nan | 楠木

Ong-Bak (2003) is a fierce and violent action film that put its male lead Tony Jaa instantly on the map as the next martial arts super-star.

The film is well-made, and while the plot is easily forgettable, the action certainly isn’t. Tony Jaa shows off some amazing stunts throughout the film. And he can run, jump, ride and fight. Some free running sequences are especially enjoyable, as they are designed with a sense of humor.

The film’s plot is mildly enjoyable but it does setup an interesting premise. Jaa is a simple, straight-forward kid from a rural village. When the village’s most important relic – a buddha statue – is stolen, he volunteers to retrieve the artifact. (And of course kick some bad-asses along the way.) I say this premise is interesting is because there’s some room to look at the dirty urban city from the eyes of an innocent rural guy and the interaction between the two is always good material. There are indeed some good content along those lines, but it’s just a small sideline of the film.

Regarding the action, this film is non-stop. And the level of brutality is persistently upgrading, ending in a finale that is quite bloody with some shocking images. I hadn’t expected that the film would go that far – but it did.

7/10