Tears of the Black Tiger 2007

In a poignant tableau, an alluring young woman, Rumpoey Rajasena (no actor name provided), trudges through the downpour, her suitcase adorned with intricate patterns, as she makes her way to an ornate gazebo situated amidst the lush lotus swamp. Her eyes linger on a cherished photograph of Dum, a man whose very essence seems to pulse with a quiet intensity.

Meanwhile, in a distant corner of this lawless land, Dum (no actor name provided) and his trusted ally, Mahesuan, find themselves locked in a tense standoff with Yoi, an adversary of their enigmatic leader, Fai. As the hail of bullets intensifies, Dum charges forward, clad in black and topped with a cowboy hat, his revolver blazing as he outmaneuvers eight adversaries. The bullet’s trajectory is nothing short of mesmerizing, ricocheting off various objects in a Rube Goldberg-esque sequence before ultimately striking its mark.

In the aftermath of this adrenaline-fueled display, Dum and Mahesuan dispose of Yoi, only for Dum to make his own way back to the gazebo, where he finds that Rumpoey has already returned home. The next day, she is formally betrothed to the ambitious young Police Captain Kumjorn, a union orchestrated by her father, the governor of Suphanburi province.

Mahesuan’s ire simmers as he reflects on his demotion from top gunman in Fai’s outlaw gang to secondary status behind Dum. Seeking revenge, Mahesuan tracks down Dum and finds him lost in contemplation, harmonica at the ready. The erstwhile ally mocks Dum’s sentimentality before issuing a challenge to a gunfight. Though Dum fires first, Mahesuan remains unscathed. Just as it seems their conflict is about to escalate further, a decapitated snake drops from an overhanging tree branch onto Mahesuan’s cowboy hat, its lifeless body a testament to Dum’s swift reflexes.

As Dum retrieves his harmonica and ponders the events of yesteryear, he finds himself transported back to a bygone era – a nostalgic revisit to his childhood 10 years prior during the tumultuous Second World War. It was then that Rumpoey, her father, and Dum’s family fled the city for the rural Thailand, where they took refuge on the latter’s farm under the watchful eye of the war-torn skies.

As the lotus swamp’s serene atmosphere gave way to turbulence, Rumpoey (character name) seized a bamboo flute from Dum’s deft fingers, demanding he take her on a leisurely boat ride. The cosmopolitan city girl proposed a compromise: she would accompany him to Bang Pu beach if he acquiesced to her every whim. Their excursion led them to the hauntingly beautiful Sala Awaiting the Maiden, where Dum regaled Rumpoey with the tale of the woodcutter who built it in anticipation of meeting his beloved, only to be thwarted by fate. Moved by the tragedy, Rumpoey’s emotions overflowed as she wept at the site.

Their return journey was marred by an unfortunate encounter with Koh and his cohorts, who taunted Rumpoey mercilessly. Dum’s valiant defense of her earned him a paddle-wielded blow to the forehead from Koh, followed by the overturning of their boat by the trio. Despite being late in returning home, Dum managed to rescue Rumpoey, only to face his father’s wrath for his tardiness. The latter’s disciplinary cane left deep gashes on Dum’s back, prompting Rumpoey’s compassionate gift: a harmonica to replace the flute she had earlier destroyed.

Fast-forwarding to the present, Captain Kumjorn revealed his plan to Governor to vanquish bandit Fai and impose order on Suphanburi province. With a tender farewell to his distant fiancée, he took a small, framed portrait of Rumpoey, vowing to safeguard it with his life.

In the shadow of an ancient Buddhist temple, Mahesuan swore allegiance to Dum before the Buddha statue, proclaiming that should he betray their oath, “his gun would take my life.” Unbeknownst to Kumjorn’s police forces, a traitor was secretly guiding them toward Fai’s hideout. As the outlaws ran low on ammunition, the police launched a charge, only for Dum and Mahesuan to arrive atop a cliff, armed with rocket-propelled grenades that decimated the authorities.

Fai imprisoned Kumjorn in a cabin, ordering Dum to execute him. As Kumjorn pleaded with Dum to inform his fiancée of his fate, he handed over the framed portrait of Rumpoey, leaving Dum stunned by the unexpected revelation. Mahesuan entered the scene to find Kumjorn vanished and Dum wounded, with a knife lodged in his chest.

As Dum’s wounds are being tended to, his mind wanders back to the fateful day he reconnected with Rumpoey in Bangkok, a university student still grappling with the complexities of their whirlwind romance. He implores her to leave him be, convinced that she is far too radiant and from a higher social echelon for any genuine connection with someone like himself. But fate had other plans; a fateful encounter with Koh and his henchmen soon finds Rumpoey in peril. Dum intervenes, dispatching the attackers with ease, only to find himself expelled as a consequence. Rumpoey appears, insistent on offering him a ride in her sleek automobile, and they embark on a scenic journey to Bang Pu beach, where they confess their undying love for each other and eventually become engaged, planning to reunite at Sala Awaiting the Maiden one year hence.

Tragedy strikes when Dum returns home to find his family slaughtered, with his dying father placing the blame squarely on Kong. With a burning desire for vengeance coursing through his veins, Dum sets out to exact retribution, using his father’s trusty lever-action carbine to take down several members of Kong’s clan. However, Dum soon finds himself cornered and forced to flee into the forest, leaving him with just one cartridge remaining. In a desperate bid to turn the tables, Dum contemplates taking his own life, but Fai arrives just in time, recognizing the rifle as one he had once given to Dum’s father, and hands Dum a fully loaded revolver instead. Dum is now an outlaw, driven by a singular focus on avenging his family’s brutal murder.

As Rumpoey prepares to marry Kumjorn the following night, her frustration boils over in a desperate attempt to take her own life, only to be thwarted at the last moment by her devoted nanny.

Meanwhile, Fai orchestrates a daring raid on the governor’s mansion, with Dum warning of the impending arrival of police reinforcements. Undeterred, Fai revels in the thrill of danger. On their way to launch the assault, Mahesuan outwits and disarms Dum, accusing him of deliberately freeing Kumjorn from captivity. A conspiratorial accomplice congratulates Mahesuan on having deprived the “Tiger” of his most prized possessions.

As the clock strikes midnight, Dum arrives at the wedding, resplendent in a crisp white suit, to offer warm congratulations to the newlyweds and caution Kumjorn about Fai’s impending attack. However, Kumjorn sees only an opportunity to strike back against his rival for Rumpoey’s affections.

Just as Fai’s gang launches their assault on the governor’s mansion, Mahesuan slips in unnoticed, only to find Rumpoey and render her unconscious.

Fai leads the charge with reckless abandon, claiming numerous police lives before entering the mansion. However, his luck finally runs out when the governor impales him on a bayonet before delivering the fatal shot, ending Fai’s reign of terror once and for all.

As Mahesuan tenderly transports Rumpoey across the lush lawn, fate intervenes in the form of Dum, who seizes the opportunity to exact revenge through a high-stakes gun duel. The two men engage in a simultaneous exchange of gunfire, with Mahesuan’s bullet harmlessly ricocheting off into the distance while Dum’s fateful shot finds its mark, piercing Mahesuan’s teeth with unerring precision. As Mahesuan crumples to the ground, Dum rushes to Rumpoey’s side, abandoning his own weapon in a display of compassion and concern.

Later, Kumjorn confronts the wounded Dum at gunpoint, demanding an explanation for his actions. In a desperate bid to calm the situation, Dum reaches into his breast pocket, only to find himself on the receiving end of Kumjorn’s gunfire - the bullet piercing the framed portrait of Rumpoey that Dum had been reaching for in a poignant display of devotion. As Dum succumbs to his injuries beneath the rain-soaked sky, Rumpoey’s anguished sobs echo through the air, punctuated by the haunting echoes of Dum’s own words, whispered earlier in a moment of introspection: “Life is suffering,” he had said, “and we’re all just chasing after fleeting moments of hope.” In this somber and poignant tableau, the futility of human existence hangs precariously in the balance, as the rain continues to fall, washing away the hopes and dreams of those who dared to grasp them.