'Sanctuary' for the soul

His brother Michael Wong is probably better known in Thailand, but Russel Wong is hardly a new face to local audiences, as he's appeared in several Hong Kong and Hollywood flicks including the recent releases "The Mummy 3: Tomb of The Dragon Emperor" and "Romeo Must Die".

Now he's hard at work on a Thai production with a role in the low-profile film "Sam-Pan-Boke" ("The Sanctuary"), which is scheduled for release on October 7.

Directed by Thanapon Maliwan ("Brave"), the Chinese-American actor plays a former military reconnaissance expert turned businessman and antique collector.

"Russell's character is well suited for the script. And once we started worked together, I was very impressed by his dedication and professionalism," says the director.

In "The Sanctuary", an American gangster hires an archaeologist (Wong) to locate the treasure that an ancestor has stolen from the palace and hidden before being killed, along with his fellow thieves, by a royal guards. But the guard's offspring knows the story and is determined to prevent the treasure from being retrieved. He gets help from a young and beautiful archaeology student (Intira Jaroenpura).

Thanapon is a son of Chokchai, an action film director and producer from the 1980s, whose movies were released upcountry rather than on the main circuit. He was also the producer for most of Panna Ritthikrai's films including the famous action franchise "Kerd Ma Lui" ("Born to Fight").