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:

A new breed of martial arts hero is born

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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

In the three-wheeled taxi scene, when one of the little taxis flies and crashes into a building, on a wall in the lower left of the screen, under the highway, you can see writing that says: "Hi Luc Besson we are waiting for you".

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Goofs

Obvious stunt double when Don throws Humlae against a gas pump - Humlae's stunt double has a smaller head and more hair.

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Quotes

Big Bear, a Fighter: Come on! Fuck Muay Thai!

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Connections

References Serpico (1973)

User Reviews

One Of, If Not The, Best Martial Arts Movie Ever Made

I've seen some of the negative comments people have made, and they are really off base, and quite frankly, stupid.

This movie is filled with incredible fight scenes, from the multitude of fights in the fighting circle, to that final fight in the cave. Most of the movie, in fact, was fight scenes, so I find it hard to believe that people think that there aren't any fight scenes in it. Those people who think that there aren't any action scenes in it are blind, obviously.

As another user has said, the whole point of Ong Bak was to display Tony Jaa's skill at martial arts, which is utterly incredible. Tony Jaa is the best martial artist I have had the pleasure of watching on the big screen.

While the plot wasn't the most original, why on earth did you go into Ong Bak expecting some sort of Oscar winning drama, such as Titanic? This movie was merely introducing Tony Jaa's skill to the North American audience.

People really need to lighten up. Just because a movie doesn't have an incredibly detailed and complex plot, that doesn't mean it's a bad movie! There is nothing wrong with a so-called "mindless" action movie, such as Ong-Bak! Just because it isn't some sort of drama, or another plot-saturated film, that doesn't mean it is garbage! While it may not have the best plot around, in terms of pure martial arts, this is the king. There is not a single martial arts movie out there that I have seen, that is more enjoyable than this movie, and I've seen a lot of martial arts movies.

If you are not stuck up, and you are able to enjoy a good martial arts movie, than Ong Bak is definitely for you! This movie is the best marital arts movie I have ever seen, and I gladly give it a 10/10.