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While the style may have worked in some films, the Matrix
trilogy, for example, the style seems too detrimental to other
films. Usually it’s too distracting and, in a sense,
anarchic to the tone and style of the pictures.
Jackie Chan provided a wonderful escape from such gimmicky
action scenes when he burst onto international screens with
his death defying stunts, but age has caught up with him and
he seems to have slacked off on his stunts over the last few
years. Since his decline, we martial arts fans tired of gimmicky
action sequences have had no one to turn to.
Until now.
With the international release of “Ong Bak: The Thai
Warrior,” a little known Thai film star Tony Jaa offers
a nice retreat from the new-style martial arts films. With
Jaa, we’re introduced to an extraordinary physical specimen,
a man to whom it appears the laws of gravity only partially
apply.
We witness him leaping over moving cars, diving through barbed
wire, leaping on top of a group of men and running over them,
bouncing from head to head, shoulder to shoulder. In watching
some of his more breathtaking stunts, its easy to assume that
wires were involved, which makes his physical feats all the
more breathtaking.
As for the story, it’s typical martial arts fare: the
small village rests outside of contemporary culture; it is
a village steeped in tradition, devoid of modern technology
and fanfare — kind of an eastern version of an Amish
village in North America.
The village has remained simplistic thanks to its devotion
to Buddhism and the appreciation and expectation the villagers’
hoisted upon Ong Bak, a Buddha statue and resident Idol. But
the villagers’ morale drops when a two-bit thief steals
Ong Bak’s head.
Charged with the task of retrieving the statue’s head,
Ting (Tony Jaa) travels to Bangkok to locate the thief and
the sacred idols head. From there Ting encounters small time
and big time gangsters, fight clubs, and any other device
implemented to create intense action sequences.
But, like every other great martial arts films, the story
isn’t as important as the action scenes, and while the
direction is okay and the cinematography surprisingly avoids
heavily stylised compositions, Jaa and his physical abilities
are the true stars here.
And if “Ong Bak” is any indication, Jaa has an
epic career ahead of him; as it stands, he is simply the most
exciting thing to happen to martial arts films since Jackie
Chan's breakthrough from serious martial arts films to comedic
fare.
DVD Extras
The DVD extras component is fatter than Roseanne Barr's seat-cheeks.
Best is a detailed 'making of', also a documentary on Thai
Boxing, interviews with the punchers, kickers and creators
of the film, some behind-the-scenes footage of the fighters
getting ready and prepped, and an interesting bit on different
Thai fight moves.
In addition, there's an option to watch the French cut of
the film or the uncut two versions (sadly, no option to watch
an 'Aussie' version where Jaa takes on a keg-adorned Bill
Hunter).
Conclusion: Movie 80% Extras: 70%
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