ongbak

THE SYNOPSIS

Ting (Jaa) is an orphaned country boy who has developed awesome martial arts skills under the tutelage of a kindly monk. Those skills happen to be in the very lethal style of Muay Thai (where practitioners use everything from their knees and elbows and their head to attack or defend).

One day, the very large head of the town Buddha is stolen and he volunteers to retrieve the relic from the clutches of some goons who have gone back to Bangkok. One of his fellow villagers asks him to contact his wayward son, George (Wongkamlao), who has run away to the big city.

Upon arriving in big, bad Bangkok, Ting must defend against hooligans, prostitutes and… George! Yes, the wayward son has become a petty crook and hustle himself, complete with a lackey—in the form of an pretty young girl named (Yodkamlao).

They hook up, only because George promises to help retrieve the head if Ting fights in some barroom matches for money. Ting agrees to this bizarre symbiotic relationship since he swore to return the Buddha head to the village.

Naturally, the local mafia boss has the head, thanks to the sinister work of his own lackey Don (Siriput). What happens next is a symphony of acrobatics, fights, 3-wheeled mini-taxi chases and plenty of cracked ribs, broken skulls & various other painful stunts. In the end, redemption, loss, heroism & a reunion of sorts are in order.

THE CRITIQUE

With Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme out of the theaters and dwelling in the straight-to-video world, the movie-going audience needs a new martial arts hero. One who’s quick as the wind and can vanquish foes with fists of fury and feet of thunder!

Our prayers might’ve just been answered. Meet Tony Jaa (nee Panom Yeerum), a stuntman from Thailand who’s big claim to fame up until now was as a stunt double for actors Robin Shou and James Remar in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997).

The diminutive martial artist/actor makes a big splash in the 2003 Thai hit ONG-BAK: THE THAI WARRIOR. Under the kinetic direction of Pracha Pinkaew (2006’s The Protector), a multi-hyphenate in his own right, Jaa combines the martial talents of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li into a neat little package. On the other hand, I wonder how his singing voice compares to Jackie Chan’s?

His character—a country lad named Ting—is quiet and thoughtful—until provoked… then he unleashes a maelstrom of appendages that (according to the marketing folks, anyway) requires no aid of wires. Glad to hear it.

The screenplay is laughable, albeit archetypical. However, the fight sequences bring the genre up to a new level.

Credit the director and 2 fight choreographers (among them Tony Jaa) with the awesome display of bodily punishment. The stuntmen should be rewarded 20 times over as well! Another kudo is in order for the nice, amber-hued cinematography by Thai lenser Nattawut Kittikhun (2006’s The Protector).

One ambivalence in my opinion is the editing. Most of the fight sequences were well-cut; HOWEVER… several times throughout the film I noticed a lag in cuts during various fight or chase sequences. Now mind you, to the normal eye, these scenes play out OK (as evidenced by my best friend John, who was watching it with me—he saw no problems).

BUT!!!! To my trained eye (as an editor myself), I did see lags in certain shots. For example, Ting performs some acrobatic leap and throws a kick. Okay, you see the kick from angel A, then angle B. Fine, nicely done; HOWEVER… angle C pops in a second later (and almost a second too late).

This causes—at least for me—some disorientation in the cutting. Pinkew and his cutters do this so often that I feel as if I am watching Sunday Night Football and Al Michaels & John Madden should be commenting the blow-by-blow action! Anyhow, just a small thing to bitch about.

By the way: Ong-Bak is the name of the village statue who’s head has been stolen. Isn’t it ironic that the statue represents Buddhism (and by direct translation—peace, love and enlightenment), yet the hero of the movie must kick the living crap out of everyone in sight to restore Ong-Bak’s honor? That’s what I like about this flick!!!

THE BOTTOM LINE

All in all, ONG-BAK: THE THAI WARRIOR is a nice infusion into a tired genre, beset by C-genre movie dreck. Ass-whoopin’ never goes out of style, so enjoy this one for the martial artistry. And keep your head down!!

CAST: Tony Jaa, Petchtai Wongkamlao, Pumwaree Yodkamol & Wannakit Sirioput

CREDITS: Director: Prachya Pinkaew; Screenwriter: Suphachai Sithiamphan, based on a story by Prachya Pinkaew & Panna Rittikrai; Producers: Prachya Pinkaew & Sukyanya Vongsthapat; Director Of Photography: Nuttawut Kittikin; Production Designer: Akadech Kaewkotara; Editors: Thanat Sunsin & Thanapat Taweesuk; Costume Designer: Worathon Kritsanaklin; Martial Arts Choreography: Tony Jaa & Panna Rittikrai

AC/AL/SV 2005 105m THAI/
ENG. SUB