“At least let me start the bike for you.” -- Ong Back: Thai Warrior
I saw this movie on little more than a last-moment whim. Too bad its in limited release. A few disclaimers: I missed the first 10-15 minutes of this movie (as I said, last-moment whim) and am not particularly well-versed with martial arts films.
Ong Bak: Thai Warrior (a few other links: here and here) is a delivery vehicle for some truly spectacular Muay Thai martial arts action, courtesy of up-n-coming star Tony Jaa. At least, I hope he becomes a star; anything that gives us more movies as awesome as this (which stardom would do) is a good thing. He's being billed as the next Bruce Lee / Jackie Chan, and although that may or may not tend to overhype the flick, it could very well be true.
Let's state the obvious: this movie is strictly concerned with one thing and one thing only, and that thing is the action. The plot is one big cliché and the characters can become almost invisible if you look at them from the side. But it doesn't matter. Because the action is really that good.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Plot summary: some asshole steals the main character Ting's village's god's statue's head or something (as I said, I missed the first part of the movie) and Ting has to get it back, so he ventures into the big city, kicks a lot of ass, and eventually gets that statue's head back. But you see, he really does kick a metric ton of ass, usually while spinning in the opposite direction in slow motion over a flaming river of lava while trying to save his cousin from certain death by a pit full of rabid sharks swimming around if electrified battery acid. And look damn cool doing it.
The action is phenomenal, in more ways than one. Yes, there are a lot of straight-up martial arts fights, many of which occur in an illegal fight club placed there by God to give Tony Jaa a pulpit from which to proclaim that getting hit by someone who really knows Muay Thai REALLY FREAKING HURTS. The blows look so very powerful, so very real, and so very graceful that we almost feel sorry for the guys receiving what much be massive internal injuries. Ting slams opponents with flying hits to the head with his funny bone, knee, and foot so frequently that it's a wonder he's not glowing red hot from all the impacts. However, in addition to the fascinating, cringe-worthy, fencing-foil/jackhammer blows, he works in long, protracted acrobatic sequences which are truly beauties to behold. Both types of action work very well. And did I mention that none of this is done with CG, wires, or pretty much anything other than people and planning? That just sweetens the deal that much more.
The camera angles all tended to be interesting and just a little bit unique. Much use was made of slow motion (thankfully, as the rapid kicks and punches would be far too difficult for the uninitiated to follow) as well instant replays (for some shots, we are shown the action twice, or even three times, through a different camera angle), but neither of these were used gratuitously. The locations are all gritty and realistic.
As a side note, I found a lot of comedy here as well. George, the aforementioned cousin, makes for a great comic relief element, injecting humor in between (and occasionally during) the awe-inspiring action.
Action: 5/5 broken chairs (The action completely makes the movie, and it is stunning. If you're in the mood for some no-holds-barred realistic fighting, this is your movie).
Acting: 2/5 statue heads (It sufficed, but was objectively mediocre).
Humor: 3.5/5 globs of wasabi (Some was giggle-inducing, and much merely put a wide grin on my face. Lovely overall).
Story: 2/5 voice boxes (A stock Kung-Fu plot in every sense of the word, but it could have been much worse).
Sound: 4/5 lengths of rope (The music in this movie is fast-paced and invigorating. It strikes exactly the right cord, and I wouldn't mind listening to it on its own).
Visuals: 4/5 bundles of barbed wire (Great camera angles, great/realistic background).
Overall (not necessarily determined by the above categories): 4/5 syringes (This movie is a great way to spend a pair of hours. A very fun film indeed).
Ong Bak: Thai Warrior (a few other links: here and here) is a delivery vehicle for some truly spectacular Muay Thai martial arts action, courtesy of up-n-coming star Tony Jaa. At least, I hope he becomes a star; anything that gives us more movies as awesome as this (which stardom would do) is a good thing. He's being billed as the next Bruce Lee / Jackie Chan, and although that may or may not tend to overhype the flick, it could very well be true.
Let's state the obvious: this movie is strictly concerned with one thing and one thing only, and that thing is the action. The plot is one big cliché and the characters can become almost invisible if you look at them from the side. But it doesn't matter. Because the action is really that good.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Plot summary: some asshole steals the main character Ting's village's god's statue's head or something (as I said, I missed the first part of the movie) and Ting has to get it back, so he ventures into the big city, kicks a lot of ass, and eventually gets that statue's head back. But you see, he really does kick a metric ton of ass, usually while spinning in the opposite direction in slow motion over a flaming river of lava while trying to save his cousin from certain death by a pit full of rabid sharks swimming around if electrified battery acid. And look damn cool doing it.
The action is phenomenal, in more ways than one. Yes, there are a lot of straight-up martial arts fights, many of which occur in an illegal fight club placed there by God to give Tony Jaa a pulpit from which to proclaim that getting hit by someone who really knows Muay Thai REALLY FREAKING HURTS. The blows look so very powerful, so very real, and so very graceful that we almost feel sorry for the guys receiving what much be massive internal injuries. Ting slams opponents with flying hits to the head with his funny bone, knee, and foot so frequently that it's a wonder he's not glowing red hot from all the impacts. However, in addition to the fascinating, cringe-worthy, fencing-foil/jackhammer blows, he works in long, protracted acrobatic sequences which are truly beauties to behold. Both types of action work very well. And did I mention that none of this is done with CG, wires, or pretty much anything other than people and planning? That just sweetens the deal that much more.
The camera angles all tended to be interesting and just a little bit unique. Much use was made of slow motion (thankfully, as the rapid kicks and punches would be far too difficult for the uninitiated to follow) as well instant replays (for some shots, we are shown the action twice, or even three times, through a different camera angle), but neither of these were used gratuitously. The locations are all gritty and realistic.
As a side note, I found a lot of comedy here as well. George, the aforementioned cousin, makes for a great comic relief element, injecting humor in between (and occasionally during) the awe-inspiring action.
Action: 5/5 broken chairs (The action completely makes the movie, and it is stunning. If you're in the mood for some no-holds-barred realistic fighting, this is your movie).
Acting: 2/5 statue heads (It sufficed, but was objectively mediocre).
Humor: 3.5/5 globs of wasabi (Some was giggle-inducing, and much merely put a wide grin on my face. Lovely overall).
Story: 2/5 voice boxes (A stock Kung-Fu plot in every sense of the word, but it could have been much worse).
Sound: 4/5 lengths of rope (The music in this movie is fast-paced and invigorating. It strikes exactly the right cord, and I wouldn't mind listening to it on its own).
Visuals: 4/5 bundles of barbed wire (Great camera angles, great/realistic background).
Overall (not necessarily determined by the above categories): 4/5 syringes (This movie is a great way to spend a pair of hours. A very fun film indeed).
posted by Lexi Archer | 1:03 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home