Ong Bak 2 – Review

It’s been a while since we last seen Tony Jaa. Still, his stock as a martial arts superstar is at an all-time high, with 2005′s The Protector being a benchmark for his Muay Thai skills. The highly labeled “no stunt doubles, no wires, no CGI” returns here in a prequel/sequel Ong Bak 2: The Beginning and for the first time in a Tony Jaa film, there’s a decent story. If there was one complaint in his films, it’s that the stories serve as a crutch for his incredible Muay Thai martial arts, treating each fight as a demo reel. Like martial art fans cared. Tony Jaa might become one of our best martial arts stars, a place that is becoming void, with declining ages of Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Van Damme, and others. But he needed a solid story, that would do much more than just showcase his talents, but use them in the context of the story.

For the most part, that’s what happens in Ong Bak 2. The story takes place in ancient times, telling of the classic and much-used tale of heroes, terrible warlords, and a troubling time, and while we’ve seen this plenty of times before, I’d say this film gets some slack, since the Thai culture aspects and landscapes added a few interesting things to the mix. Sure, it’s a cosmetic face lift, but to our Western eyes, it feels different. Plus, the bigger budget the film had really helps. We get sweeping vistas of Thailand, guards in awesome looking attire, and gorgeous cinematography. Since this film is a prequel to the events in the first Ong Bak, there’s some freedom in telling a story. Remember in Ong Bak, Ting’s (Tony Jaa) village had a Buddha statue where its head was stolen, and Ting goes off to find it. Here, Jaa plays Tien (a play on words from the first film’s character name), and ends with that statue coming into screen. These are nuggets of connecting points, and I’m sure in Ong Bak 3, it will lead up more into the history of the Ting’s village and the Buddha, but the ancient times really sets up for some barbaric fights. There is also some confusion if this really is a prequel to Ong Bak. Regardless, you can spot some connecting points

The fights are some of Jaa’s best, even if they don’t immediately standout. He’s in top form, and seems to have never missed a beat in the years since The Protector. The martial arts genre has explored a lot of different fighting styles throughout the years, and while JCVD used Muay Thai in Kickboxer nearly twenty years ago, even he never showcased this style to the full movie potential. Jaa has gained some depth as a movie star, and while he co-directs this with his long-time collaborator Panna Rittikrai, he knows what move looks good for the camera. There is a great fight centered around and on an elephant. Just remember, after Tein gets smashed through the elephant’s tusks, it’s all “no stunt double, no wires, no CGI”. Kindly remember to pick your jaw up off of the floor.

I’ve went on a bit on how this film gave Tony a story to work with, and while it does, the story is still quite ambiguous. There are some elements that look great visually, but we’re left scratching our heads about. A Tony Jaa fan, and even a martial arts fan won’t complain too much, since it helps the fights (which we all came for). With little dialogue, the film feels like a glorious silent film, with stunning cinematography and brilliant fight scenes, making any nitpicks on the ambiguous story mute. Also, this will help make Tony Jaa into a bigger star, since the lack of dialogue with please non-subtitle fans into enjoying the film, making Ong Bak 2: The Beginning Jaa’s most mainstream film to date. With all of the stale action fare Hollywood gives us yearly, it’s a blast to watch real martial artists do their thing, and right now, nobody does a martial art film like Tony Jaa.

Just don’t make us wait so long for Ong Bak 3.

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