"A MOVING FIGHT FOR FULFILLMENT. A singular movie if ever there was one, Ekachai Uekrongtham's Beautiful Boxer is A DEEPLY AFFECTING ODYSSEY…"
- Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

"Moving… intriguing…Features a Phenomenal performance by Asanee Suwan, both fierce and feminine as Toom, a champion kickboxer who becomes a woman. Director Ekachai Uekrongtham fills his debut feature with lush scenery and beautifully choreographed fight scenes. There's great delicacy to a sequence where finely tuned athletes, shrouded by morning fog, command their bodies in unison. It's mascara as the ultimate war paint."
- Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle

"Intriguingly blurring the lines between conventional notions of masculinity and femininity, Beautiful Boxer is a stirring portrait of Thai kickboxing sensation Nong Toom, who decked his opponents while decked out in drag - that is until he earned enough money to pay for
a full-fledged sex change operation.

The artfully assembled film is a genuine crowd pleaser and given the right handling by the right distributor,  could emerge as something of a Thai 'Billy Elliot'.

Directed by first-time filmmaker Ekachai Uekrongtham from a script he wrote with Desmond Sim Kim Jin,
the energetic drama efficiently connects the formative dots that were to shape Toom's destiny…

Unlike "Iron Ladies"… playing it mainly for laughs, Ekachai's film takes a more compassionate view of its subject and boasts a dynamic performance by real-life  kickboxer Asanee Suwan."
- Michael Rechshaffen, The Hollywood Reporter

"Certain to become a must-see on the festival circuit,  Beautiful Boxer has the smarts and imagination to gain wide theatrical distribution around the world, initially as a curio, of course, but news of its artistic achievement will draw a much wider audience to this fascinating film.

Uekrongtham illustrates the boxer's inner turmoil in fantasy sequences, in which he sometimes see  his other self and dreams of the day he can quit the ring to become a woman. The fight choreography has raw energy, which the director often slows down to catch the exact moment when the fight belongs to Nong Toom.  This also produces a ballet-like quality to the violence that only underscores the masculine / feminine dichotomy to the action.

Suwan accomplishes the difficult feat of suggesting the male and female sides to this character while performing the boxing maneuvers with superb dexterity.  Here is a person fighting larger and more frightening demons outside of the ring than in. He will only find inner peace when he can change the shape and nature of his body to correspond to what is in his heart and mind.

The movie almost writes its own tagline: "He fights like a man to become a woman," or "Rocky with lipstick." All technical aspects of this move are first rate, which points to the rapid evolution of cinema in what has become an increasingly interesting corner of the movie world."
- Kirk Honeycutt, Reuters Film Review

"...the film is heartfelt and spectacularly conceived, especially the exciting fight sequences and gorgeous production design.  
- Ken Fox, TV Guide

"Captured the audience in just a matter of minutes.
An extraordinary story told with compassion and plentiful humour. The kickboxing sequences are dynamic, graceful… possessing the aesthetics equivalent to what one would experience at a most brilliantly choreographed dance performance."
- Axel Schock, Berliner Morgenpost (Germany)

"Thailand's famous transvestite boxer immortalized in a new movie. Beautiful Boxer is a heartwarming tale of a woman trapped in a man's body... Asanee gives a brilliant performance, both as a shy boy-girl in the masculine, sweaty-body world of kickboxing camp, and as a tormented androgynous star struggling with his sexuality…"
- Vijay Joshi, Associated Press

"One of the most dynamic films in Berlin this year emerged from the Panarama section. Ekachai Uekrongtham's Beautiful Boxer is the true story of a transvestite kickboxer in Thailand. This first film by one of the country's leading stage directors does not play the story for camp or sensationalism but rather is an artistic investigation into a divided soul.

The film not only calls into question ingrained notions of what constitute masculinity and femininity but the degree to which the distinction between athletics and show business has blurred."
- Kirk Honeycutt, Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
"Asian films have made more significant inroads into Berlin. Beautiful Boxer, by Thai director Ekachai Uekrongtham, has sentiments - and kickboxing - on its side."
- James Christopher, The Times (UK)

"Beautiful Boxer can be described as the story of a small town boy from humble beginnings who struggles with his identity and place in life, only to end up realizing his dreams and finally being able to take care of his family. But in this case, the story takes on a deeper, emotional, dramatic, and ultimately triumphant tone."
- Bryan Lynn Growcock, Deutsche Press-Agentur (DPA)
"Beautiful Boxer… boasts a brilliant and brave performance from lead actor Asanee Suwan (actually a pro boxer with no previous acting experience)."
- Robert Williamson, kamera.co.uk
"Director Ekachai Uekrongtham's fight sequences screen like a brutal ballet… Beautiful Boxer offers a rare glimpse of an individual's struggle to be true to his or her self, at whatever price."
- Rebecca Redshaw, notesfromhollywood.com

"First-time director Ekachai Uekrongtham - as capable of finding dynamism in a makeup case as he is at capturing the aesthetic beauty of Muaythai moves - faithfully visualizes Nong Toom's life. The result is A TEARJERKER THAT KICKS ASS."
- Johnny Ray Huston - San Francisco Bay Guardian (USA)

"A compelling English-language release from Thailand, the beautifully made "Beautiful Boxer" ...is summed up in a single early scene, in which he as a young boy at a local fair first sees a Thai boxing match, and then, on seeing a lovely stage performer, first experiences his attraction to makeup... Asanee Suwan is almost note-perfect in a newcomer performance that earned him a Supannahongsa (Thailand's version of the Oscar) for best actor. Fine support comes from the likes of veteran actor Sorapong Chatree as his driven coach and former Miss Thailand Orn-Anong Panyawong as his troubled mother, both in key sympathetic roles.
-Kim Williamson, Box Office Magazine

Ekacahi Uekrongtham’s début feature is a beautifully shot chronicle...   Asanee Suwan’s portrayal of Nong Thoom is nothing short of spectacular.... this real-life kick boxer flies through the many action sequences with skill and grace.... His younger counterparts (Sarawuth Tangchit - as a boy; Natee Pongsopol - as a novice monk) are equally convincing in their unabashed understanding of the feminine soul trapped within the male form. “I’m not a boy,” he insists with knowledge beyond his years....

Beautiful Boxer jumps far ahead of the pack of other “coming out films” that seem content with the cheap laugh and an army of stereotypical characters....  From the Ave Maria-like opening bars accompanying the physical transformation from male to female, through the heady drums of battle, Amombhong Methakunbudh’s music is also a major component of the film’s success.

Beautiful Boxer is a magical vision of the ring of the imagination, where anything is possible if the top of the seemingly impossible staircase of self acceptance can be reached.
-James Wegg, Film Threat

The film offers breathtakingly lush landscapes and poetic fight sequences, but Beautiful Boxer mines the most beauty from an abundance of genuine heart...  Aside from a thoughtful exploration of the true meaning of masculinity, this well-paced, gorgeously filmed biopic provides a thrilling glimpse into Thailand’s fierce fighting subculture.
-Brandon Voss, HX Magazine