Ong Bak The Beginning Review 2009Release Date: October 23, 2009 (limited) Studio: Magnet Releasing (Magnolia Pictures) Director: Tony Jaa Screenwriter: Panna Rittikrai Starring: Tony Jaa, Sorapong Chatree, Sarunyu Wongkrachang, Nirut Sirichanya, Santisuk Promsiri, Primorata Dejudom Genre: Action MPAA Rating: R (for sequences of violence) Official Website: OngBakTwo.com Review: Not Available DVD Review: Not Available DVD: Not Available Movie Poster: View here Production Stills: View here
Wow! If you wanna see some of the craziest mindblowing stuntwork ever, you have got to check out ONG BAK 2: THE BEGINNING. It’s a knee-kick in the neck, an elbow to the head, Tony Jaa is back and… deadlier than before. It’s stylized and well-choreographed. Get yourself high on this martial art ecstasy. The storyline and the characters are just supporting roles, the lead star is the action and you won’t get enough of it.
Ong Bak 2 revolves around Tien (Jaa), the son of Lord Sihadecho, a murdered nobleman in ancient Thailand. As a spirited and unyielding youth, Tien resists savage slave traders and, moments from death, is rescued by a a man known as Cher Nung. Cher Nung is a renowned warrior and leader of the Pha Beek Krut, a group of pirates/guerilla fighters, and Cher Nung realizes unsurpassed physical potential in the young Tien and takes Tien under his wing. The Pha Beek Krut are a group of expert martial artists of various styles from all over Asia, and Tien is trained to unify these different styles of martial arts, and grows into the most dangerous man alive. As Tien becomes a young man he goes on a lone mission of vengeance against the vicious slave traders who enslaved him as a youth, and also the treacherous warlord who murdered his father, Lord Rajasena, who has an entire army protecting him.
The title might indicate a sequel but it’s more like a prequel but without direct connection to the first installment and it’s set in another time. I know, which is why getting familiar with what’s going on gets less and less important as the action gets more and more exciting and I can guarantee that much. So it’s more simple and old school but at the same time, there are still a few exaggerations here and there for entertainment purposes only. The way Tony Jaa uses his body as a weapon is jaw-dropping, the man clearly is a master of so many styles, there’s no opponent that he can’t handle. His character does encounter some difficulties but overcoming them is only a matter of adjusting to their methods and quickly figuring out their weak points. Only a countless army could tame this beast.
Holy crap. Great standing ovation and applause for the stuntwork, every one of the cast members that has put himself in such grueling physical sequences is remarkable.
There’s a bit of an homage to Drunken Master which I find interesting,… for a good few minutes, Jaa practically fights his enemy without having to stand up at all, his back is on the ground and his only defense are his legs.
It reminds me of some of the martial art movies and series I grew up watching when I was a kid, the fight scenes would happen fairly fast and unpredictable and when it gets to the most difficult and creative moves, it gives you that slo-mo effect just to make sure you know you’re watching the best most awesome parts of those fights.
Jaa continues his people’s fascination with elephants, at one point he uses the giant animal as some sort of an armor, fighting underneath and around it. What’s awesome is that the enemy never stops appearing, there’s always somebody else, and the next one is uglier than the last.
Notice I haven’t been talking much about the story, mainly because halfway through the movie, the story doesn’t matter anymore. It’s betrayal and vengeance, the oldest concept in the book, highly predictable, but ONG BAK 2 knows its actual greatest strength and uses it to the fullest.
