Thailand · 2008
Rated R · 1h 38m
Director Tony Jaa, Panna Rittikrai
Starring Tony Jaa, Sarunyu Wongkrachang, Sorapong Chatree, Primorata Dejudom
Genre Adventure, Action, Thriller
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Moments from death a young man is rescued by a renowned warrior. Realizing unsurpassed physical potential in the young boy he trains him into the most dangerous man alive. As he becomes a young man he goes on a lone mission of vengeance against the vicious slave traders who enslaved him as a youth and the treacherous warlord who killed his father.
While Jaa clearly hasn't lost any of his stamina in the six years since starring as a different underdog in the original, his first outing as a director is confusing, with distractingly muddy storytelling and wildly varying styles from scene to scene.
Wall Street Journal by Joe Morgenstern
Unfortunately, the movie could use a bit of pachyderm memory, given its habit of flashing back to Tien's childhood with exactly the same footage used in previous flashbacks. Instead of the narrative being deepened, it keeps getting shallowed.
The new film sometimes feels too snazzy in its jittery cinematography, but the stunts make it through the budget upgrade intact.
The astonishingly gonzoid fight scenes from Ong Bak 2 might be the best ever filmed.
Los Angeles Times by Kenneth Turan
Elephants aside, the plot of this Ong Bak is rudimentary at best.
Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum
Jaa, mesmerizing as ever to behold with his pinwheel moves, also (co)directs for the first time.
What sold the original Ong Bak was the action, not the story, and on an action level, Ong Bak 2 lives up to its title.
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