The Path
The Path
A Cambodian monk, formerly a badass gangster, is reluctantly tasked with the return of a priceless stolen Angkorian artefact from a remote rural pagoda, to Oudong mountain, the resting place of Cambodia’s Kings. Pursued by the thieves and haunted by the murder of his wife and son, Kosal faces physical, emotional and psychological challenges, but ultimately must face his own brutal past. Has he really changed or is his obsession for vengeance merely masked by his Buddhist robes?
Written by: Ian Masters & Jon Smith Status: In Development
Genre: Action |
Drama
Running Time: 104' Awards: Page International Screenwriting Competition - Quarter-Finalist
The Nicholl Fellowship Award - Quarter-Finalist
China-Hollywood Fellowship - Semi-Finalist
Logline
Logline
A twist on the hero’s journey in which a Cambodian monk, formerly a badass gangster, is tasked with the return of stolen Angkorian artefacts from a remote pagoda to Oudong mountain, the resting place of Cambodia’s Kings.
This ”robe movie” sees Monkster face physical, emotional and psychological challenges, but ultimately he must face his own brutal past. Is he hiding behind his robes, or is there conviction in his newfound Buddhist faith…? He’s part monk, all gangster and determined to atone, in this life and the next. It’s karmageddon.
This ”robe movie” sees Monkster face physical, emotional and psychological challenges, but ultimately he must face his own brutal past. Is he hiding behind his robes, or is there conviction in his newfound Buddhist faith…? He’s part monk, all gangster and determined to atone, in this life and the next. It’s karmageddon.
Pitch
Cambodia, present day: When Cambodia’s most holy (and priceless) artefacts are recovered from a thieves’ shootout, the task to return them to the holy mountain of Oudong falls to KOSAL, a recently ordained monk with a violent, shadowy past. Accompanied by CHANRITH, a young novice, Kosal is forced to confront his former life and his family’s brutal murder as he is pursued relentlessly across the Cambodian countryside.
PHIRATH, the head of the notorious Naga Group, has entered an unholy alliance with the Minister of Antiquities, to arrange the theft of the Eye of Angkor for a shady Chinese Consortium. He will stop at nothing to get it back. As the thugs close in, Kosal’s renouncement of violence is severely tested. Eventually trapped on a bridge, Kosal unleashes his fearsome bokator fury when he is taunted about the death of his wife, brother and son. But bokator, Cambodia’s ancient martial art, is no match for bullets. Shot and left for dead, the locked box is brought to Phnom Penh. Only there is it discovered to be empty.
Kosal is nursed back to health by a seductive woman who tempts him to give up and stay with her. He is clearly no monk. Chanrith rescues his hero and explains that he hid the artefacts in his alms bowl for protection. He can still complete his mission. But Kosal’s discovery that Phirath is behind it all leaves him reeling. Phirath is his own brother, whom he believed was murdered a year before. Forgetting his quest, Kosal takes the Eye of Angkor and heads to Phnom Penh bent solely on avenging his family and teaching his brother the ultimate lesson of betrayal. After a brutal showdown in the Naga Group Towers, Kosal kills his own brother, but finds revenge empty and meaningless.
With his faith in tatters, he is reborn in a pagoda as a fighting monk. He leads a sting against the corrupted Minister and returns the Eye of Angkor to Oudong Mountain having redeemed himself of his vengeful obsession. Still determined to atone, Kosal and Chanrith return to the remote pagoda to train an elite force of fighting bokator monks tasked with protecting Cambodia’s heritage at all costs.
PHIRATH, the head of the notorious Naga Group, has entered an unholy alliance with the Minister of Antiquities, to arrange the theft of the Eye of Angkor for a shady Chinese Consortium. He will stop at nothing to get it back. As the thugs close in, Kosal’s renouncement of violence is severely tested. Eventually trapped on a bridge, Kosal unleashes his fearsome bokator fury when he is taunted about the death of his wife, brother and son. But bokator, Cambodia’s ancient martial art, is no match for bullets. Shot and left for dead, the locked box is brought to Phnom Penh. Only there is it discovered to be empty.
Kosal is nursed back to health by a seductive woman who tempts him to give up and stay with her. He is clearly no monk. Chanrith rescues his hero and explains that he hid the artefacts in his alms bowl for protection. He can still complete his mission. But Kosal’s discovery that Phirath is behind it all leaves him reeling. Phirath is his own brother, whom he believed was murdered a year before. Forgetting his quest, Kosal takes the Eye of Angkor and heads to Phnom Penh bent solely on avenging his family and teaching his brother the ultimate lesson of betrayal. After a brutal showdown in the Naga Group Towers, Kosal kills his own brother, but finds revenge empty and meaningless.
With his faith in tatters, he is reborn in a pagoda as a fighting monk. He leads a sting against the corrupted Minister and returns the Eye of Angkor to Oudong Mountain having redeemed himself of his vengeful obsession. Still determined to atone, Kosal and Chanrith return to the remote pagoda to train an elite force of fighting bokator monks tasked with protecting Cambodia’s heritage at all costs.
