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Cast:
Tony
Jaa
Petchtai
Wongkamlao
Pumwaree
Yodkamol
Suchao
Pongwilai
Wannakit
Sirioput
Action:
Tony
Jaa
Panna
Rittikrai
Producer:
Prachya
Pinkaew
Sukanya
Vongsthapat
Director:
Prachya
Pinkaew
Score:
 
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ONG
BAK
AKA:
Daredevil ||
Ong Bak: The Muay Thai Warrior
Year:
2003 Reviewer: Rob
Daniel
'Ong
Bak' surfs into town on a wave of hype and anticipation
generated by leading man Tony Jaa, who was seemingly born
suspended on invisible wires mid-round house kick.
Jaa
possesses the martial arts skill of his hero Bruce Lee and the
chisel-jawed charisma of Brandon.
With no wires or digital leg-ups Jaa soars through the
air, somersaulting long after gravity should have claimed him,
before crunching down on his opponents with perfectly executed
Muay Thai moves.
Comparisons with Jet Li and Jackie Chan seem
inevitable, but this guy is a living, breathing video game
character, so small wonder he got started stunt doubling in
'Mortal Kombat: Annihilation'.
But
'Ong Bak' has more to offer than a real-life superhero.
Although the postage stamp plot recalls a million kung
fu flicks past, the genius is in the telling.
Ting (Jaa), a young country boy, journeys to the city
to retrieve the head of Ong Bak, the Buddhist statue stolen
from his village, and must confront a psychotic crime boss
(wheelchair bound and voice-box reliant to boot) who
terrorizes the downtrodden.
Director and co-writer Pinkaew invests his characters
with a vibrant humanity and slyly injects a vein of national
pride; Ting, forced to enter an underground fighting
competition, works his way through American, Australian,
Japanese and Burmese opponents.
The morality on display is clear-cut: the warmly-hued
village is a good place, the sickly-green, neon soaked Bangkok
isn't and profiting from religion is bad, but subtlety is not
'Ong Bak's agenda, just as Bruce Lee, Jet Li and Jackie Chan
films rarely muddy the moral waters.
Pinkaew,
assisted by choreographers Jaa and Panna Rittikrai, shoots a
fight scene with the precision of a grandmaster, moving his
camera to capture the power and kineticism of the martial arts
sparring, varying speeds to accentuate the physical prowess of
a man who is as comfortable fighting mid-flight as he is on terra
firma.
As
in Bruce Lee's movies the first act teases the audience with
brief glimpses of Jaa's ability, before unleashing him in a
sustained set piece. Here
it is a chase scene (Ting attempts to avoid violence whenever
possible) involving Ting, lovable rogue Humlae (Wongkamlao)
and the spunky girl Muay (Yodkamol) that places increasingly
outlandish obstacles in Ting's path.
Watch in awe as he cartwheel between two panes of
glass, launch himself through a barbwire hoop, bound over two
cars in succession and stepping-stone an escape on his
adversaries' heads.
Besides
the acrobatics 'Ong Bak' delivers the martial arts goods in
spades. Jaa spent
four years perfecting the Muay Thai discipline and
demonstrates how elbows and knees are deadlier than any number
of nunchucks. Through
the numerous bouts Ting is forced into, including a showdown
in an mountain temple, eye-popping displays of martial arts
mixed with WWE style chair and table smashing exhilarate the
senses, even as the shattered bones and head trauma
occasionally freeze the smile on the face.
Contender
Entertainment and Premier Asia have re-scored this release,
but any Miramax comparisons end there; the new soundtrack
mixes traditional Thai music with a throbbing techno
soundtrack, providing a neat emotional complement to the
visuals. A
sub-plot involving Muay's drug addicted sister has also been
pared down, but again not to any noticeable detriment, and the
money spent creating a bass-heavy 5.1 sound mix and tidying up
the print demonstrate a genuine respect for the film and the
genre.
'Ong
Bak' is a flashy calling card to be sure, boasting onscreen
invitations to Luc Besson and Spielberg via cheekily placed
graffiti, but the invention, daring and sheer elation on
display announce white-hot new talents in action cinema. A
visceral joyride that leaves you bruised, Bak-slapped and
buzzing.
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