Ong-Bak - The Thai Warrior
by Prachya Pinkaew
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Actor: Chumphorn Thepphithak, Petchtai Wongkamlao, Pumwaree Yodkamol, Suchao Pongwilai, Tony JaaDirector: Prachya Pinkaew
Brand: TCFHE
Producer: Prachya Pinkaew
Writer: Prachya Pinkaew
Producer: Darin Vosbein
Producer: Luc Besson
Producer: Mehdi Sayah
Writer: Panna Rittikrai
Writer: Suphachai Sittiaumponpan
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 105 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-08-30
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Reviews of Ong-Bak - The Thai Warrior
DVD Review: Sensational Action Turned up to 12!
Summary: 4 Stars
I've been eyeing this film ever since it discreetly came onto the DVD scene last August. I had heard about it online. I can't remember exactly where but I remember reading about the awesome action scenes and if you know me, I'm a sucker for big, awesome action scenes, particularly ones that involve intense moves being performed.
The plot to this movie is very very simple. When the head of a statue sacred to a village is stolen, a young martial artist goes to the big city and finds himself taking on the underworld to retrieve it. That's it. It's almost paper thin but it doesn't matter cause if you pick this movie up, you aren't doing so for a deep plot.
Tony Jaa is simply stunning in this movie. The moves he pulls off are awe-inspiring. They're wonderful to watch but there is something about them that takes them to the next level: they're real. That's right. EVERYTHING you see Jaa do in this movie he does for real. There's no stunt doubles, no CGI and no wires. It's 100% Jaa and boy, some of the moves he pulls off are astounding. He trained for four years for this movie and it shows big time. Jaa is an utter joy to watch. He's elegant, yes elegant, in his fluidity and the array of moves he pulls off. He uses his elbows, A LOT. You think Tom Cruise went elbow crazy at the end of M:I: III? In Ong-Bak Jaa goes nuts, and it's awesome.
The movie is in Thai but also has an English dubbing. Dubbing is evil so forget about that. The acting is solid for the most part. It's hard to say how they are exactly considering you can't tell how their delivery is, but their performances were solid. Each character was unique but not out there (ok, the voice box guy was different). Jaa though, has no charisma. When Jackie Chan or Jet Li are in a movie, they tell a story and are...well charismatic. Jaa's moves are amazing yes, but sometimes (rarely) they get repetitive, especailly towards the end. The music is funky at times but generic fare here. Nothing memorable or stand out. There's a lot of techno and hip-hop used throughout though and it isn't as distracting as you'd expect. This movie also has the best Thai three-wheeler chase I've ever seen. Probably cause it's the only Thai three-wheeler chase I've ever seen. It sounds extremely lame on paper, but its quite exciting to actually see.
As I said above, the action is top notch. But it isn't flawless. The faults in the action scenes are the director's fault though. He uses slow motion way too much and he shows almost everything Jaa does (and other things that happen) more than once. At least 2-3 times (sometimes more) for most "events", as we'll call them, that happen. Slow-Mo is a great technique to use in movie making, but while some things look cool slowed down, other things don't. There are plenty of scenes and moves that were slowed down in this movie that would have been better if they were kept at a normal speed. Jaa is fast and his elegance and fluidity should be shown at normal speed for some scenes. Some things turned out well with the aid of slow-mo but there were some scenes I would have liked at a normal speed. This sounds like a major gripe but it reallyt isn't. It doesn't hinder the movie severely or make it any less enjoyable, its just something that I as a viewer noticed.
There are also some genuinely funny moments, some are even unintentional but aren't what you're thinking. They aren't the ones that are so bad they're funny or ruin the movie. They're the rare unintentional funny moments that are good. One in particular is when you first see what Jaa can do in the boxing ring. When he does what he does I laughed to myself and said "Ha-ha, that's awesome!" It's those kind of moments, not moments of cheese.
I'm a sucker for a good action or martial arts movie. I really enjoyed this movie. The plot was not overly complex and was there enough to the point where I stayed interested, but never bored. Ong-Bak was a fun romp. The action was turned up to 12 and it was never boring. I definitely recommend a viewing if you like action/martial arts movies and/or just want to have a good time. It's not a "second coming" nor anything that will radically change your views about action movies. Its just a fun movie and nothing more, nothing less.
Description of Ong-Bak - The Thai Warrior
When the head of his village's sacred Buddha statue is stolen, simple country boy Ting (Tony Jaa) is sent to Bangkok to retrieve it. Raised by a monk who has trained him in Muay Thai, Ting has vowed to never use his lethal martial arts skills. But once he arrives in the big city, Ting is forced to fight. It's non-stop action as Ting infiltrates Bangkok's seedy underworld and takes on a series of lowlifes and criminals in his quest to obtain the sacred head.No computer graphic can ever surpass what a real human body can do--and what the body can do is on spectacular display in Ong-Bak, a Thai action movie starring the lithe and flexible Tony Jaa. When the head is stolen from a holy statue in Jaa's rural village, he goes to Bangkok to get it back. Of course, it just so happens that the thief is connected to a bar where criminal big shots gamble over bare-knuckle brawls, and Jaa is--despite his virtuous efforts--drawn into the game. But that's only the beginning; a chase through the city streets rivals the ingenious acrobatics of Jackie Chan, with Jaa leaping between panes of glass, over a bicycle in motion, and through a wreath of barbed wire. Jaa's fighting prowess has been compared to Bruce Lee, Jet Li, and just about every other martial arts master, but he has an equal degree of charisma as well. He won't win acting awards, but his engaging presence carries the movie. One word of warning: The numerous fights will make you wince as much as gape in astonishment. Ong-Bak follows the action-flick tradition that the hero needs to be as battered as possible before he ultimately triumphs, and the battering is intense. --Bret Fetzer
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