“Hurts Like Hell” is the new sports drama miniseries which shows the world of Muay Thai boxing and the real incidents of match-fixing. It is streaming on Netflix.
Story
Phat (Nat Kitcharit) is taking part in gambling on boxing bouts. He dares Kom (Thaneth Warakulnukroh), a high roller or major guru, to play with him. Phat wins the game but is not paid, which leads to a confrontation between him and high roller Kom. Unexpectedly, a man who appears to be a member of Kom’s crew shoots him.
Kom bribes referee Wirat (Vithaya Pansringarm) to assist him in winning a match. Later, when Wirat meets his daughter for lunch, they argue over his line of profession. Moreover, he was unable to finish the task, so he fled. He then worked as a taxi driver and was severely thrashed by Kom’s goons.
Chian (Phuripat Poonsuk), an underprivileged teenage boxer, seeks to make a life by boxing. He wonders if he is on the right path after knocking out his opponent. Chian chooses to devote his life to religion since he feels responsible for the death of his competitor.
The national team boxing scout will be present, according to Nong’s father, so Nong, a young fighter, enters the event. He confronts Chian in the match.
Performances
The actors do a fantastic job in their parts. Phat, the protagonist in the pilot episode, is played by Nat Kitcharit. He give a great performace
In the sports drama miniseries “Hurts Like Hell”, Thaneth Warakulnukroh plays Kom, the antagonist, and performs wonderfully.
The referee Wirat, who serves as the focal point of the second episode, is well-played by Vithaya Pansringarm.
Chian will be the finest character in the miniseries. Phuripat Poonsuk, who plays the part of Chian. His performance is the best in the entire series.
Positives
The mini-series is extremely intense and gruesome, and the shooting is done in a documentary-fiction format. The opening sequence of the mini-series, which depicts a child’s boxing battle from the perspective of the “gurus” commonly known as bettors, wastes no time in grabbing your focus.
The writer, Siwat Decharat, is credited with a very realistic approach to the story and how well the characters are connected in the plot.
From the perspective of direction, the light and colour visuals are amazing. The appearance of the scenes and camera movement show decent cinematography.
These episodes have generally decent filming and editing, and there are unquestionably some excellent moments, particularly during the in-ring action. Foreign soundtracks that have been chosen match the tone of the scenes.
The structure of the drama mini-series is impressive. The four distinct episodes are connected, and they are set up to nicely merge. The narrative is uncompromising and does not sweep anything under the rug.
The third and finest episode of the four-episode series features a tremendously compelling plot of a young person struggling to survive while putting in a lot of effort.
Each episode seems unique, with the series occasionally reinterpreting the same line of action from other points of view. The viewers will thus be interested in how significant the shift is from a different perspective and thought process, while yet adapting fresh information entirely changing the dynamics of a scenario, even though it is already known what will happen in this case.
Negatives
Although ‘Hurts Like Hell’ can be amusing, it may also be executed a little dull at times. At first, the interviews that are sandwiched between the action scenes seem forced.
This is neither riveting enough to qualify as an action-thriller drama nor is it enough informational to qualify as an eye-opening documentary. The conclusion of the first episode’s events is not revealed until much later. There is no closure to the narrative.
Verdict
‘Hurts Like Hell’ could be a varied bag of episodes, from mediocre to amazing, but it is still a must-watch.
Rating: 3.5/5
Also Read: The Longest Night (2022) review: Mediocre thriller that lacks urgency