Tom yum goong (2005)

Director:

Prachya Pinkaew

Writers:

Napalee (written by) &
Piyaros Thongdee (written by) ...

Release Date:

8 September 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Organized Crime | Drug Trafficking | Jacuzzi | Roller Skate

Cast

Tony Jaa	...	Kham
Petchtai Wongkamlao	...	Mark
Bongkoj Khongmalai	...	Pla
Xing Jing	...	Madame Rose
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	...	Bodyguard
Tony Chu	...	Thug
Don Ferguson	...	Body Guard
Ann Hu	...	Madame Rose (voice)
John Ladalski	...	Fighter
John Lamond Jr.	...	Chief Inspector Lamond
Ric Lawes	...	Australian Secretary General
Andrew Lawton	...	Officer Rick (voice: English version)
Erik Markus Schuetz	...	Johnny's Bodyguard
Heinz Ollesch	...	Big Guy
Daniel O'Neill
Wannakit Sirioput	...	Mark's replacement partner
Ron Smoorenburg	...	Kham's opponent
Brice Stratford	...	Thug
David Ussawanon
Eddie Vee	...	Kham (voice: English version)
Pumwaree Yodkamol	...	Girl on the street

Also Known As:

Honour of the Dragon (Europe: English title)
Ong Bak 2 (Thailand: Thai title) (working title)
The Protector (USA)
Warrior King (UK)

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive strong violence and some sexual content.

Runtime:

108 min | USA:81 min | Germany:90 min

Country:

Thailand

Language:

Thai | English | Mandarin | Vietnamese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | New Zealand:R16 | Spain:13 | Hong Kong:IIB | South Korea:15 | France:U | Malaysia:18SG | Malaysia:U (cut) | Australia:MA | South Africa:13V | Ireland:18 | USA:R | UK:18 | Germany:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Netherlands:16 | Taiwan:R-12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Portugal:M/16

Filming Locations:

Australia

Company:

Sahamongkolfilm Co.

Trivia:

This is the first Thai film to be a "top ten film" at the American box office on its opening weekend, opening in fourth place.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: 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:

Inspector Mark: And this is the main Asian market in downtown Sydney, most of the people here are Asian, you know? Chinese, Thai, Vietnam
[Laughs and begins to walk away]
Inspector Mark: Whoa whoa whoa whoa!... And Laos!

Movie Connections:

References Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Soundtrack:

Baby

Awesome Muay Thai action with some good comic relief.

I saw this movie in Chiang Mai, Thailand the day it was released. Since I really enjoyed Ong Bak, which also starred Tony Jaa and Petchthai Wongkamlao, I knew this movie would be great. I was NOT disappointed! The action scenes with Tony Jaa are incredible and I believe he will likely continue to bring the Muay Thai style of fighting to the big screen worldwide. Wongkamlao (as inspector Mark) is HILARIOUS. If you don't get it, you just don't get it. He's kind of like Jackie Chan - if you don't think he's funny, you're just not going to like him. The story line is a little hokey, which is why I only gave it a 9 out of 10, but as far as Thai movies go, in this one the plot was above average. And it helps to understand the culture a little bit to understand why this guy (Kham) is so hung up on getting his elephant back. Either way, this movie has some great action scenes and some great comic relief, making it a "must see" in my book.