ONG-BAK generates awe not from its lame plot, but from its raw stunt work that baffles the eyes. Story is irrelevant when the real purpose for this film is to showcase the amazing physical skills of its star Tony Jaa. It’s a kung-fu flick — what else do you want?
Ting (Jaa) is a skilled boxer from a small village in Thailand. Young gangster Don (Wannakit Siripout) has stolen the head of the village’s stone Buddha called Ong-Bak. So Ting heads to the city to retrieve the statue’s head. In the city, he meets up with Humlae, known as George (Petchtai Wongkamlao) and his sister Muay Lek (Pumwaree Yodkamol), who left Ting’s village for the city and are more interested in stealing Ting’s money or exploiting his fighting skills then helping him find the missing idol head. As would be expected, Ting ends up in a boxing match, which loses Don’s boss Komtuan (Suchao Pongwilai) a lot of money.
All of this plot is of little consequence when Tony Jaa is leaping feet in front of him through a ring of barbed wire, doing no-handed cartwheels between two panes of glass or doing a running split to slide under a car. The film’s promotion boasts the fact that the stunt actors use on wires or visual effects. This brings a raw realism to the action that has been missing from fight scenes where one punch takes a team of visual effects artists weeks to work out. Additionally, these stunt fighters are taking real hits and putting their bodies on the line like I’ve never seen before.
Jaa is equal to Jackie Chan and Buster Keaton in his acrobatic prowess. However, a weak plot for just the purpose of stringing together fight scenes can be pointless and repetitive in the wrong hands. What makes this film work is that the fight scenes seem so fresh, raw and real. In addition, Petchtai Wongkamlao brings a sly charm to Humlae, which provides comic relief and in the end sneaks up on the audience with an emotional pull that was unexpected. It’s not really new, but it works nonetheless. Action and kung-fu fans will greatly appreciate what ONG-BAK has in store for them, while everyone else will be wondering how nuts Mr. Jaa has to be to do the things he does. With that alone, the film is well worth your time.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
