Ong Bak [DVD]

Amazon.co.uk Review
No computer graphic can ever surpass what a real human body can do--and what the body can do is on spectacular display in Ong-Bak, a Thai action movie starring the lithe and flexible Tony Jaa. When the head is stolen from a holy statue in Jaa's rural village, he goes to Bangkok to get it back. Of course, it just so happens that the thief is connected to a bar where criminal big shots gamble over bare-knuckle brawls, and Jaa is--despite his virtuous efforts--drawn into the game. But that's only the beginning; a chase through the city streets rivals the ingenious acrobatics of Jackie Chan, with Jaa leaping between panes of glass, over a bicycle in motion, and through a wreath of barbed wire. Jaa's fighting prowess has been compared to Bruce Lee, Jet Li, and just about every other martial arts master, but he has an equal degree of charisma as well. He won't win acting awards, but his engaging presence carries the movie. One word of warning: The numerous fights will make you wince as much as gape in astonishment. Ong-Bak follows the action-flick tradition that the hero needs to be as battered as possible before he ultimately triumphs, and the battering is intense. --Bret Fetzer, Amazon.com

Synopsis
Tony Jaa follows in the powerful martial arts footsteps of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li in ONG-BAK: THE THAI WARRIOR, one of the first films to centre on the ancient fighting system of Muay Thai, which utilizes the body's limbs to potentially devastating effect. Jaa stars as Ting, a quiet young man who lives in the peaceful village of Nong Pradu. As the village's special celebration approaches, a Bangkok villain named Don (Wannakit Siriput) steals the head of the Buddha statue Ong-Bak, which is said to protect the village from bad luck. Ting volunteers to go to the big city to bring back the head of Ong-Bak, but remembers what he was taught by sage monk Pra Cru (Woranard Tantipidok): he must not use his Muay Thai skills to harm people. However soon after arriving in Bangkok, Ting, a peaceful fish out of water, finds that the only way to recapture the village's sacred treasure is by using his arms, his legs--and his head. Influenced by the films of Thai action star Phanna Rithikrai, director Prachya Pinkaew hired the Muay Thai expert to serve as martial arts and stunt choreographer for ONG-BAK, resulting in highly effective and believable scenes between Ting and a multitude of criminals and evil boxers out to get him. Pinkaew adds a fun sense of humour to the serious story, not only in some of the crazy stunts but also in the character of George, played by Thai comic Petchthai Wongkamlao. Jaa is charmingly fearless in the lead role, performing all his own stunts without any special effects, computer enhancement, or ropes.

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53 Reviews 5 star:  (36) 4 star:  (13) 3 star:  (4) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.6 out of 5 stars (53 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   13 of 13 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars jet li might be leaving but now we have tony!, 30 Aug 2005 By  nightwing (england) - See all my reviews Well from where can i start? This is one of those films that truly has to be seen to be believed, whether it be for the sheer madness of the tree climbing event the film opens with, the (already mentioned) chase through the alleys and back steets that will have all chuckling to themselves as Mr Jaa nods his head to the old master Jackie Chan with some excellent set pieces with trucks, panes of glass and of course the barbed wire. Now there will be people who will moan that the plot is not what it could be, but let us remeber this film is not meant to spur your brain into overload with complex issues such as time travel or another example amnesia (hi donnie darko, memento) all this film asks for is for you to bear witness to what the human body is capable of when free of the insurance restraints hollywood movies are constantly dogged by, I defy you not to wince in sympathy for the spikey haired opponent that Jaa kicks so hard just below the kneecaps his legs are taken completely from under him, remember most of the blows in this film connect! You will find that the female 'lead' annoys beyond all reason, just turn the volume down when she speaks (i'm conviced she has trouble with the local dogs when she talks, her pitch being that high) but Jaa's sidekick in the movie provides the comedy and also the ultimate sacrifice for the treasured Ong Bak, but like all great action heros Jaa steals the show with some amazing moves which haven't been seen on the big screen before and of course he gets the mother of all beatings before eventually emerging the victor. So ladies and gentlemen with this film you are witnessing the dawn of our newest actionhero, so sit back and enjoy the ride because hopefully Mr Jaa and his amazing production team shall be around for a very long time to come. (Just one thing Tony, please don't go to hollywood to make your films, if you do we will have witnessed your amazing fighting abilities for the last time, sure you'll make a ton of movies, so did jet and jackie, but just don't let the money tame you). Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   10 of 10 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Martial Arts Genuis, 4 Feb 2006 By A Customer I got this dvd for christmas after seing the trailer and being blown away by sheer amazement at Tony Ja's athletic ability. The film is really good, and maybe it's true that the story isn't the best, but martial arts movies are not about the story, they are about martial arts! Almost all of the stunts in this film are amazing, and you sometimes wonder how he does all those flips and kicks, and the action is well coreographed, keeping the kicks and jumps flowing. The dvd itself is very good and well presented. You get the film, and also a great second disc with loads of special features including an amazing making of the stunts, so you can see the hard work that went into the market scene. One minor niggle i have with the film is Tony Ja himself. People have likened him to Bruce Lee, and although Ja is very good, and his stunts and fights are amazing, he can not rival Bruce Lee. Ja has a lack of presence on the screen, whereas Bruce Lee filled the screen with presence. People wanted to BE Bruce Lee, whereas I get the feeling that people may just want to be able to do Ja's stunts. That said, the film is a martial arts master piece, and definatly a film to get if you are remotely into anything martial arts. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   9 of 9 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Deals a deathblow to CGI, 23 Sep 2005 By  jakeone (Cambridge) - See all my reviews If you're looking for profound story lines and good acting, go elsewhere. But if you're looking for some of the most incredible acrobatic martial arts ever captured on film, Ong Bak is breathtaking. Tony Jaa has been described as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and a dash of Buster Keaton - and that's a good description. No wires, no CGI just a human body honed through years of training and practice. It's incredible to witness. (I recently returned from Thailand having seen Jaa's second film - the brilliant Tom Yum Goong - and he's got an awful lot more in his arsenal. It's only a matter of time before he's an international action star, I'm convinced.) Whether he's somersaulting between panes of glass; leaping hands and feet first through a ring of barbwire; doing sliding splits under a car or, of course, dispensing serious damage to assailants - it's nothing quite like you've ever seen before, I'm sure. As you can guess, I'm a big fan. Do yourself a favour - forget about the plot and the acting and just sit back to see some breathtaking physical showmanship. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 53 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars MAKES YOU WISH YOU WHERE THAT GOOD. When the head of Ong Bak, a remote village's Buddha statue, is stolen by nasty criminal types, one man is sent to bring it back. Read more Published 4 months ago by Haunted Nostril 5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic film Unfortunately the rating only goes up to 5!! enough said. I found this film absolutely mind blowing. the fight scenes and stunts are brilliant!! the plot is pretty good. Read more Published 17 months ago by G. Lloyd 4.0 out of 5 stars That's GOT to hurt! Ong-Bak is a throwback to the days when martial arts movies didn't use cgi and fast-cutting to make their stars look good. Read more Published 19 months ago by Trevor Willsmer 4.0 out of 5 stars Great action movie The movie starts with a scene where the men of a village have to climb a huge tree, whereby we see some superb climbing and balancing that doesn't look like it was done on... Read more Published 20 months ago by C. I. Iles 4.0 out of 5 stars This movie is meant for Tony Jaa!, Ong Bak had to be the one of the most fantastically realistic and awe-inspiring martial arts movie of all time. Read more Published 23 months ago by Jenny J.J.I. 5.0 out of 5 stars 2 words The only two words you need take from this film are Tony Jaa. How this guy isn't plastered over every bilboard in the world is a mystery to me. Read more Published on 2 Jul 2007 by Mr. R. Maxwell 5.0 out of 5 stars Good advert for Thai cinema. This is the first Thai film that I watched even though Bangkok Dangerous debuted 5 years before. A really brilliant action film with some memorable fight sequences none of which... Read more Published on 19 April 2007 by Jay 4.0 out of 5 stars Bone Crunching Action When the head is removed from a tiny Thai villages Buddha statue, country boy Ting (Tony Jaa) is sent to Bangkok to retrieve it before an evil businessman can sell it... Read more Published on 30 Mar 2007 by R. Mullaney 5.0 out of 5 stars Yup they told you to watch it, believe me you must!!! All I can say is this is a martial arts movie, and hold on here is Tony Jaa's trademark, "no CGIs (Computer Generated Imagery), no wire works, and no stunt doubles. Read more Published on 7 Feb 2007 by E. El-schaeddaei 4.0 out of 5 stars Great talent, Not much of a plot To start lets be clear this film, has a plot as basic as they come but then again who needs a good plot when your talking about martial arts movies, a basic plot is sufficient if... Read more Published on 31 Oct 2006 by Ben Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 53 customer reviews...

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