Today’s quick review: Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior. When the head of a sacred Buddha statue is stolen from a small Thai village, Ting (Tony Jaa), a powerful muay thai fighter, volunteers to recover it. Venturing to Bangkok in search of the head, Ting tries to convince Humlae (Mum Jokemok), a grifter who grew up in the village, to help him. But the only way for Ting to get the head is to fight his way through the criminals who stole it.
Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is a martial arts movie with a simple plot and strong stunt work. Tony Jaa stars as Ting, a devoted young man from the country who is forced to use his fearsome martial arts prowess to recover his village’s stolen idol. Mum Jokemok plays opposite him as Humlae, a grifter, gambler, and chronic debtor who tries to use Ting for profit. The plot is just a straightforward search for the head with plenty of fighting along the way.
Naturally enough, Ong-Bak’s main draw is Tony Jaa’s incredible stunts. His flying strikes, remarkable dodges, and street chases are among the best in the industry. The sharp, brutal nature of muay thai also provides a nice change of pace for fans who are accustomed to Chinese martial arts. The fights themselves are just wild enough to be interesting without getting too fanciful: the focus is on raw muay thai, with only a few gimmick fights thrown in.
Watch Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior if you are in the mood for pure martial arts action. The level of innovation is not as high as in some martial arts movies, but the fight scenes are diverse enough to keep the action fresh, and the sheer skill level shown is enough to make the movie a solid watch. For another Tony Jaa film with similarly strong stunt work, check out The Protector.
7.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for very impressive stunts and an acceptable plot.