What's the deal with the boy scout at the start trying to help the same old lady and got killed by the bus?
He was playing the game. He was apparently waiting for the call or clue... or maybe that was one of his tasks... but he dropped his phone. And of course, since the phone is such a vital part of the game he went back to get it.
I'm done with thoughtful signatures for the time being.
here's an interesting fact to add. the phone that the kid is using is an N-Gage. for those that don't know, it doubles as a phone and a video game system...but it is mostly marketed as a video game handheld. perhaps there is also a message to be had with the kid willing to risk his life for his video game. probably not, but i don't think it was coincidence that they gave the scout an N-Gage instead of any regular old cell phone.
interestingly enough, the scene itself is set up like a round in a game. the scout has to help the old lady cross the street before the crosswalk timer runs up. we're even feed quick cuts to the timer and dramatic music to give it that suspenseful "game" mood. you know, as opposed to uh, people just crossing a street like they always do. that doesn't necessarily mean that it is a round in the game of 13. i just think it sets the mood of a game about to unfold very nicely. as idlefingers mentions, it could in fact be one of his early tasks in the game. but the first line you see the boy scout mention on the phone is "just a minute" which would normally mean he is off to do something unrelated to the phone call real quick. that something being what boy scouts are known for...helping old lady's cross the street. plus this "round" would be entirely lacking in what makes the rounds in 13 what they are. something sickening or something involving violence and/or death. oh and uh...kids don't have bank accounts. whoops. STILL, i prefer to believe that the kid is involved in the game since i enjoy the idea that even kids are playing it in this crazy modern world.
one more quick thought i just had...when you think about it, the boy scout doesn't seem like the sort of contestant they go after. they list that the people they go after are all desperate. they seek contestants who have had "problems with work, money, family, and even love." which of course are all the problems our poor Pusit has. and desperate candidates are obviously the most suitable for such a game since they will go extremely far for the prize. i don't think the boy scout embodies pure desperation. in fact, he seems to embody the opposite situation of Pusit. however, it was mentioned at the end that there are more games than the one Pusit is playing...and i believe there is a prequel by the name of 12? perhaps these would explain the opening scene....
maybe the old lady was in the game?
shareI think she was a part of the running/oganising of it.
According to Wikipedia the old lady at the start with the bus is the same old lady in the hospital challange. Sure like at lot of the challanges it could be coincidence or a lack of money on the producers parts but I choose the conspiracy option.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13:_Game_Of_Death (plot information)
Probably the boy had a sick mother or something who needed expensive treatments. So getting the money could save her life. Something along those lines.
shareHey, the boy scout wasn't the same kid that was the mastermind of all the stuff at the end of the film?
shareI'm assuming not since that kid got hit by the bus but, yeah, that thought had crossed my mind as well.
shareso you haven't seen 12 begins that is the start of the film though its a short story that boy scout is the one who is playing the game...
" why is it so dark right there??? yah! that's right the SPOTLIGHTS on me "
If you look at the kid before he goes back for the phone, he focuses on the bus number, 203, and walks back to get the phone. He then almost appears to purposely go in front of the bus. It did not show him get hit, but it seems he was part of the game. The old lady also seemed to look like the old lady at the end. The kid is definitely different from the ringmaster kid, though.
shareThe old woman is defo the same one at the start and the hospital. My theory is that the old woman was also playing a game which overlaps with Putsit's game. Her challenge is to lure the scout in front of the bus.
shareFirst, the boy is not a boy scout. It is one of many school uniforms kids and teens in Thailand have to wear when they go to school. Just looks like a a boy scout uniform.
Second, the old lady was definitly the same as in the hospital. She was seemingly part of the game before already.
Having lived in Thailand, I consider this movie very much as a satire. There is lots of critique in it about modern life in Thailand today, especially the greed that has gotten out of hand there in the last 20 years or so.
Best example is, when his mother calls him and aks for money for his sister. He tells her he sent her already and she replies: yes, but she spent that already on a new phone!!! A situation I have witnessed there too.
Or that our main guy is willing to do so many weird, crazy or illegal things to get rich.
The movie is easier to understand if u know Thailand and its population.
Another point is the corrupt police, which seems to got paid by the game masters to let the game proceed.
Only thing I did not like is, that the father was a "farang" (foreigner) who beat up his own son. From my own experiences, foreign dads in Thailand treat their mixed race children , or often even the 100 % thai children of their wifes from previous marriages, really decent and provide money that the kids can have a good life.Most of the time, divorced thai husbands avoid to pay for their kids after the marriage is over.
Anyway, this is by far one of the best thai movies I have ever seen and considred that thai movies are very cheap compared to say american movies, it was pretty well made. Even the acting of the main actors was good, there were only some over actors as usual , luckily only in minor roles.
Agree with most everything you said. The his sister spent school money on a phone so he needs to send more is sooooo Thai it made me laugh.
Or his ex Maew who he offered to buy a house and car if she came back to him and she complained he couldn't make her famous too.
And in subtitles, Mahboonkhrong Shopping Center translated to Ebay. Mixed race Thai/Caucasian translated to bastard son.