwoman since Tony Jaa in Ong Bak as what I thought she's following Jaa's steps. And she is so cute!!! An autistic girl (played by Yanin) with the powerful martial arts skill attempts to collect on the debts of her sick mother. This movie is not well written, and requires some patience from the viewer to slug through the early moments. Once the 30 minute mark arrives, however, the viewer is treated to one of the most amazing displays of asskicking by a female protagonist in the history of action cinema. There are a few homages that last a few minutes at most (a few Bruce Lee references, a locker scene reminiscent of Jackie Chan, and some footage from Tony Jaa's movies).
Wahida K

She's sweet but deadly.
Alexander W

Its a kung fu movie, with a good idea behind it. The leading woman is an autistic girl with a knack for beating down everyone who owes her mum money. Original and highly recommended.
Luke B

Ong-Bak meets Rain Man in a martial arts action film about a young autistic girl. Chocolate is a film most will watch for the action, and it doesn't disappoint. Plenty of furious and frantic set pieces choreographed and executed in ways Hollywood could only dream of. The end… More
Ong-Bak meets Rain Man in a martial arts action film about a young autistic girl. Chocolate is a film most will watch for the action, and it doesn't disappoint. Plenty of furious and frantic set pieces choreographed and executed in ways Hollywood could only dream of. The end credits show just how dangerous it is for these stunt artists. The fight scenes also range in their emotional impact. Some are funny with a bit of slapstick thrown in. Some are endearing and warm you to the protagonist, and some are all out serious. With an autistic girl and a dying mother in a forbidden relationship it would have been easy to overplay the melodrama. Luckily the relationships simply make it easier to be more involved with the fights. The final fight involving a narrow alleyway and sign jumping is wonderfully brought to life. It's a great experience even if the Ong-Bak plugs become fairly groan worthy.
Aaron N

Trailer: She's a special needs girl...with a special need...to kick some ass. From the creators of the entertaining Tony Jaa films, Ong-Bak and The Protector, comes a martial arts flick that focuses on a young autistic girl who literally learns how to fight using those… More
Trailer: She's a special needs girl...with a special need...to kick some ass. From the creators of the entertaining Tony Jaa films, Ong-Bak and The Protector, comes a martial arts flick that focuses on a young autistic girl who literally learns how to fight using those previously mentioned films. Despite a lengthy first act, once this film gets going, it works at delivering some action. The plot involving this girl involves rival gang members, an affair, and the resulting child. Years later, money is owed, the daughter discovers ability to fight, gets money back the hard way. That's about it, yet the movie tries hard to make the plot work. The action is what matters and its a lot of fun to watch. I enjoyed Zen, the lead girl quite a bit as well. Zen: Mom's Money! Mom is in hospital!
Steve K

Surprising film from the Ong Bak crew about mentally handicapped girl that learns how to fight and decides to use it to help her mother. While it is ultimately a silly fight film, the emotion and compassion for humanity between the mom and daughter ran true for me. Not something you… More
Surprising film from the Ong Bak crew about mentally handicapped girl that learns how to fight and decides to use it to help her mother. While it is ultimately a silly fight film, the emotion and compassion for humanity between the mom and daughter ran true for me. Not something you normally see in a film like this.
Justin Y

First comes Ong Bak. Then there is Tom Yum Goong. Now here is Chocolate. Director, Prachya Pinkaew, still isn't an award winning director in my book, but his films keep getting more entertaining.The marketing… More
First comes Ong Bak. Then there is Tom Yum Goong. Now here is Chocolate. Director, Prachya Pinkaew, still isn't an award winning director in my book, but his films keep getting more entertaining.The marketing for this flick revolves around the action and that is what this film delivers. Now, there is some story here and it all happens in the first 30 minutes. Instead of diving into the action and opening with a bang, Chocolate is a slow burn for the first half an hour. It all focuses on growing up with the main character of Zen. Throughout this part you see her watching Tony Jaa and Bruce Lee movies and you are just dying to see her fight. They hint at it a few times, but nothing explosive ever happens. That's OK, because that just makes the last 50 minutes that much sweeter, like chocolate. No pun intended.During the final 50 minutes the story gradually deteriorates and the action takes over. There is TONS of it and with each fight they add something new. The dojo scene is fantastic and the fight on the side of the building is a stunt man's dream. It really is something else. In fact, all the fights are really something. It truly is great to see a female kick some ass.JeeJa Yanin has huge potential at martial arts and she does a good job at playing an autistic woman. Hiroshi Abe also lifts up the acting. Everyone else is pretty much forgettable.In the end, there isn't much to the story, but this is all about the action. If you like martial arts, you owe it to yourself to give this a try. I'm going to go get some chocolate now.
Tsubaki S

For such a cool premise, the film is short in delivering enough radness. Mind you, there are some good sequences here and there, and those crazy thai stuntmen were pretty much killing themselves in several scenes, but some fights look clumsy and awkard, and i blame the director for… More
For such a cool premise, the film is short in delivering enough radness. Mind you, there are some good sequences here and there, and those crazy thai stuntmen were pretty much killing themselves in several scenes, but some fights look clumsy and awkard, and i blame the director for that. One would think that the guy who directed Ong Bak would already know how to shoot proper action sequences by now. It's not a complete waste mind you, just not the knee/kick-fest that it could have been. The girl has potential, and it's good to see new female blood in the action genre. But she still needs more training, right now she's more of an acrobat than a fighter. She also needs a better movie.
Michael M

I can just imagine how the pitch for this film went: "well, we gave people Ong Bak and The Protector, and they seemed to dig that; what if we did the same thing, but this time with an autistic girl?" It's the same studio that brought us those Tony Jaa classics, and… More
I can just imagine how the pitch for this film went: "well, we gave people Ong Bak and The Protector, and they seemed to dig that; what if we did the same thing, but this time with an autistic girl?" It's the same studio that brought us those Tony Jaa classics, and Chocolate reeks of their style. The film advertised itself saying "No wires! No stunt doubles!" and there are even some behind the scenes clips during the end credits of all the injuries and hospital trips that the making of this film caused. Many modern martial arts films rely heavily on CG, camera tricks, and excessive wire, and I personally find it very annoying and distracting. Chocolate is different; it relies solely on the skills of it's very talented cast of martial arts experts. People bled for this film...literally! They broke a lot of bones for it too. The skills of its artists are also amplified through great scenery. The settings in which the fights take place are intriguing, and provide plenty of articles for the characters to beat the crap out of each other with. For example: one fight takes place in a butcher shop, and the characters use the hooks, wires, and even pig corpses in their maneuvers. These additions don't distract from their natural skills, they amplify them, and make it a damned entertaining movie to watch. So it's an unbelievably entertaining film, but it's also...a bit of a tearjerker? Yes, that took me by surprise as well. The story, for the most part, is an excuse to have lead character Zen kick peoples asses. Zen's mother, Zin, worked for a crime boss who loved her, but she was in love with a Yakuza member, so her boss got pissed and forbid them from seeing each other...and yeah, I didn't really follow everything that was going on, nor did I particularly care. The important details are this: Zen is the daughter of Zin and that Yakuza guy, she and Zin move to Japan, they take in this street kid named Moom, and a bunch of people owe Zin money. Zin gets some form of cancer, Moom finds a list of people who owe her money, and he and Zen track them down to get the money back. Whenever they do so, things inevitably get violent, and Zen kicks their asses. But where did this girl learn to fight? Her autism led her to obsessively follow martial arts culture, watching the students of the Muay Thai school next-door, and repeatedly watching martial arts films. She is completely self-taught. So where does the tearjerker part come in? Well, her autism isn't just an excuse made by the filmmakers to show an ordinary girl being this damn good at kicking ass. The subject is treated delicately, and beautifully. Supposedly based on a real group of "special children," the film dedicates itself to the uncompromising love found in the parents of children with special needs. Zen doesn't function like normal people; she doesn't understand things like normal people; that's just how autism works. Seeing how her mother and Moom help her, and how she in turns helps them, is exceptionally moving. This film is first and foremost a badass action flick, but it's also a story of the love found in a family. It's simply beautiful, and the performance put forth by Yanin Vismistananda as Zen is stupendous and realistic. This is the first film by Yanin, and she's immediately shown the world that not only can she kick your ass, she's a damn good actor too, and her performance of someone with autism ranks right up there with Dustin Hoffman's role in Rain Man. One major distinction this film has over other martial arts films is its lead character; she's just a wonderful and well-developed creation by the writers. To make my point, let me give you an example: Bruce Lee. Now I love Bruce Lee, but no character he's ever played has left much of an impression on me. Actually, I don't even really remember the story to any of his films (except Enter the Dragon, but that was just because it was basically the set-up to every fighting video game ever created). Obviously this doesn't matter for him because, well, he's Bruce Lee goddamn it! His martial arts skills are enough. With Zen though, we see great martial arts skills, as well as a really intriguing character. This character is very well written, very well performed, and I'd love to see more of her. You have to be a fan of martial arts films to see this movie. If you don't like them, this one probably isn't going to change your mind. If you are a fan of them though, you should sure as hell check this one out. It has magnificent stunts, a cool look, great characters, and a surprising level of heart. Fans of the genre should not miss it. And hey, you have to admit there's something captivating about a girl who can kick your ass.
Fascade F

OMG!!!If you have never seen a muay-thai movie in you LIFE...this is definitely the one to see this year...this star in the action packed beat 'em up plays the part as an autistic child....See this and prepare to be amazed...Imagine...Bruce Lee, Tony Jaa, Chuck Norris, being a… More
OMG!!!If you have never seen a muay-thai movie in you LIFE...this is definitely the one to see this year...this star in the action packed beat 'em up plays the part as an autistic child....See this and prepare to be amazed...Imagine...Bruce Lee, Tony Jaa, Chuck Norris, being a GIRL...Oooooooooooo! See this it is the FIRST kung fu flick I have ever given 5 stars to...astonishingly amazing.
Lesley N

Thai film about autistic girl, Zen who learns martial arts from the telly and uses them against the gangster baddies ruining her mum, Zin's life (Note : chocolate is barely mentioned in the entire film, just in case you were wondering). The stunts, in particular the neon-sign… More
Thai film about autistic girl, Zen who learns martial arts from the telly and uses them against the gangster baddies ruining her mum, Zin's life (Note : chocolate is barely mentioned in the entire film, just in case you were wondering). The stunts, in particular the neon-sign jumping finale, are amazing, as is the lead Yanin Vismistananda, nimble as a dragonfly and flexible as a rubber band. The credits show some of the bumps and brusies earned by the cast along the way to dissuade you from being tempted to try this at home afterwards kids. <img src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2008/10/23/chocolate460.jpg">
Bill C

If you’ve ever enjoyed watching a martial arts fight scene bump this one up and watch it on instant queue. In no way is it a great cinema, but the choreography of the non-wired fight scenes is without equal. The run of the mill family revenge martial arts plot has the thrown an off… More
If you’ve ever enjoyed watching a martial arts fight scene bump this one up and watch it on instant queue. In no way is it a great cinema, but the choreography of the non-wired fight scenes is without equal. The run of the mill family revenge martial arts plot has the thrown an off the wall autism theme neither is very engaging. Except the back story in the beginning the plot is merely seg-way between fight scenes. One of my favorite one-cut scenes non-wired moves Baddy does spin kick over Jeeja’s head she launches off his knee into an inverted splits landing a heel on the back of the baddy head. (Man I miss my old VCR with the frame by frame control wheel on the remote) and you haven’t even reached climactic fight scene on that alternates between 4 story elevated train track and signs hanging off the side of the building next to it. There is no way any of the actors or stunt people walk away from that without at least major bruising, stitches or prolonged hospital stays. Not really sure why this is an MPAA R rated movie its shot with normal Thai modesty and the beginning there is intercourse in the beginning but limited to head and shoulder shots.
Kevin "

Average movie, Siripong might be someone to pay attention to, but this film was a start. Took a bit for the action to get going and some of the editing made some of the fights look awkward, but entertaining, just can't live up to having the titles "Ong-Bak" and… More
Average movie, Siripong might be someone to pay attention to, but this film was a start. Took a bit for the action to get going and some of the editing made some of the fights look awkward, but entertaining, just can't live up to having the titles "Ong-Bak" and "The Protector" on the cover.
Marcus W

A lazy reviewer could just call this Ong Bak with a girl. That's not a hundred million miles away from the truth but it doesn't do this film justice. The story here is more interesting - especially that of the lead. However it doesn't seem to have as many stunts as Bak.… More
A lazy reviewer could just call this Ong Bak with a girl. That's not a hundred million miles away from the truth but it doesn't do this film justice. The story here is more interesting - especially that of the lead. However it doesn't seem to have as many stunts as Bak. The fighting is just as good and the finale on the facade of a building is brilliant. Well worth a watch for fans of Ong Bak.
shane h

In the tradition of Ong-Bak this movie delivers the high flying martial arts that is done without stunt doubles and the action is real. A special needs girl(Zin) has the ability to mimic what she sees. When her mother(Zen) takes an apartment next to a Thai Boxing school she begins… More
In the tradition of Ong-Bak this movie delivers the high flying martial arts that is done without stunt doubles and the action is real. A special needs girl(Zin) has the ability to mimic what she sees. When her mother(Zen) takes an apartment next to a Thai Boxing school she begins watching the boxers and starts to mimic them. Zen comes down with an illness and has to be hospitalized but doesn't have the money to pay for the medicine she desperately needs. Zin and her freind and care taker find an old notebook of people who owe her mom money and they go on a quest to save her mom. The fight scenes are amazing and the story is based on a true story which makes this film even better. I recommend this film to anyone who likes martial arts film.
alan j

Tough film to judge!! There is heartfelt emotion and 'texture' to the mother-daughter relationship. However, that all works counter to a very pedestrian plot and co-actors. As for the fights themselves, almost all seem to be shown in slow motion...I remember very little… More
Tough film to judge!! There is heartfelt emotion and 'texture' to the mother-daughter relationship. However, that all works counter to a very pedestrian plot and co-actors. As for the fights themselves, almost all seem to be shown in slow motion...I remember very little being in real time speed..so almost all the fighting looks staged (which it is)...more like a clinic or exhibition. In alot of the hand to hand combat you can clearly see no physical contact, but nevertheless the stuntmen respond as though they have been konked out cold on the noggin or whatever...and you have that tacky soundtrack of the punches landing ..right out of the 70's. Overall, its fairly entertaining if not all that realistic. Don't take any of it seriously; plays more as a B-movie even though the star actress is earnest and trying her best..3 stars for her effort alone.
James B

Some truly amazing sequences and a bright new action star in young JeeJa Yanin highlight this latest film from the director of Ong-Bak. However the story is pretty terrible and it takes a while to get going. I can't wait to see Yanin in something truly epic!