1999 may go down as the Year of the King.  Prolific horror author Stephen King was able to sandwich a near-fatal accident between The Storm of the Century and The Green Mile; Frank Whaley’s directorial debut Joe the King was panned by critics; and Return of the King, the third part of the eagerly anticipated The Lord of the Rings trilogy, began filming in New Zealand.

 But the most curious cinematic King story this year has to be Mongkut – as in the nineteenth-century King of Siam.  Mongkut has had two films made about him and his relationship with Anna Leonowens this year.  That’s one more film than Schwarzenegger had and two more than Claire Danes should have made.  It’s particularly strange considering that over forty years have passed since we’ve seen Mongkut’s story on the big screen.  When Margaret Langdon turned Anna’s memoirs into a best-selling novel in 1944, it took only a dozen years to spawn the drama Anna and the King of Siam and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s hit musical The King & I, as well as the theatrical version.

First up in 1999 was the critically panned dud The King and I – an animated remake of the musical with horribly stereotypical characters and a villain that had suddenly developed supernatural powers.  Now, at the close of the year, Hollywood serves up a remake of Anna and the King of Siam, the 1946 drama that starred Irene Dunne and Rex Harrison (in his film debut).

This version of Anna and the King has a lot to offer, and a lot to be wary of.  On the plus side is, of course, two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster (Contact) tackling the role of Anna.  Another big advantage is the casting of Hong Kong action star Chow Yun-Fat (The Corruptor) as King Mongkut.  It marks the first time that an Asian actor has portrayed the King, who has previously been played by white guys with yellow makeup doing bad Charlie Chan impressions.  The film also benefits from a top-quality production team, including two Oscar winners (and a nominee) from Howard’s End.

There are some giant red flags, too.  Director Andy Tennant’s last three films were the disappointing Ever After, the ludicrous Fools Rush In and the Olsen twins’ debacle It Takes Two.  The two credited screenwriters, Peter Krikes and Steve Meerson, last worked on Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Double Impact.  Their Anna script is just too long and, in the last reel, even turns into a Van Damme-type action thriller.

The story is the same as it ever was.  Anna, twenty-three months a widow, is hired to become the royal tutor for the children of the King of Siam (now Thailand) in 1862 Bangkok.  She’s all of the three P’s – prim, proper and prissy, delivering lines through perpetually clenched jowls.  Accompanying Anna is her giant hat, hoop dress, knee-length hair extensions and her equally prissy son, Louis (Tom Felton).  Upon her arrival (I know it looks a lot like Waterworld at first, but don’t flee the theater), Anna refuses to follow protocol, insists on living in a house outside the walls of the palace and is called “Sir” by all of Mongkut’s underlings.  She’s firm and persistent, eventually winning over the hearts of the King, his fifty-eight kids and even a few of the King’s ten wives.

In the meantime, Mongkut’s Siam appears to be under siege by neighboring Burma, while his General Alak (Randall Duk Kim, The Replacement Killers) deviously twirls his moustache and maniacally rubs his hands together.  This version of Anna seems to focus more attention on the political climate of Siam than it needs to.  It also blows about twenty minutes on a subplot involving Tuptim (Bai Ling, Wild Wild West), the King’s newest concubine.

Foster is, as always, amazing as the lantern-jawed Anna, but the real surprise here is Chow.  I never thought that I would be able to watch him in a movie that didn’t include his trademark double-fisted brand of gunplay.  Chow exudes regal charisma like a copious geyser, deftly stealing all of the film’s good lines.  Even when the ending is reduced to the level of a hokey action picture, Chow shines.

Filmed in Malaysia, Anna certainly looks sumptuous enough.  Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel (Fly Away Home) perfectly captures the look and feel of Siam’s palace, especially during the amazing banquet scene where Mongkut entertains British emissaries.  Even a hardened critic like myself found my eyes watering a bit during a couple of scenes in this film.  But I’m still not sure if it was the emotional impact or if it was because both of my legs were asleep from sitting in the theater for so long.

 2:35 -   for violence and very mild adult situations