Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior

Starring: Tony Jaa, Petchtai Wongkamlao, Pumwaree Yodkamol, Suchao Pongwilai, Chatthapong Phantana-Angkul
Directed by: Prachya Pinkaew
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Thriller
2003

Times Seen:
Tim: 1


Summary: When the head of their religious statue is stolen, a young man (Tony Jaa) ventures from his small village to the big city to retrieve it.

Review:

Tim: Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is one of those films I'd heard about for years before I finally got around to seeing them. From hearing references to it over the years, I suspected it would be worth seeing, but it's so hard to get to every movie like this. As I expected, searching it out was well worth the effort. This is an especially good martial arts movie, one of the few movies from Thailand I've ever seen. It's filled with incredible action and stunts and it feels like it has more weight than your average martial arts thriller. It's a special movie that is memorable and it makes sense why I'd heard about it so many times over the years.

The movie really launches Tony Jaa into worldwide acclaim. He follows in the footsteps of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, his martial arts skills feeling unparalleled on the big screen. Jaa, in one of his earliest films, gives a shockingly good performance. His muay thai moves are simply outstanding. Like Lee or Chan, he's able to do things with his body that feel impossible. His jumps, kicks, flips, punches- they're all beautiful to watch. Like those other pioneers, Jaa also brings a certain charisma to the role. This isn't just a talented martial artist, but someone who's entertaining to watch on screen. Jaa's acting is kept to a minimum, he was early in his career and still learning (so his acting is far below his physical performance), but he was occasionally mesmerizing to watch on screen. You can see early on that he was destined to be a star. Prior to this movie, I'd only see Jaa in small supporting roles in big franchise blockbusters. Those roles are fine, but his performances were meant to contrast the heroic American heroes in the protagonist role. Fine, if it introduces him to American audiences, but he deserves more than that. It was great fun seeing him here in the starring role. It did make me wonder why he hasn't had the same career of Lee, Chan, or even Jet Li. I think he could be at their level, but this is only the 4th movie of his I'd ever seen. Here, at least, his physical performance is stunning. I could watch him perform these stunts over and over again. For fans of martial arts movies like this, I understand why Ong-Bak would be such a celebrated movie.

The supporting cast is decent. Most noteworthy is Petchtai Wongkamlao, who plays Jaa's cousin. He brings a ton of energy to the role in a mostly comedic relief part. Jaa is so stoic throughout the film, Wongkamlao was essential to bring entertainment to the story. He does this in spades and the movie is better because of him. His character does get annoying at times, but he adds more than he detracts.

I liked that this movie felt like it had more depth than your typical film in this genre. The macguffin in this case is the head of a statue that Jaa's tribe holds sacred. Yes, the plot is just one action scene after another to try and get it back. That is expected and obvious. But, I liked the plot involving a sacred religious object from a rural village. This allowed the movie to contrast this with the secular big city. It felt like a story that definitely symbolizes Thailand and their unique present and history. All of this might not be great (and some of the "reasoning" for fight scenes was abysmally stupid), it mostly works, if you're willing to suspend some disbelief. Honestly, as weak as some of the explanations for why Jaa had to continually fight were, I was mostly able to forgive the film because it afforded us another chance to see him in action.

Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior has a few flaws, but it's still a remarkably impressive film. Jaa shows superstar-level talent and the movie is entertaining, exciting, and filled with so many stunning action sequences. My favorite is probably the fire legs scene, but honestly, at least a dozen sequences were brilliantly shot. The many fight club scenes we get were all so diverse and entertaining. This movie is well worth searching out and I'm interested in seeing the sequels.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Monster Hunter, Furious 7, Ong-Bak 2: The Beginning