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Sunday, November 17, 2024 |
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| Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior |  |
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Prachya Pinkaew 
Tony Jaa, Perttary Wongkamlao, Pumwaree Yodkamol, Suchao Pongwilai, Wannakit Sirioput, Rungrawee Borrijindakul, Chetwut Wacharakun 
2003 
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With Bruce Lee gone, Jackie Chan aging and Jet Li going art-house, there's been a crying need for a legitimate Asian martial-arts star on the big screen. He has emerged in the form of Thailand's Tony Jaa, who, in "Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior," does the sort of jaw-dropping stunts that used to be a matter of course for the young Jackie Chan. "Ong-Bak" is no great shakes — or kicks — in the plot department, but, with such action sequences, it doesn't need to be. Simply put, novice monk Ting (Jaa) is pressured by his elders into leaving his tiny home town in the boondocks and traveling to Bangkok, where he is to use his amazing Muay Thai combat skills to recover the stolen head of the village's sacred statue of Buddha. The naïve Ting quickly comes up against the frenzy and hazards of urban life. He acquits himself admirably until he's forced to participate in ultimate fighting bouts controlled by the nefarious relics dealer who possesses the missing Buddha head. As soon as the villain sees Ting's skills and gets wind of the noble villager's mission of recovery, "Ong-Bak" becomes a series of fierce death matches and zany chase scenes, apparently done without the benefit of computer effects. Jaa doesn't equal Lee's animal magnetism, Chan's breezy knack for comedy, or Li's dignified, dramatic presence. Instead, he's like a human Slinky with flying fists and feet, and that's enough to make "Ong-Bak" a no-holds-barred blast. | |||
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