Ong-Bak (2004)

Must See Movie...

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

When criminals steal the head of their Buddha statue, a young warrior from a Thai village travels to Bangkok to get it back. This film has a fairly perfunctory plot and is really a showcase for Tony Jaa's Muay Thai skills and for the outrageous stunt skills on display here. On those terms, it's really impressive with one small flaw ... it climaxes way too early. There's a fight sequence in the middle of the film with Jaa fighting an escalating series of enemies in a bar that is so good that it completely overshadows the second half of the film. The film's actual climax is a let down by comparison.

(75%) A hugely enjoyable all-action thrill ride that really does resemble Jet Li, Bruce Lee, and Jackie Chan movies. Tony Jaa may have very little to do in terms of actual acting, but without doubt this guy can fight. I have never seen so many people getting elbowed or kneed full force in the head or face. While every single fight is bone-crunchingly real looking, and I can only imagine how many performers got bruised and injured. The plot is 1980's video-game style simple, and if the Street fighter movie was even a little like this then it would have been a huge improvement. In all honesty I can't find any real substantial issue here, it's funny, deeply enjoyable, well-shot, exciting, and even through it's as deep as spilt milk, I'd still recommend this to anyone wanting a sharp jolt of fighting fun.

I saw RZA present this movie in a commercial once so decided to check it out when it came out. And I can see why RZA who is a fan of martial arts movie wanted to present this movie. The fight sequences when this kickass flick came out was just about second to none when it came to the fight sequences. And it's brutal like muy thai movies should be. This is the flick that boosted Tony Jaa to stardom. His acrobatic and muy thai martial arts skill really shines through. There is a female lead in this I thought was annoying and didn't add much to the story at all. But I guess they just wanted a female lead. The story is simple a statue of head of ong bak gets stolen in a rural village and Ting(Tony Jaa) leaves the village in order to retrieve it. And there are fighting and chases along the way to retrieve the artifact. The story maybe simple but it flowed very well with the action scenes that are really cool to watch. And can tell the stunt people and Jaa put their bodies on the line to make this movie. Overall this is the movie that boosted muy thai onto the movie screen and is a very entertaining martial arts flick.8/10

A young country man travels to Bangkok to recover the stolen stone head of Ong-Bak, the Buddha statue of his village. Though he is an incredibly skilled Muay Thai fighter, his master asks him not to use his dangerous skills, in an effort to keep him from accidentally killing someone and being forced to live the rest of his life in regret. Circumstances and the corrupt people of the city force him into situations where he must fight, though, and he's willing to do anything to bring the stone head back to his village, which is cursed by its absence. The fight sequences in Ong-Bak are so fun that they completely make up for the fact that the rest of the movie is fairly dull. That won't matter at all, though, as you're watch Tony Jaa deliver endless flying elbows and kicks, while pulling of some absolutely insane stunt and fight choreography. Sit back, relax, and grin while you watch him literally kick the dust off people's heads.