The Protector (2005)
"Tom yum goong" (original title)

A young fighter named Kham must go to Australia to retrieve his stolen elephant. With the help of a Thai-born Australian detective, Kham must take on all comers, including a gang led by an evil woman and her two deadly bodyguards.

Director:

Prachya Pinkaew

Writers:

Napalee, Piyaros Thongdee,

Stars:

Tony Jaa, Petchtai Wongkamlao, Bongkoj Khongmalai

Cast

Credited cast:
Tony Jaa	...	Kham
Petchtai Wongkamlao	...	Mark
Bongkoj Khongmalai	...	Pla (as Bongkod Khongmalai)
Xing Jing	...	Madame Rose (as Jin Xing)
Nathan Jones	...	T.K. (as Nathan B. Jones)
Johnny Nguyen	...	Johnny (as Johnny Tri Nguyen)
Lateef Crowder	...	Capoeira Fighter
Jon Foo	...	Wushu Fighter (as Jonathan Patrick Foo)
Damian de Montemas	...	Vincent
David Asavanond	...	Officer Rick (as David Chatchavan Asavanod)
Sotorn Rungruaeng	...	Kham's Father
Amonphan Gongtragan	...	Goong
Nutdanai Kong	...	Kham (9 years old)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dean Alexandrou	...	Vincent's Henchmen
Gianni Belfiore	...	Vincent's Henchmen

Storyline

In Bangkok, the young Kham was raised by his father in the jungle with elephants as members of their family. When his old elephant and the baby Kern are stolen by criminals, Kham finds that the animals were sent to Sidney. He travels to Australia, where he locates the baby elephant in a restaurant owned by the evil Madame Rose, the leader of an international Thai mafia. With the support of the efficient Thai sergeant Mark, who was involved in a conspiracy, Kham fights to rescue the animal from the mobsters.

---

Plot Keywords:

elephant | police | sydney australia | neck breaking | warrior | 

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive strong violence and some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [de] Official site [uk]

Country:

Thailand

Language:

Thai English Mandarin Vietnamese

Release Date:

8 September 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Protector

Filming Locations:

Australia

Box Office

Budget:

THB 200,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$5,034,180 (USA) (8 September 2006)

Gross:

$11,905,519 (USA) (20 October 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sahamongkolfilm Co., TF1 International, Baa-Ram-Ewe

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinnawat personally attended the premier of this movie in Bangkok, Thailand.

---

Goofs

During the bone-breaking scene, if you look carefully at those whose arms are broken, the hands are the wrong way around, so the elbow was actually bending normally. This is particularly apparent when Tony Jaa uses his knee on one guy's arm to break it.

---

Quotes

Kham: Where the hell is my elephant?

---

Connections

Followed by The Protector 2 (2013)

---

Soundtracks

"Baby"
Written by Michael Baiardi and Maurice
Published by Soundfile Publishing
Performed by Maurice
Courtesy of Soundfile Productions, Inc.

User Reviews

a spectacle of martial arts greatness

Ong Bak was a fantastic achievement by the young Thai fighter America has come to embrace as Tony Jaa. Fantastic stunts, amazing fight choreography, and an overwhelming sense of brutal martial arts action that has been missing in fight films since Jackie Chan's Rumble in the Bronx. However, the overall success of Ong Bak was diminished by the lack of intriguing characters and a fluid story that actually made some sense. Tom Yum Goong starts off on the same foot, but then takes the viewer in an entirely different direction…an example of one of the most explosive and entertaining martial arts movies of ALL TIME.

To go into intricate detail about the plot outlines of TYG will do you no good, it will not make you want to see this movie. What makes me so passionate about Tony Jaa and his visual appeal is his overall dynamic nature in the fight scenes. As told in the plot outline, his elephants get stolen, and he must fight to get them back…and fighting is what he does like no one else I have ever seen. It doesn't matter how many opponents appear before Tony, he takes them all in stride, and excels in dramatic fashion, either by his flying acrobatic kicks or his powerful breathtaking punches. But what truly makes this film unique is Tony's ability to embrace a new type of Muay Thai made especially for the movie: Muay Kotchasan.

Although this may not make much sense to you or interest you, trust me, when you view this film and see Muay Kotchasan put into action, you will witness something never before seen on film. Tony's moves are so brutal at times, you can't help but grimace and wonder how the stunt men could take such punishment. He breaks elbows, rips quadriceps, destroys ligaments, cracks vertebra…I could go on, but the movie pretty much speaks for itself. But, if I had to choose the most exciting part of TYG, it has to be Tony's second bout with Nathan Jones. Learning from his mistakes in the first fight, Tony's adapts his fighting style to his smaller frame, and uses Nathan's size against him in a chilling display of David vs. Goliath…it is quite a sight to behold.

Overall, Tom Yum Goong is an awesome spectacle of Tony Jaa's fighting ability, and if you truly enjoyed Ong Bak, then be ready to be blown away by something far better.