Ong-Bak

aka: Muay Thai Warrior
Thailand 2003, 104 minutes
Dir. Prachya Pinkaew
In Thai with English subtitles
Rating: [R16]
Genres: Foreign Cinema, Action/Adventure / Martial Arts

Feat. Tony Jaa, Petchtai Wongkamlao

Aroview: A martial arts juggernaut from Thailand, in which a benign village kickboxer travels to big bad Bangkok in search of a sacred statue stolen from his village.

With its exhaustively creative (and brutal) fight sequences yet tongue always a little in cheek, this cranks up the ante from the Jackie Chan template, with a staggeringly physical performance from newcomer Jaa, who also has an ironic softness to his screen persona. The 'Muay-Thai' fighting style, though (apparently adapted from ancient instruction manuals), represents a new style of screen violence, all the more astonishing given that no CGI f/x, stunt doubles or wire-work was involved.

NZ International Film Festival 2004

Member Reviews

Average rating (Good Enough). Showing 1-3 of 3 member reviews.

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4 stars (Very Good) Tony Jaa is a soft-spoken unwilling hero with some seriously dangerous MuayThai skills and incredible acrobatics well worth checking out for martial arts fans. Fresh and fun choreography plus a straightforward storyline rounds out a great action film. ~Tom H
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4 stars (Very Good) I only watch for the gratuitous acrobatics (SO gratuitous), but it's nice to have a story and be funny as well. ~Truant
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1 star (Turkey) A festival of violence. ~Tubbs