Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Marvel's Spider-Man Secret Lair promotional image

    Get a Look At the Secret Lair x Marvel’s Spider-Man Superdrop

    09/08/2025
    Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions gameplay still

    Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions Is All About Adventure (with Friends)

    09/08/2025
    Chord in Persona 5 The Phantom X

    Now Is The Perfect Time To Jump Back In ‘Persona 5: The Phantom X’

    09/05/2025
    Cosmic Spider-Man card details

    [EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

    09/02/2025
    Lee Corso from College Football GameDay in EA Sports games

    EA Sports Always Understood Lee Corso’s Legacy

    09/01/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » TV » REVIEW: The Horrors and Corruption of Thai Boxing in ‘Hurts Like Hell’

REVIEW: The Horrors and Corruption of Thai Boxing in ‘Hurts Like Hell’

Jason FlattBy Jason Flatt07/15/20224 Mins Read
Hurts Like Hell But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

 

Hurts Like Hell

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Hurts Like Hell is a Thai-language Netflix Original series directed by Kittichai Wanprasert and written by Siwat Decharat that mixes dramatization and interviews to show several interrelated vignettes of the horrors and corruption of Muay Thai in Thailand. From the bettors (gurus) to the refs and promoters, to the coaches and the boxers themselves, it’s corruption and tragedy all the way down.

This series’s format feels unique and perfect for driving its message. Over four episodes of a bit under an hour each, Hurts Like Hell goes back and forth between dramatic scenes and interviews with people formerly involved with boxing in Thailand. Muay Thai is the national sport. It’s beloved by so many and for so many more, feels like a ticket to earning money and escaping poverty and other dismal situations. But it’s often an inglorious sport filled with deep corruption that results in bribery, cheating, drugging, and killing. The series uses its dramatic tension to draw you in and its biting interviews to contextualize everything to great effect.

The first episode is cursory, giving definitions of everything you need to know about the Muay Thai ecosystem while running you through basically everything wrong with the system. You don’t realize what’s wrong at first; you think you’re just watching a regular boxing match. Admittedly, it was a bit confusing initially. I didn’t fully understand the format and didn’t realize the people in the interviews weren’t actors, and the actors weren’t depicting real events, just events similar to real ones from recent history. But as the series goes on and dives into more specific components of the Muay Thai world and its horrors, the format becomes gripping and informative.

The acting is also really, really good. Pretty much every character is going through something traumatic or dastardly, and every single actor chews up their opportunity to imbue this series with emotion. Particularly impressive are all the boxing matches themselves. There are full matches that go on during the course of the show and every one of them looks no different than a match you’d see in real life. The realistic matches actually contributed heavily to my confusion at first over what kind of show I was watching and whether it was a documentary or a drama. In the other scenes, though, watching the boxers and others struggle with relationships, abuse, and other stressors is captivating specifically because the scenes are so well acted.

One aspect I’m not totally sold on is the music used throughout. It’s always this melancholic English modern rock music that, on the one hand, fits the pessimistic outlook the show has on Muay Thai. But on the other hand, it most often took me out of each dramatic moment because it was so melodramatic that it just didn’t feel like it belonged.

As a whole, the series is very clear about how it feels about Muay Thai: it wants to see it thrive, be saved, and be safe and fun like it was before gambling ruined everything. But it’s not sure that’s possible with how deep the corruption goes and how much money flows through betting. I empathize with this outlook enormously. It’s a classic challenge where a once beloved tradition is mutated beyond recognition into something no longer healthy. Still, those who love the tradition simply can’t or won’t let it go because it’s a tradition. It’s hard to make changes, even for the greater good, when most everyone is so infatuated that they delude themselves into believing things are based on nostalgia rather than reconciling with reality. People deserve to enjoy what brings them joy. Just not at the expense of so many people’s lives.

Hurts Like Hell is a great conduit for illuminating the horrors of the Thai boxing ecosystem. Its creative blend of drama and interview creates a viewing experience that makes you empathize with the subject while also growing to abhor it. It’s exceptionally well acted and well crafted, though it does have a learning curve at first and some odd musical choices.

Hurts Like Hell is streaming now on Netflix.

Hurts Like Hell
  • 8/10
    Rating - 8/10
8/10

TL;DR

Hurts Like Hell is a great conduit for shining a light on the horrors of the Thai boxing ecosystem. Its creative blend of drama and interview creates a viewing experience that makes you empathize with the subject while also growing to abhor it. It’s exceptionally well acted and well crafted, though it does have a learning curve at first and some odd musical choices.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: Hail to ‘Queen of Glory’
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Powerwash Simulator’ Is a Dirty, Dirty Game (XSX)
Jason Flatt
  • X (Twitter)

Jason is the Sr. Editor at But Why Tho? and producer of the But Why Tho? Podcast. He's usually writing about foreign films, Jewish media, and summer camp.

Related Posts

Helluva Boss Season 2 But Why Tho
9.5

REVIEW: ‘Helluva Boss’ Season 2 Is A Deeper Dive Into Love And Power

09/11/2025
Helluva Boss Season 1 Episode 7 But Why Tho
9.0

REVIEW: ‘Helluva Boss’ Season 1 Is Full Of Violence, Chaos, And Heart

09/11/2025
Sandra Yi Sencindiver stars as Yutani in Alien Earth Episode 6
9.0

REVIEW: ‘Alien: Earth’ Episode 6 — “The Fly”

09/10/2025
Task promotional key art featuring Mark Ruffalo from HBO
7.0

REVIEW: ‘Task’ Episode 1 — “Crossings”

09/08/2025
Aneesha Malik in Invasion Season 3 Episode 3
9.0

RECAP: ‘Invasion’ Season 3 Episode 3 — “Infinitas”

09/07/2025
Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 3
9.0

RECAP: ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Episode 3 — “Another Rick Up My Sleeve”

09/06/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
The Long Walk (2025) film review promotional image
9.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘The Long Walk’ Is The Most Heartfelt And Heartbreaking Stephen King Adaptation

By Kate Sánchez09/11/2025Updated:09/11/2025

The Long Walk is a brutal watch. Equally heartfelt and heartbreaking, it’s one of the best adaptations of Stephen King’s work.

EA Sports FC Icons Match promotional image from Nexon News

2025 Icons Match Returns With Football Legends Bridging The Pitch And Video Games

By Kate Sánchez09/03/2025Updated:09/03/2025

NEXON has announced the return of the ‘2025 Icons Match,’ a live event that brings a full roster of legendary players to the pitch.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 11
8.5
Anime

REVIEW: ‘DanDaDan’ Season 2 Episode 11 – “Hey, It’s a Kaiju”

By Allyson Johnson09/11/2025

The ragtag group faces down the mysterious kaiju in the thrilling and beautifully animated DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 11.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here