Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior

Reveiwed by Rich Drees

     There are moments that some film fans live for. Sitting in a darkened theater, one hopes that the film they are about to see contains some gem of a moment that takes them by delighted surprise. Watching martial arts actor Tony Jaa is a series of those moments strung together. Moving with a combination of Bruce Lee’s speed and ferocity and Jackie Chan’s grace and dexterity, Jaa is a revelation and quite possibly the next great Asian action star.

     When the head of a small village’s Buddha statue, named Ong-Bak, is stolen by a Bangkok criminal looking to curry favor with his boss, villager Ting volunteers to journey to the city to retrieve it. Orphaned as a child, Ting was raised by one of the village’s monks, who has instructed him in the art of Muy Thai boxing, but has instructed him to refrain from using his fighting skills. However, once in the city, Ting finds himself aided by George, who moved from Ting’s village to the city years earlier. The two are drawn into a series of encounters with Bangkok’s underworld and a sinister crime boss.

     The plot is fairly thin, a skeleton to hang meaty action sequences on. And what a variety of set pieces they are. The film opens with a ceremonial contest that looks like a rather excruciating game of “Capture The Flag” in a large tree, complete with young men knocking each other off branches and thudding to the ground.

     The next couple of action sequences, including a foot race through the streets of Bangkok and another race through the streets in golf-cart like taxis recall the work of Jackie Chan at its height, lighter in tone, with a some comic moments to help diffuse the tension. However, Jackie Chan’s fight sequences always seem to have a cartoon-like quality to them. There is danger, but they never convey a real sense of menace and potential great harm to either Jackie or his opponents. The early action sequences in Ong Bak, while being light in tone, never lapse into the unreality that characterize Chan’s work. However, as Ting gets more involved with the Bangkok underworld, the ferocity and speed of the fights increases. Ting’s showdown in an underground fight ring and the final confrontation with the film’s villain are brutal affairs where the punches and kicks land with such force they are almost felt by the audience.

     Besides the film’s thin script, the only other real detriment is the movie’s musical score. The music not only doesn’t seem to compliment the action, but is actually disconnected from what is happening on screen. The story doesn’t give Jaa much chance to show what kind of range he may have as an actor, but this genre of film seldom does. However, as a showcase for what Jaa can physically do without the aid of wire rigs or computer trickery, Ong Bak is one film that fans of martial arts movies are not going to want to miss.