Ong-Bak. A movie I had first heard about almost two years ago as a little blurb on the internet. A little less than a year ago, I began to read more and more about it and some new actor by the name of Tony Jaa. I finally began to see clips online of the film, and started to notice what people were raving about. While international DVDs had appeared in front of me left and right, I held out for the big day to see it on "the big screen" fresh and with few spoilers. And that day, was today. My expectations were already moderately high, reading that this new actor is the next Jackie Chan, and even Bruce Lee, and how he too uses no doubles... but he also uses no wires, which even Chan has used. Well, all I can say is that after sitting in the theaters for nearly two hours, my expectations were far surpassed.
Tony Jaa's performance brought back memories of seeing Bruce Lee for the first time in The Big Boss (Fists of Fury here in the US). Both characters were naive, innocent, and had left their home for the sake of family. Both characters in some shape or form had to hold back their extraordinary physical abilities for the sake of honor. And finally, both characters were pushed beyond their tolerance level and became the most deadly fighters in their times. After seeing wire work martial arts in every direction after The Matrix, it became very tired. While it still works in some cases, it's just not awe-inspiring... because we all sub-consciously know it's fake. With Ong-Bak, we know that Tony Jaa is performing all of his stunts and martial arts with NO tricks. This makes the fight sequences more intense and realistic, something which many fight sequences are lacking in today's film world.
This being said, the fights in the film are so intense and emotion driven, that my heart was literally racing as each fight passed... I felt like I was going to pass out after the last fight. This is something that no previous martial arts film I have seen has ever done to me, not even the Bruce Lee films. By the time I left the theaters, I was shaking from the film's intensity. Now, THAT'S what I call a martial arts film.
And yes, the plot IS flimsy... but the plot is basically there to set up Jaa's interaction with all of the characters he meets in his travels, whether it is to fight, or to aid his search for the head of Ong-Bak. This is basically what I would call a "journey film"... kind of like Kill Bill. As for Jaa's acting, he didn't have much to work with, but what he was given, he had enough charisma to make his character one you want to side with and cheer for in your mind.
Overall, this film is without a doubt mandatory viewing for martial arts film fans and/or martial arts practitioners... and being both, I can personally vouch for both groups. And if you get a chance to see it on one of the 380+ "big screens" in the US, do NOT pass up the chance to see it... it will be a movie going experience that you'll remember for years to come.
Tony Jaa's performance brought back memories of seeing Bruce Lee for the first time in The Big Boss (Fists of Fury here in the US). Both characters were naive, innocent, and had left their home for the sake of family. Both characters in some shape or form had to hold back their extraordinary physical abilities for the sake of honor. And finally, both characters were pushed beyond their tolerance level and became the most deadly fighters in their times. After seeing wire work martial arts in every direction after The Matrix, it became very tired. While it still works in some cases, it's just not awe-inspiring... because we all sub-consciously know it's fake. With Ong-Bak, we know that Tony Jaa is performing all of his stunts and martial arts with NO tricks. This makes the fight sequences more intense and realistic, something which many fight sequences are lacking in today's film world.
This being said, the fights in the film are so intense and emotion driven, that my heart was literally racing as each fight passed... I felt like I was going to pass out after the last fight. This is something that no previous martial arts film I have seen has ever done to me, not even the Bruce Lee films. By the time I left the theaters, I was shaking from the film's intensity. Now, THAT'S what I call a martial arts film.
And yes, the plot IS flimsy... but the plot is basically there to set up Jaa's interaction with all of the characters he meets in his travels, whether it is to fight, or to aid his search for the head of Ong-Bak. This is basically what I would call a "journey film"... kind of like Kill Bill. As for Jaa's acting, he didn't have much to work with, but what he was given, he had enough charisma to make his character one you want to side with and cheer for in your mind.
Overall, this film is without a doubt mandatory viewing for martial arts film fans and/or martial arts practitioners... and being both, I can personally vouch for both groups. And if you get a chance to see it on one of the 380+ "big screens" in the US, do NOT pass up the chance to see it... it will be a movie going experience that you'll remember for years to come.