Ong Bak

Ong Bak is the first ever martial arts movie to come out of Thailand and features the very powerful art of Muay Thai. Full of action and B grade acting, this flick will satisfy your need for fresh action, but hardly breaks out of the traditional heroes journey mold you are used to. Although it does offer a real touch of authenticity with its real stunts and computer graphics free special effects.

Lets face it. We watch these types of movies for the amazing action sequences and terrific fighting contests. Ong Bak gives us a mix of Jackie Chan style stunts and the epic Bruce Lee battles in "Game of Death." It's an intense ride with the main character "Ting" played by Tony Jaa. Ting sets his mighty fists, knees and elbows against some evil business tycoons of Bangkok after they steal Ong Bak's head ( a statue worshiped by Ting's village ). It hurts just watching some of these impacting blows.

The film explores the very basic but important ethology of martial arts today, that traditional values must be held onto even within a changing and accelerating world. It is constantly reflected upon during the film via the traditional vs modern ethos and the internal battles faced by some of the main characters. It could even be said the use of real stunts and non-computer effects was done deliberately to further emphasise this.

The extras provided are further insight into the proud tradition of Muay Thai fighting in Thailand. It is a national sport and young fighters train from a young age to gain ultimate recognition as the countries top fighter. Tony Jaa talks about his training and the discipline required to achieve a high level in the martial art. With over 200 minutes of special features to view, you will be expert in all there is to know about Muay Thai and the making of Ong Bak.

This film is a worth while watch for anyone who is into action and a definite must for the martial arts enthusiast. The amazing physical ability and fitness demonstrated by Tony Jaa are worth watching alone. It is simply an action experience, but hey, sometimes we need it.

Review by dane