Tee Yai: Born to Be Bad

Set in 1980s Bangkok, Tee Yai: Born to Be Bad centers on Tee, a cunning thief whose imaginative robberies quickly make him a citywide curiosity. He plans jobs with patient detail, slipping through crowded markets, luxury apartments and guarded banks while keeping a low profile. The public alternates between admiration and fear as newspapers and rumor feed the mystery. Police resources get stretched and a single determined officer, Rerk, starts tracking patterns that others dismiss. What looks like a parade of spectacle gradually reveals how reputation, friendship and survival intersect in a lawless economy. The film follows the escalating chess match between criminal creativity and police persistence, without giving away how it resolves.

The 2025 film was directed by Nonzee Nimibutr, created by Chanchana Homsap and features Nattawin Wattanagitiphat as Tee, Witsarut Himmarat as Rerk, Supassara Thanachart as Dao and Sadanont Durongkhaweroj among the principal cast, with period production design and soundtrack evoking 1980s Bangkok streets.

The movie opened mainly in Thailand, following a limited theatrical release and select regional screenings. Detailed box office totals have not been widely reported upon release, though the title attracted attention domestically rather than mounting a wide global commercial run.

Within Thailand the film prompted online discussion about its portrayal of 1980s urban life and its stylish take on theft cinema, encouraging conversations about memory, class and nostalgia. Performances, especially Tee's charisma, became a focus on social feeds, while local cinephiles debated the film's moral tone and its visual language.

Audience ratings sit around 5.083/10 from 42 votes, reflecting mixed reaction. Many viewers praised the leads, period production and tense set pieces, while others cited uneven pacing and plotting. The film engages themes of moral ambiguity, loyalty within criminal networks, the costs of reputation and friction between image and survival.