Ong-bak (2003)

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.

Director:

Prachya Pinkaew

Writers:

Prachya Pinkaew (story), Panna Rittikrai (story),

Stars:

Petchtai Wongkamlao, Tony Jaa, Pumwaree Yodkamol

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Petchtai Wongkamlao	...	Humlae / Dirty Balls / George (as Petchtai Wongkamlao)
Tony Jaa	...	Ting (as Panom Yeerum)
Pumwaree Yodkamol	...	Muay Lek
Suchao Pongwilai	...	Komtuan
Chumphorn Thepphithak	...	Uncle Mao
Cheathavuth Watcharakhun	...	Peng
Wannakit Sirioput	...	Don
Rungrawee Barijindakul	...	Ngek
Chatthapong Pantanaunkul	...	Saming
Nudhapol Asavabhakhin	...	Toshiro
Pornpimol Chookanthong	...	Mae Waan
Udom Chouncheun	...	Ta Meun
Boonsri Yindee	...	Yai Hom
Arirat Ratanakaitkosol	...	Tang On
Woravit Tanochitsirikul	...	Sia Pao

Storyline

Booting lives in a small and peaceful village. One day a sacred Buddha statuette called Ong Bak is stolen from the village by a immoral businessman who sells it for exorbitant profits. It soon becomes the task of a young man, Boonting (Phanom Yeeram), to track the thief down to Bangkok voluntarily and reclaim the religious treasure. Along the way, Boonting uses his astonishing athleticism and traditional Muay Thai skills to combat his adversaries.

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Plot Keywords:

buddha | statue | combat | head | muay thai | 

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Taglines:

No computer graphics. No stunt doubles. No wires.

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sequences of strong violence, language, some drug use and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Europa Corp. [fr] Official site [au]

Country:

Thailand

Language:

Thai English

Release Date:

23 October 2003 (Singapore)

Also Known As:

Daredevil

Filming Locations:

Bangkok, Thailand

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£101,634 (UK) (13 May 2005)

Gross:

£214,580 (UK) (20 May 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Baa-Ram-Ewe, Sahamongkolfilm Co.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min 105 min 104 min (director's cut) 100 min (DVD edition)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ajarn Yodthong (a great master of muay thai) makes an uncredited guest spot role in this movie. He is the man selling cigarettes. This can be seen when Ting fights in "The Pub" for the second time.

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Goofs

In the scenes where Ting and Humlae are running from Peng and his gang, after Humlae jumps over a spear and rips his pants, the rips disappears and re-appears from shot to shot.

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Quotes

Humlae: At least let me help you start your motorcycle.

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Connections

Featured in My Name Is Juani (2006)

User Reviews

Wow, someone totally missed the point

Saying that Ong Bak was a bad movie because of the weak story is like saying that the Simpsons is a bad series because of the lack of continuity from show to show.

YOU'RE MISSING THE POINT! The story is only there to loosely tie together the fact that this guy is being a badass. Which he is. There were only a FEW fight scenes? What are you talking about? There were so many fight scenes and chase scenes and the like. Every time you thought you saw the coolest thing ever, he breaks out another move that STILL totally blows you away. The only reason that this movie exists is simply to showcase Phanom Yeerum's skills as a martial artist and an acrobat, which frankly, is enough for me.

*sigh* If you care so much about story, steer clear. If you have any interest whatsoever is the GENRE of martial arts movies (where the quality of the story is usually not the primary concern), watch this movie. You won't be sorry.