The Stone 2025 Movie Review
One of the most enduring tropes in cinema is that of “one against many”: the viewer is placed in the shoes of a character who is hunted, cornered, or cursed by fate. And hopefully survive! After more than a century of film storytelling, this pattern remains a narrative staple that modern screenwriters have no choice but to constantly reinvent by transposing it into various exotic, improbable, or simply fashionable contexts. “The Stone” generally follows this narrative pattern, unfolding in a very original and peculiar setting: the little-known business of religious artifacts, in that particular case Buddhist amulets. Buddhism, without exception, is confronted with a lucrative trade in good omens and luck-based fetishism and is the object of intense speculation around these purveyors of charms for health, wealth, or simple blessing.
Ake (or Ek = เอก), a young graduate struggling to find his first job, finds himself desperate for cash after his father, a former police officer, falls into a coma and is hospitalized. While searching through his father’s belongings, Ake stumbles upon a box full of old amulets. Digging online, he eventually lands on the channel of a popular influencer who specializes in authenticating and selling such items. With no real options left, Ake decides to bring the collection to a busy amulet exchange in hopes of getting just enough to pay the hospital bills. But just as he’s about to close a deal with the star Seng, Muay, a young and pretty carefree apprentice, daughter of the top authority in the field, jumps in and questions the evaluation. Could one of these amulets actually be worth a fortune? Just a hint: the film opens with the clean, professional execution of an unknown man.
Welcome to classic film noir…Wait, not quite! “The Stone” is, in fact, a comedy. But none of the signature elements of British dark humor either, instead, it echoes the lively tones of Hong Kong cinema. Still we have our good naive figure, tossed around by tough guys, crooks, and to pair with him an edgy girl-band heroine in a modern take on the femme fatale. And the later is one of the film’s strongest assets with the exception of a brilliant final Mexican stand-off (sorry, spoilers!): we start missing young Korranid Laosubinprasoet the moment she leaves the frame, an unmistakable sign of screen charisma. Better known as Aheye, she brings with her the full package of a modern pop-culture icon: singer, actress, model, and a member of the girl group launched through a reality TV show. Casting her as an apprentice influencer is definitively a win. Unmistakably 2025.
On the opposite, Jinjett Wattanasin does what’s asked of him, but without much impact: he seems to lack the fluency, the presence expected of a leading role. Still, playing innocent hero is a delicate balance. To his credit, his role as a modern-day young adult is probably perfectly in line with the filmmakers’ intent: a kind, discreet, gently gender-fluid protagonist, surely a crush-worthy figure for today’s younger audiences. As for the supporting roles, they are harder to assess, most probably intentionally kept within the bounds of genre stereotypes, despite the best effort of a workmanlike Itkron Pungkiatrussamee.
Though the film keeps the tone of a light comedy, violence is fairly present – which isn’t uncommon in this kind of cinema – but there’s no real sense of it. The blows don’t seem to hurt, and the threats seem not carrying much weight, even though there’s nothing comic about them. This lack of tonal shift slightly holds back the thriller potential that “The Stone” could have developed.
In a nutshell, “The Stone” is a pleasant piece of entertainment with just enough twists to hold attention, though occasional drops in pace can make it feel a bit repetitive. The two directors Arak Amornsupasiri (aka Pe Arak) and Vuthipong Sukhanindr did the job expected for a directorial debut with an original script and a fun execution.
