An all-out, spine-tingling, teeth-chattering, fist-pumping, no-holds-barred dance of delicious destruction, all performed without computer imagery or wires. Tony Jaa is absolutely stunning: he flips, kicks, elbows, knees, runs up and off walls, jumps over various obstacles while running, lays some unholy smackdown on countless thugs, and will just make you stare wide-eyed at the screen as he accomplishes feats you thought were impossible with incredible ease. Never once did I stop thinking: " Man, I wish I could do that." The plot is pretty thin, however. Evil gangsters steal a sacred Buddha head from a rural Thai village, and the village's Muay Thai protégé is sent to recover it. Along the way, he teams up with his street-smart cousin, Humlae, and Humlae's hideously annoying sidekick Muay. Ting, the village butt-kicker sent on the quest, finds himself embroiled in a local fight club and a hilarious tuk-tuk chase in addition to other adventures before he finds Ong-Bak.
Tony Jaa studied Muay Boran for four years before the film was made, and it shows immensely. In a graceful yet brutal stream of fluid motions, he lays waste to opponents much larger than himself. Muay Thai, or Muay Boran, uses knees and elbows to strike as opposed to the feet and fists of Kung Fu, Taekwondo, and other more familiar Eastern martial arts. Not that I prefer one martial art over the other, but Muay Thai is new to the silver screen unlike its outdated cousins. The average viewer will not have seen the awe-inspiring feats of acrobatic skill and devastating fighting prowess exhibited by the art, and will strike many as a fresh, novel style.
On the downside, there is one thing preventing me from giving Ong-Bak ten stars: Muay, or Humlae's friend. She is so annoying! Oh my sweet Jesus Christ, her voice is like that of a buzzard! She spouts out long lines in Thai in a style that perfectly matches the stereotypes of Asian languages. I can pretty much pin the annoying-language problem exclusively on her. Good God above, so many times I was aching for Ting to unleash his Flying Elbow of Death on her chattering skull.
This minor gripe aside, Ong-Bak is an action movie extravaganza. Any fan of martial arts movies owes it to him or herself to see this Thai gem that'll have you randomly kneeing and elbowing things in your house for weeks to come.
Tony Jaa studied Muay Boran for four years before the film was made, and it shows immensely. In a graceful yet brutal stream of fluid motions, he lays waste to opponents much larger than himself. Muay Thai, or Muay Boran, uses knees and elbows to strike as opposed to the feet and fists of Kung Fu, Taekwondo, and other more familiar Eastern martial arts. Not that I prefer one martial art over the other, but Muay Thai is new to the silver screen unlike its outdated cousins. The average viewer will not have seen the awe-inspiring feats of acrobatic skill and devastating fighting prowess exhibited by the art, and will strike many as a fresh, novel style.
On the downside, there is one thing preventing me from giving Ong-Bak ten stars: Muay, or Humlae's friend. She is so annoying! Oh my sweet Jesus Christ, her voice is like that of a buzzard! She spouts out long lines in Thai in a style that perfectly matches the stereotypes of Asian languages. I can pretty much pin the annoying-language problem exclusively on her. Good God above, so many times I was aching for Ting to unleash his Flying Elbow of Death on her chattering skull.
This minor gripe aside, Ong-Bak is an action movie extravaganza. Any fan of martial arts movies owes it to him or herself to see this Thai gem that'll have you randomly kneeing and elbowing things in your house for weeks to come.