Ong Bak (2003)

Audiences can argue the finer points of their favorite martial arts movies and their merits or lack thereof, but the films can all be boiled down into one of two categories; those that try to kick ass and those that simply do. It’s not hard to get into the first category. In fact, anyone with a camera, a couple of screen fighters and a handful of pre-planned sparring movements can make it. But getting the audience to buy it, figuratively or literally is another issue. Getting your film into the latter category is significantly more difficult. No amount of money, former martial arts champions, or fancy editing, wirework or special effects can guarantee success. In truth, most filmmakers will never make it, no matter how many films they make or how many resources they can draw on. The martial arts films that truly kick ass belong to an elite few who have the right combination of experience behind them, mastery of action scene composition, and understanding of storytelling through action.

Now you’re probably expecting this lead-in to triumphantly announce Ong-Bak as a kick ass film. If so, you’re only half right. Ong-Bak is a blockbuster hit in its own country and the first Thai film to break out onto the world stage in a big way and for good reason. The film is top-to-bottom, bone-jarring martial arts action and daring stunt work, the likes of which haven’t been seen in Hong Kong for years. It features Thailand’s finest action talents who have made a major bid to be recognized the world over. However, the film’s many strengths are tempered by an equal number of faults that are easily overlooked initially, but become more apparent with repeat viewings. In short, the action rocks and the rest flops.

The film opens with a Dragon Lord-like sequence as competing men from a rural village scramble up a massive tree to nab a trophy item. With no wires being used, this scene establishes the rugged, old school tone of all the action to come. The winner of the contest is Ting (Tony Ja), an orphan trained from childhood by a Buddhist priest in the art of Muay Thai boxing. In a nod to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the head of the village’s sacred Buddhist statue named “Ong Bak” is stolen, which leads to drought and misfortune for the local populace. The story then becomes a fish out of water scenario as the country-bred Ting heads to the bright lights and corruption of Bangkok to find the head. He hooks up with a former resident of his village named George (Petchtai Wongkamlao) and his spunky and slightly annoying female friend Muay (Pumwaree Yodkamol) who are both amateur con artists. Ting, who has a particular distaste for abuse of women, gets sucked into a underground fighting circuit, runs afoul of street thugs after his con artists pals and becomes the arch-enemy of a smuggler who is trying to profit from the sale of Thailand’s treasured Buddhist monuments.

In the original version, additional time is taken out for a throwaway side story involving the troubled sister of Muay who is the statue thief’s girlfriend. She ends up overdosing on cocaine.

Director Prachya Pinkaew really only uses the stolen Ong-Bak premise as a way to get Tony Ja into one outrageous action sequence after another. In reality, the film is little more than a feature-length action demo reel with pockets of rehashed plotting and shaky acting here and there. Although the story and characters are disposable, the action is another thing. If it was the goal of the filmmakers to make Muay Thai look like the greatest cinematic martial arts style since Drunken Fist kung fu as performed by Jackie Chan, then they succeeded.

Tony Ja (AKA Panom Yeerum) is everything Jackie Chan was in his prime, apart from the lack of humor. Previously a stuntman, Ja (AKA Panom Yeerum) steps into his first starring role and what he may lack in acting ability, he makes up for in physical talent. His Muay Thai execution is dazzling, while he also performs incredible feats of acrobatic prowess and daring-do. One disappointment is that none of his opponents in the film share his abilities. Fight scenes regularly become little more than opportunities for Ja to show off a dizzying array of moves on luckless villains.

Panna Rittikrai is the main man behind the action choreography for Ong-Bak and he puts the experience of over fifty action movies within two decades into this, his most accomplished work to date. Rittikrai’s main influences have been the films of Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee and the James Bond franchise. Shades of this can be seen frequently. He put in a painstaking amount of prep work and exacting planning into every scene as can be evidenced in the fluid nature of the final product where stunts look deadly, but are safely executed. However, most of his previous films are shot on ultra-low budgets and as he admits himself is “crap.”

There are eight major action sequences in Ong-Bak, each phenomenal in their own way. The secret to their success is in the clear execution where each action has purpose and potent impact, the sense of realism, and the limits to which creativity and perceived danger are stretched to the max. The only detractor is the frequent instant replays from alternate angles that remind us that we’re watching bottled sequences marketed for their “wow” factor, with minimal regard for story development.

The first scene is the aforementioned tree-climbing contest where stuntmen take hard falls from what looks like at least one story up. Next is a great scene where Ja comes to the defense of Yodkamol. Using simple and effective deflecting moves, Ja bats away the attackers like so many flies. This leads into the third scene which is a classic Jackie Chan-style chase on foot through the streets of Bangkok. It’s a showpiece affair where Ja performs a series of stunts that are really unnecessary as far as getting away from his pursuers are concerned, but look really good. It’s not everyday that you see an actor slide under a moving truck while doing the splits, leap through a roll of barbwire or perform multiple flips off of scaffolding.

The next action scene is the big underground fighting scenario. This setup is horribly cliched by action movie standards when considering the likes of Bloodsport, In Hell, The Circuit, Blood Heat, etc. However, the execution of it in this case is at least about as entertaining as it gets. Ja fights his way through three opponents; an brutish Aussie freestylist, a quick-moving Bruce Lee-imitator with a fro, and a maniac whose specialty is breaking bottles, chairs and anything else he can get his hands on over his opponent’s head. None of these fights should be taken seriously. The last opponent frequently leaves gapping openings as he reaches for various objects where Ja should have been able to close in and deliver punishing elbow and knee attacks as he does on other occasions. But it’s all for fun.

Action scene number five is the traditional Muay Thai fight in a ring with accompanying ritual music and referees. This is where Ja first takes on his main fighting opponent, who he meets again for a rematch in the final reel. This duel is a disappointment and points out one of the film’s main flaws, the lack of anyone able to even come close to equaling Ja’s abilities. The opponent is reduced to being a steroid-shooting he-man whose main fighting technique is absorbing Ja’s blows. His Muay Thai execution is weak in comparison and takes away from both encounters.

The next action sequence is another chase, this time in three-wheeled taxis known as “tuk tuks.” The very nature of these light vehicles allows for some interesting variations on an otherwise routine scene. The two colliding taxis that erupt into a fireball as a third spins overhead is a gratuitous and over-the-top Jerry Bruckheimer moment without the CGI, which is nice. Of course, all of the scenes in this film are done without CGI, wires or most of the other modern gimmicks that action filmmakers have come to rely on. It does make a difference and this is another reason why the film is a rare and welcome creation despite its faults.

Scene number seven is my personal favorite. Left by the lead smuggler to be executed by his underlings (always a mistake), Ja and his two pals get the upper hand and fight back. The ensuing battle is highlighted by a beautifully staged scene where a gunman lights up a few gas cans and Ja emerges from the fire, literally with flaming feet of fury. The rest of the fight is less effective as a stuntman on motorcycle lazily gets into position for a soaring hammer strike by Ja that splits his motorcycle helmet in half. I’d ask for a refund.

Finally, Ja and costar Petchtai Wongkamlao as George infiltrate the smugglers’ cave where they’re in the process of cutting off a massive Buddha head. The opening scene where Ja drops in, floors multiple thugs and runs into the cave in a single take is just the warm-up. He ends up picking up several weapons including a staff and the equivalent of night sticks to rumble some more. Then, it’s the big showdown. This is where the film gets the most brutal. Ja’s forearms get chewed up by a two-handed lumberman’s saw (great sound effects with this), Wongkamlao’s arm is bent the wrong way, a thug’s leg gets the same treatment, and Ja’s elbow-to-head blows literally crack a skull with blood-spurting effect. Ja also unleashes some unbelievable spinning kicks and what becomes a trademark dash over the shoulders of several thugs to come crashing down on another.

What is especially nice to see is how the filmmakers emphasize the power, grace and directness of Muay Thai. Ja is always coming straight on to his enemies with arm extended no matter where they move and he frequently reacts to a counterattack or evasive move with what turns out to be a feint and an unexpected follow-up blow with a leg. It has a unique look all its own, yet like elements of wushu is stunning to behold onscreen. There are very few films that effectively employ Muay Thai and after seeing Ong-Bak, it’s a wonder that Hong Kong filmmakers didn’t pick up on it more often in their action-oriented industry. Chang Cheh made it a central element of Duel of Fists (1971) and Jimmy Wang Yu had Muay Thai boxers in his Chinese Boxer films, but the art mostly lost its appeal among moviemakers outside of Thailand. But leave it to Thai filmmakers to show the world how it’s really done. Not only that, they have also reminded us all of the potent magic of live-action stunt work and genuine martial arts skill in an age when audiences are being weaned on increasingly fantasy-oriented action with pop idols propped up by slight-of-hand editing, wirework and digital artifice.

Ong-Bak is mediocre where story and characters are concerned, but a very impressive collection of action sequences from some truly gifted and daring action filmmakers and performers. It’s required viewing for any genre fan and will surely inspire and influence filmmakers for years to come, just as the films of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan have done.