Film Review of Ong-bak
Year: 2003 Reviewer: Chris Docker
Since the demise of Bruce Lee, martial arts films have to an extent hovered between Jackie Chan comedy and the extensive wireworks fighting of Crouching Tiger and its follow-ons. There have been relatively few attempts to show martial arts at their most developed (Bruce Lee was a pretty hard act to follow, after all).
Ong Bak reverses the trend somewhat by dispensing with wire works and using a Thai expert who then apparently trained even further for several years before making the film. The effect is impressive and realistic. Ting (played by Tony Jaa) accepts the mission of his village to recover a the head of a Buddha stolen from the village temple. He tracks the thieves to the backstreets of Bangkok and comes up against the local crime operation - that deals drugs, shady gambling dens, legal and illegal fight clubs and in valuable Buddhist artifacts. Inasmuch as Ting has to wade through a veritable army of 'baddies' to achieve 'justice' it is too similar in theme to a swathe of other movies to count for much in plot originality, but setting the action in Thailand gives it a new and colourful edge. At the end of the day, mostly a film for martial arts fans though.
Rating: 7/10
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