The kung-fu era in America has all but faded nowadays, since Jet Li failed to really catch on and Jackie Chan has resorted
to doing fluff that amounts more to comedy than action. But then there''s "Ong-Bak," a movie forced to limited release due to its struggling genre but one that deserves much more recognition than it ever is going to get.
Subtitled "The Thai Warrior," "Ong-Bak" is understandably one of the few movies to make it across the Pacific from Thailand. Thailand may be a little behind in the times as "Ong-Bak" harkens to movies of old, with a very basic plot, poor acting and lackluster direction, but, then again, that might just be what the genre needs. The movie thrives on its action and bone-crushing fight scenes, of which there are many. Tony Jaa is a force to be reckoned with.
Tony Jaa. The trailer for the movie suggests that Jaa is the next greatest thing after such masters as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. Is this so? Jaa, of course, does all his own stunts without ropes or special effects, which are definitely a few things that have grown tiresome in recent years. Chan especially has lost his edge now that many of his movies employ special effects ("The Tuxedo," anyone?), and ever since "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" made flying Asian people cool, the technique has been overused to death. I''m not knowledgeable in the different fighting techniques, but Jaa has what appears to be an unique style, where he tends to use his elbows and knees more than anything else. He definitely knows how to kick some ass. Unfortunately, Jaa lacks the intensity of Bruce Lee and the personality of Jackie Chan. He''s playing a character, of course, that of an innocent country boy, but his screen presence needs a lot of work.