“Ziam” Netflix Poster

Director: Kulp Kaljareuk
Cast: Prin Suparat, Nuttanicha Dungwattanawanich, Vayla Wanvayla, Johnny Anfone
Running Time: 95 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

While 2003’s Ong Bak launched a Muay Thai movie boom out of Thailand that lasted for much of the 2000’s, towards the end of the decade filmmakers had turned to increasingly creative ways to portray the powerful martial art onscreen. Fireball gave us Muay Thai blended with basketball, Raging Phoenix introduced Muay Thai mixed with dancing, and Power Kids offered up pintsize Muay Thai with a bunch of kids delivering the expected elbows and knees. In what was clearly a missed opportunity, somehow no one ever thought to mix Muay Thai with zombies. That is, until now, as in 2025 director Kulp Kaljareuk released his sophomore solo feature length outing with Ziam.

Set in a post-apocalyptic future, the bar for Thai zombie movies that take place in such settings is admittedly a low one thanks to the likes of the 2019 atrocity The Driver, however Kaljareuk comes with the benefit of Netflix backing his latest. With a decent budget to work with we’re introduced to a world that’s on the brink of collapse, with climate change induced disasters leading to mass food shortages. Thankfully Thailand has become one of the few safe havens left in the world, with a rich businessman having created a sustainable food source to keep the population from starving. Transported by truck drivers tasked with navigating the dusty yellow hued wastelands to make their deliveries, the concept has echoes of the Korean series Black Knight (also produced by Netflix), which similarly focused on truck drivers making essential deliveries in a post-apocalyptic landscape.

The driver who becomes the focus of Kaljareuk’s latest is played by Prin Suparat (Necromancer) who, in a handy piece of foreshadowing, has a line thrown in his direction by his co-driver about how he wouldn’t want to go back to “a life of underground boxing.” No sooner has the line been spoken, than their truck finds itself ambushed by a group of marauding bandits, offering up a pre-title card sequence that gives the audience a chance to see what Suparat is capable of. Unfortunately the answer is an unimpressive one. Offering up a masterclass in what a fight scene can look like if it’s shot by someone unfamiliar with shooting action, we get camera cuts before hits are made to disguise a lack of impact, at one point a kick is filmed from the waist up so we don’t actually see it, and the sound design feels slightly off.

Normally at this point it would be a good enough reason to clock out, but I mean, the concept of Muay Thai versus zombies is one that’s tantalizing enough to hope that things will improve. Of course every zombie outbreak needs an origin story, and in Ziam those origins feel muddled at best. The rich businessman, played by Johnny Anfone (The Legend of Suriyothai) has apparently discovered that the liver of monkfish has revitalising properties, so wishes to use it to treat his comatose wife who’s been relying on regular blood transfusions to stay alive. Although it’s never directly implied, the assumption is the rest of the fish is served up as a delicacy for the rich, with his righthand man offering it up as sashimi for a gathering of officials from the totalitarian government. Taking the first bite so as to put everyone else at ease, it isn’t long before it turns out consuming the fish turns people into flesh hungry zombies. Chaos ensues.

Where did the monkfish suddenly come from? Why does eating it make someone turn into a zombie? Was I unknowingly taking micro-naps and missed an important plot detail? I don’t have the answers. In any case, thanks to plot contrivances it turns out our trusty truck driver Suparat’s girlfriend is the doctor responsible for looking after Anfone’s comatose wife. Played by Nuttanicha Dungwattanawanich (Ghost Lab), she soon finds herself trapped on the 10^th floor of the hospital as zombies run rampant, and it’s up to Suparat to come along and Raid things up to reach the top floor and rescue her. Naturally, he ends up with an annoying kid in tow, who’s characterised to the extent of being asthmatic and finding wheelchair bound zombies to be a point of amusement (whether he’d still find someone in a wheelchair funny prior to their undead state is left to audience interpretation).

Once Ziam establishes it’s one-location setting of the hospital it almost feels like the post-apocalyptic setup was a ruse, since it has little to no bearing on the rest of the plot, essentially becoming the tale of a guy who knows some Muay Thai moves kicking zombies in the head to reach the love of his life. While the setup is one that feels ripe for some hard-hitting entertainment, unfortunately most of the action feels like a damp squib. Perhaps a hangover from the 2000’s era of Thai action, a time when wince inducing elbows and high impact falls became trademarks of the countries action output, the inevitable comparisons that those who were around to enjoy said era will make aren’t going to be kind ones.

Suparat obviously knows how to throw a kick, the issue is that he doesn’t really do a whole lot else, and the imagined brutality you’d have to unleash against a member of the undead with only your fists and feet never really materialises. Despite there being hordes of the undead on every floor, Suparat’s assault on them only ever sees one zombie dawdling towards him at a time, some of which seem to be taken out by simply pushing them out of the way. The absence of any danger feels palpable, as it soon becomes clear Suparat is definitely not the next incarnation of Tony Jaa. He’s not even the next incarnation of Mike B. At least those guys could emote a little, even if it was for the sole purpose of expressing rage, but here Suparat clocks in a bland performance that’s unlikely to get anyone’s adrenaline levels pumping.

Proceedings completely derail in the final third, with the pièce de résistance saved for when a fire activates the hospital sprinklers, the result of which sees the contact with water turn the zombies into zombie monkfish hybrids. Yes, zombie monkfish hybrids. While you may be imagining a toothy undead take on a mermaid, the reality is most of them just have a cheap prosthetic over the bottom half of their face (although admittedly, it looks like part of the budget was at least spent on showing one of them transform using passable CGI, its mouth splitting open either side to reveal razor sharp teeth). Much like the post-apocalyptic setting though, the switch up from standard zombie to fishy zombie makes precisely zero difference to the plot, with the reveal being strictly aesthetic.

By the time everyone ends up trying to get to the chopper on the roof, as a director Kaljareuk makes a complete dog’s breakfast of the setup. A supposedly heartbreaking scene ends up coming across as incomprehensible, and is surely a contender for the award of ‘Most Unnecessary Self-Sacrifice in a Movie’ this side of the 21^st century. Proceedings are only made more insulting by tagging on what I want to call a post-credits sequence, but it appears so quickly (probably based off an assumption by Netflix that viewers would turn it off as soon as the credits start rolling) I don’t think it can really qualify. Revealing that the most unnecessary self-sacrifice in a movie may have actually been survived, it’s a clumsy hint that there could be further instalments of the fish-induced undead, one that’s unlikely to generate much enthusiasm from those who made it to the end.

Like so much made-for-Netflix content, Ziam ultimately comes across as an inoffensive time passer, destined to start slipping from the memory once a few hours have passed (I’m writing this review a couple of days later, and trust me, it’s been a struggle). The problem is, the concept of pitting Muay Thai against hordes of the undead was never supposed to fit into the category of being an inoffensive time passer, which makes it feel even more of a wasted opportunity. Perhaps a zombie elephant could have livened things up, but until we get one of those, do yourself a favor and dig out that old DVD of Kung Fu Zombie. You’ll thank me later.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 4/10

The post Ziam (2025) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Bangkok Dog” Theatrical Poster

Director: Chaya Supannarat
Cast: D.Y. Sao, Jenny Philomena Van Der Sluijs, Brian Le, Ron Smoorenburg, Sahajak Boonthanakit
Running Time: 85 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Throughout the 2000’s and 2010’s having the Thai capitals name in an action movie title seemed to be all the rage – Bangkok Dangerous, Bangkok Adrenaline, Bangkok Revenge, BKO: Bangkok Knockout, Bangkok Rush, Bangkok Assassins – the list goes on! However as the Thai action scene gradually began to fade away, both in terms of local productions and overseas ones using it as a shooting location, so too did the energy charged titles that always promised a dose of elbows and knees to the head. It’s to be admired then that the director who became synonymous with Thai action in the 2000’s, Prachya Pinkaew, is now attempting to bring it back in the 2020’s. So far Pinkaew has been involved in a couple of productions, and while he may no longer in the director’s chair, by serving as executive producer it conveniently allows the productions to be branded with the “Prachya Pinkaew presents” label.

The star he’s chosen to put his faith in is D.Y. Sao, a Cambodian born, California raised former representative of the U.S. National Wushu Team who’s proficient in several martial arts styles. The first production that Pinkaew and Sao collaborated on was 2022’s Shadow Master, which in my review for I’d stated, “Sao seems to have found his partner in crime with Singaporean director and writer Pearry Teo.” The comment was in reference to Shadow Master being the sophomore leading role for Sao after Teo also directed him in 2021’s Fast Vengeance, and while it looked like we could look forward to more collaborations from the pair, Teo’s unfortunate passing in 2023 put paid to such hopes.

Which brings us to the second production that Pinkaew and Sao have worked on together, and it’s one that places Bangkok back at the fore in the form of 2024’s Bangkok Dog. Sitting in the director’s chair for Sao’s third outing as an action lead is Thai director Chaya Supannarat, making her feature length debut after helming a number of shorts. The plot sees Sao and Jenny Philomena Van Der Sluijs (making her acting debut) as a pair of agents working for the secretive agency LS-75, who we meet in the opening scene looking to bust a drug shipment that’s been delivered to a container yard in California (one of those locations which is always a positive sign in an action movie). After the pair dispatch a handful of lackeys Sao is left to face off against Martial Club member Brian Le (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Paper Tigers), offering up a brief re-match from their highlight one on one in Shadow Master.

With Le apprehended we learn the drugs are coming from Thailand, and since he’s never met the supplier who’s sending the goods, Sao proposes that he’ll pretend to be Le and head across to Bangkok to infiltrate the gang, taking them down from the inside. Because Bangkok Dog has a punchy 85-minute runtime, Sao’s superior immediately agrees without so much as the slightest objection, and like that he’s getting off the plane in Bangkok where he meets his handler from the gang, played by Byron Bishop (The Asian Connection, Kate). It’s not long before the pair become fast friends, bonding over their tough childhood, and the inevitable question arises of is Sao has gotten himself in too deep. The head of LS-75 seems to think so, and orders Van Der Sluijs to get on a plane to Bangkok and bring the investigation back on track. Naturally, a lot of fists, feet, elbows, and knees are thrown along the way.

It should come as no surprise that a Thai action production in 2024 doesn’t have the same budget as Tony Jaa vehicles like Ong Bak had back in the Thai action genres peak in the 2000’s, however when physicality is at the fore this can be easily forgiven. To that end having the likes of Sao and Brian Le onboard provides Bangkok Dog it’s biggest blessing, and arguably its reason for existing in the first place, with Sao in particular offering up an energetic performance that makes it easy to overlook some of the ropey acting and contrived plot points. Best described as being like if Tony Jaa was filtered through a Bruceploitation lens, Sao unleashes plenty of punches with mouth agape, and finishes fights by busting out an exaggerated kung-fu pose. To the casual viewer it will likely come across as comical, but for fans of kung-fu cinema, there’s a certain element of cool seeing such tropes pulled off poker faced in a contemporary setting.

It’s Sao and Le who pull double duty as fight choreographers (also taking a separate credit as action directors), and similar to the action in Shadow Master, there’s a welcome throwback to complex exchanges and gratuitous power moves. Fight choreography trends have arguably shifted more towards realism in recent years, and while the efficient approach certainly has its place, being a fan of both Hong Kong and Thailand’s golden eras of action cinema, I’ll always favour the old-school way of taking full advantage of a performer’s capabilities. There’s a sincerity to the action in Bangkok Dog which risks coming off as goofy, like power powder being used even when someone’s being punched in the face (unless we’re supposed to assume Bangkok is just a really dusty place), however by executing it so seriously it serves to give the narrative a pulpy vibe which suits the overall tone.

The brief exchange between Sao and Le at the beginning also comes full circle during the finale, with a lengthy rematch between the pair being a joy to watch. Le appears to be busting out homages to Bruce Leung’s toad style in Kung Fu Hustle, and even Chang Shan’s sitting splits in Kung Fu of Seven Steps, in a blistering series of exchanges between the pair, one that’s sure to leave any fan of kung-fu cinema satisfied. The pool of performers who can perform complex choreography to such a high level has significantly diminished over the years, so to see fight scenes that rely purely on the performer’s capability with no special effects, gratuitous gore, or creative camera positioning to hide the doubling is a rare pleasure.

Notably Sao also gets to face off against Ron Smoorenburg, who’s been based in Thailand for several years now, but remains most well known for playing one of Jackie Chan’s opponents in the rooftop fight that rounds off Who Am I?. Outside of the action is expectedly where Bangkok Dog is at its weakest, with the debuting Van Der Sluijs offering up some wince worthy moments in the acting department. As an actress there’s more information about her on LinkedIn than there is on IMDB (and if you’re wondering how I got to her LinkedIn profile, with such a barren IMDB page I Googled her name, and it was the first hit). She’s apparently a production assistant for a studio in Thailand, and to her credit out of the strengths she’s listed, acting isn’t mentioned.

Van Der Sluijs is also victim to some of Bangkok Dog’s biggest storytelling faux pas. When she arrives in Bangkok she simply bumps into Sao at a street food vendor as if the city was the size of a single block, and what exactly she’s doing with her time there is never explained. Essentially her only purpose seems to be to sit in a hotel room and wait for Sao to turn up each night with the latest intel for several months. As previously mentioned though, these are some of the shortcuts and overlooked details that come as a result of cramming everything into 85 minutes, and from that perspective Supannarat’s debut moves along at a satisfyingly brisk pace that never comes close to outstaying its welcome.

Overall Bangkok Dog is a step-up from Shadow Master, even if it’s a small one, and taken from the perspective of being the modern equivalent of a DTV action flick, there’s enough brutal knees and flying kicks delivered to satisfy anyone looking for a throwback to Thai action cinemas glory days. At one point Sao’s superior asks him “Do you always have to go kung-fu on every mission!?” To which Sao replies with a smirk, “It works.” The same question could just as well be applied to Bangkok Dog itself, as without the kung-fu it’d be a pretty lamentable excuse for a movie, but with it, well, it works.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 6/10

The post Bangkok Dog (2024) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“The Medium” Theatrical Poster

Director: Banjong Pisanthanakun
Cast: Sawanee Utoomma, Narilya Gulmongkolpech, Sirani Yankittikan, Boonsong Nakphoo
Running Time: 130 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

Any fan of cinema has certain names they follow regardless of the genre they work in, and for me South Korean director Na Hong-jin is one of them. Since arriving on the scene with the 2008 serial killer thriller The Chaser, Hong-jin hasn’t exactly been prolific. He’d stay in thriller territory for 2010’s The Yellow Sea, then disappeared for 6 years before returning with the horror The Wailing in 2016. At the time of writing in 2022, he’s yet to helm a 4^th movie, but if he only leaves the 3 movies as a director, then every one of them has left a distinct mark on the Korean cinema landscape. Because of his relative elusiveness it’s always cause for excitement when Hong-jin’s name becomes attached to a new project, so when it was announced that he’d come up with the original story and would be producing a Thai horror movie, the uniqueness of the proposition built up a suitable level of anticipation.

That movie arrived in 2021 in the form of The Medium, a rare co-production between Thailand and Korea (the last one I can think of is 2011’s The Kick, which I’m sure everyone would rather forget). Any production that has to market itself as “From the producer of xxx” is usually a red flag, but thankfully The Medium doesn’t need to resort to such tactics, as in the director’s chair is Banjong Pisanthanakun, one half of the directorial duo who made the 2004 horror classic Shutter. Pisanthanakun has largely stayed within the horror realm in subsequent years, which has included helming segments in the horror anthologies Phobia (and its sequel) and The ABCs of Death. Ironically, one of the few times he strayed outside of horror was the 2010 romantic comedy Hello Stranger, which was shot on location in Korea.

The Medium initially starts off by looking to blur the line between reality and fiction. Onscreen text (presented in both Thai and Korean) tells us that in 2018 a documentary team wanted to study shamans in Thailand, and came across a middle-aged seamstress living in a rural village in the northern part of the country. The seamstress also happens to be a shaman, acting as an earthly vessel for a spirit that’s resided in a member of her family from generation to generation. Played by Sawanee Utoomma (One Day, The Promise), we learn that she inherited the spirit after her sister apparently rejected the signs that indicated she was the chosen one for this generation.

When the documentary team follow Utoomma to attend the funeral of her sister’s husband, both she and the crew notice the strange behaviour of her niece, played by Narilya Gulmongkolpech (making her big screen debut). Utoomma surmises that her behaviour is a sign that the spirit which resides in her may have chosen its next vessel. For the documentary team the timing presents a rare opportunity to capture the process of inheriting a spirit to become a shaman, leading the focus of the narrative to switch from that of Utoomma to Gulmongkolpech. However the niece’s mother, played by newcomer Sirani Yankittikan, is as against her daughter becoming a shaman as she was herself, and goes to dangerous lengths to avoid receiving the spiritual inheritance. Such actions lead down an increasingly dark path, as the spirit world begins to bleed into the real world with disastrous results for those involved.

There’s a distinct feeling while watching The Medium that Na Hong-jin wanted to supplant the supernatural themes of his own The Wailing into the shamanistic beliefs and rituals of Thailand, and during the initial scenes this shift works well. If you weren’t aware it was a movie beforehand the opening talking head interviews involving Utoomma could easily be taken for a legitimate documentary, and the sparse use of music along with talk of the spirit world begins to instil a gradual sense of creeping dread. However in the grand scheme of the 130-minute runtime, these scenes are ultimately inconsequential aside from setting a foreboding mood, one which gradually dissipates as the emergence of the plot involving Gulmongkolpech’s spiritual inheritance begins to take precedence.

The result is one that proves detrimental to an initially promising opening, sending The Medium into an overly long exercise in found footage horror that falls foul of just about every criticism that can be levelled towards the genre. Just as problematic as the approach though, is the change in focus to Gulmongkolpech. A relative newcomer to acting, having only played supporting roles in a handful of local Thai soap operas prior to what’s essentially a leading turn here, her performance lacks any of the real terror and fear it’s clearly supposed to instil in the audience. A turn of events basically turns The Medium into another tried and tested possession horror, with Gulmongkolpech’s expressions ranging from “staring blankly into the corner of the ceiling” (the pre-possession phase) to “smiling manically in every scene I appear in” (once the possession takes hold).

It’s the pre-possession part of the narrative that takes up a disproportionately large chunk of the middle section, as we spend time with Utoomma and her attempts to exorcise Gulmongkolpech of whatever it is that’s attacking her. While Pisanthanakun successfully introduces elements of mystery during these sequences, more than once a plot thread is left frustratingly hanging without a resolution, or at worse, concludes as a red herring that has no bearing on the main plot whatsoever. As a result the sense of momentum that’s been building grinds to a halt more than once, impacting the overall pacing to the point that there are parts of The Medium that come close to boredom setting in.

Almost as if the producers are aware of the same, as the finale approaches we get a 5-night countdown to a planned exorcism ritual, during which we’re told the documentary crew are given permission to set up cameras in the house Gulmongkolpech is being kept in. Rather than space out these nights, instead we get a literal countdown of each night in one go, immediately followed by a corresponding ‘found footage horror flick’ highlight reel, in which each night we get to see Gulmongkolpech up to some mischief. It’s worth noting that for those dog lovers out there, this sequence may be one you’ll want to skip, however other than that it’s surprisingly unremarkable. If the most terrifying thing someone who’s possessed can do is make a mess of the house by throwing stuff around and peeing on the table, then it’s hard to feel that there’s too much at stake.

The finale itself opts to go completely over the top in a way which is as far from the opening scenes as one can imagine. An extended denouncement throws in an overly enthusiastic exorcist (played by Boonsong Nakphoo from Tum Yum Goong 2), a possessed group of cannibalistic zombies, Gulmongkolpech grinning, and a documentary crew showing an alarming willingness to continue filming even when it makes sense to run for your life. The whole sequence feels like it’s probably supposed to convey a chaotic scene of madness and horror similar to what Na Hong-jin made look so effortless in The Wailing, however here it feels overwhelmingly forced and dumb.   

Would I think The Medium was any better if it I didn’t know Na Hong-jin’s name was attached to it? I doubt it. While the potential is there for a tale that really gets under your skin and disturbs, onscreen it’s clumsily handled, and the found footage angle becomes a bigger problem the more the narrative stumbles forward. If you want to see a Thai horror, then stick with Pisanthanakun’s best work Shutter. If you want to see a Korean horror, check out The Wailing. Much like The Medium of the title acts as an intermediary between the real and spiritual worlds, so the production itself feels stuck between 2 film industries, and something got lost in translation.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 5.5/10

The post Medium, The (2021) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

Broken Sword Hero | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

AKA: Broken Sword Hero
Director: Bin Bunluerit
Cast: Buakaw Banchamek, Sornsin Maneewan, Nantawut Boonrubsub, Vannapoom Songsuparp, Chutirada Junthit, Phutharit Prombandal, Jaran Ngamdee
Running Time: 120 min.

By Kyle Warner

I tend to approach a new Thai martial arts film with a mix of excitement and trepidation. Because while it’s unfair to generalize an entire film industry’s output, my experience with Thailand’s action cinema often seems to have similar highs and lows across multiple films. The fights are realistic and it’s always amazing that the stunt work didn’t kill anybody, but the films can tend to play as amateurish whenever the hero isn’t breaking bones due to poor writing, acting, and directing. So, having said that, Broken Sword Hero was pretty much exactly what I was expecting it to be.

Broken Sword Hero is a historical martial arts coming of age tale about a young man named Joi. As a child, Joi suffered relentless bullying at the hands of the governor’s son and his gang. Vowing not to live in fear of a beating, Joi self-teaches himself Muay Thai boxing. From there, we see him grow into a young man, fighting in the boxing pits for money while also evading the governor’s son who still holds a grudge (the relationship between Joi and the governor’s son is never fully explored beyond protagonist vs. antagonist. The governor’s kid is just a dick, I guess. He pops back into the story now and then to try to kill Joi because that’s what dicks do, but it’s never much more than that). Joi starts to make a name for himself as an undefeated boxer in the villages, until the day he faces off against a stranger who nearly takes his head off in a match. Joi loses his celebrity status in an instant. After a drunk homeless man convinces Joi that he has raw talent but lacks the basics, Joi leaves his hometown in search of martial arts masters to better hone his skills.

Joi takes on the name Thongdee at this point – Joi committed no crimes but he is still treated like a criminal because the governor’s son is a dick – and learns the basics of Muay Thai boxing from one master before learning speed and conditioning from the next master and then learning swordplay from a third master. During this time, Thongdee/Joi also learns about loyalty, humility, heroism, and friendship and becomes a better man because of the good people he surrounds himself with.

In addition to the governor’s son and the governor’s brother trying to kill Joi/Thongdee, there is an additional governor subplot in the story. It kind of pops up out of nowhere. And when this governor is first mentioned, I naturally thought he was related to the governor plot we’d already seen in the film. But nope, new governor. And this governor is apparently under threat from rebels whose objective we are never made to fully understand. This new governor plot just sort of enters the film and takes over. And then, just when you think it’s leading to something substantial with the governor’s army and large-scale battles… the movie ends.

I can’t believe Broken Sword Hero ends the way it does. So many threads are left unresolved, yes, but that’s not even my main gripe. It appears to be stepping into new territory as Thongdee’s life takes a dramatic change. And then it ends. Fade to black, roll credits. The flow of the final moments is bizarre upon reflection. It’s like we start Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Thongdee’s story and then boom, The End. If Broken Sword Hero is the origin story of Thongdee, that’s fine, but finish this story before starting another one.

Where the film is at its best is in the action and fights. Though director Bin Bunluerit shows an over-reliance on slow-motion to film his action, this does nonetheless allow us to see full contact being made between our fighters. Thongdee/Joi is played by real-life Muay Thai champion Buakaw Banchamek, who has featured in films before but never in a lead role. While the script doesn’t offer him much of a chance to show his dramatic chops, Buakaw Banchamek is likable and totally believable as the young hero of the film. I fully expect him to be called the next Tony Jaa once the movie starts getting around. Because, I mean, of course.

If swordplay is what you’re after, you’re going to find very little of it in Broken Sword Hero. What we get is decent, but Thongdee doesn’t pick up his first sword until we’re well past the half-way point of the film. And our first broken sword doesn’t come until the movie’s almost over. Despite the title, this is a Muay Thai boxing picture, not a swordplay film.

There is a childlike innocence to the movie. And I mean that in a good way. Mostly. Thongdee has a boy meets girl romance with an upper-class young lady. One of the film’s ‘laughs’ involves her stepping in horse crap. Then, in what may be the closest thing to a romantic gesture seen in the movie, Thongdee smiles and scrapes the crap off her shoe before putting it back on her foot. It’s stupid… but it’s sincere.

The action is exciting and thanks to the earnestness of the cast the film can be charming. But the story is frustrating. It lacks a strong narrative flow and/or purpose. I grew restless hopping from one martial arts master to another in search of a plot. Characters of apparent importance come and go as they please. And the movie’s ending is so flat that I actually got angry when the credits began to roll… But yes, there is some entertainment to be had if you’re in the mood for a few elbows to the cranium. Just don’t go in expecting something challenging or original. Broken Sword Hero is about as simple and straightforward as they come.

Kyle Warner’s Rating: 5.5/10

The post Legend of the Broken Sword Hero (2017) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Chocolate” Japanese DVD Cover

Director: Prachya Pinkaew
Cast: Yanin Vismitananda, Hiroshi Abe, Pongpat Wachirabunjong, Taphon Phopwandee, Ammara Siripong, Dechawut Chuntakaro, Hirokazu “Hero” Sano, Sirimongkol Singwangcha, Su Jeong Lim
Running Time: 92/100 min.

By HKFanatic

I thoroughly enjoyed the Thai action movie Chocolate when it first came out in 2008, but revisiting it a few weeks ago on blu-ray – with the sound cranked – I think I loved it even more. This is a Thai action movie I feel will stand the test of time for fans of females who kick butt. Star Jeeja Yanin literally came out of nowhere and debuted with a film that has fight scenes and stunts that nearly rival Jackie Chan in his heyday.

Reportedly director Prachya Pinkaew (Ong Bak) saw Jeeja Yanin performing Taekwondo and was impressed enough to cast her in her own movie. This was a gamble that paid off remarkably. Jeeja engaged in rigorous Muay Thai and stunt training before cameras started rolling on Chocolate. Whether you love or hate Pinkaew’s style of filmmaking, all you need to do is watch the outtakes to know that Yanin is willing to bleed for her art.

The story has the potential to be offensive – I’ve heard it half-seriously labeled “special needs’ploitation” since Yanin’s character has autism. Yanin plays the result of a star-crossed romance between a Thai female gangster and a member of the Yakuza. Her parents split when she is a baby in order to prevent an all-out gang war and the mom ends up raising Yanin on her own. Yanin is indeed a special child, one who lacks social skills but has an uncanny sense of hearing and the ability to mimic whatever she sees performed in front of her – including martial arts moves. She studies the films of Tony Jaa and Bruce Lee, as well as the fighters in the gym that just so happens to be outside her window. In a few years’ time she becomes a prime ass-kicker.

Yanin ends up needing to raise money for her mother’s medical bills. Along with her childhood friend, she goes around to collect the money that various corrupt businesses owe her mom from her days in the Thai mafia. What follows are several set-pieces where shady managers order their employees to beat up Yanin and she lays waste to them in spectacular fashion. After a bit of a slow start, this movie is almost non-stop martial arts action.

What I love about the fights is that Yanin doesn’t just be a the crap out of everybody; the filmmakers went out of their way to feature the kind of obstacle-maneuvering stuff that Jackie Chan would do in his heyday. Yanin slides under glass tables, slips through spaces that the bad guys can’t fit in, swings through guard rails, etc. She’s really a marvel to watch.

The ending provides what might be a homage to the House of Blue Leaves sequence from Kill Bill: Volume 1, with Yanin taking on about 80 guys in black suits in a Japanese restaurant. She’s also finally provided with a fellow martial arts master to truly test her mettle. To say that the finale brings the house down would be an understatement; it features a death-defying sequence high above the ground that put at least one Thai stuntman in a neckbrace.

If you don’t enjoy the bone-breaking simplicity of most Thai action movies like Ong Bak, then Chocolate probably isn’t going to change your mind. But for people who love this kind of stuff or get a drug-like high from it (heh), then Chocolate is the ultimate fix. JeeJa Yanin is cute as a button and kicks ass like nobody’s business. Her character is a likable protagonist and you actually care about her quest to help her mom, which does strengthen the movie.

I’m certain JeeJa Yanin has an excellent career ahead of her, but if debut film goes down as her finest moment I might not be surprised. Chocolate features the kind of electrifying action sequences that ensure it will be watched and re-watched by martial arts fans for years to come.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 10/10

The post Chocolate | aka Fury (2008) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Skin Trade” Theatrical Poster

Director: Ekachai Uekrongtham
Producer: Craig Baumgarten, Dolph Lundgren, Mike Selby
Cast: Dolph Lundgren, Tony Jaa, Ron Perlman, Michael Jai White, Celina Jade, Peter Weller, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Conan Stevens, Mike Dopud, Tasya Teles, Leo Rano
Running Time: 95 min.

By HKFanatic

Like many action stars of the Eighties, Dolph Lundgren has spent the last fifteen years starring in a reliable stream of direct-to-video titles. Except for a welcome appearance in The Expendables films, your best chance at catching Dolph in action as of late has been movies like The Killing Machine and Command Performance. Although Dolph frequently steps behind the camera himself for these projects, for the most part they’ve been rote thrillers with little to distinguish them besides Dolph’s natural charm. Thus, the announcement of Skin Trade made martial arts fans stand up and take notice: here was an opportunity to see Dolph Lundgren team up with international sensation Tony Jaa of Ong Bak fame. Cautious optimism aside, martial arts junkies could be forgiven for thinking this might be the best team-up since peanut butter met chocolate.

And let us not forget, in many ways Tony Jaa needed Skin Trade to be a success as much as Dolph did. It’s difficult to believe that only ten years after he shot to international stardom with Ong-Bak, Tony Jaa’s career was in a state of disrepair. By 2013, he was as well-known for his disappearing from the set of Ong-Bak 2 and contract disputes as he was his flying kicks. The dismal reception of Tom Yum Goong 2 – the movie that had once been positioned as Jaa’s comeback – served as salt on the wound. Thankfully, moving into 2015 Tony Jaa seems to be in a much better place: his physical talents will be seen by a wider audience than ever thanks to his cameo in Hollywood blockbuster Furious Seven, and Skin Trade is preparing for a Video On Demand rollout from Magnet Releasing.

Magnet themselves have been smart in building the hype for Skin Trade through a steady stream of online marketing, highlighting the star power of its cast: joining Jaa and Lundgren is fan favorite bruiser Michael Jai White (Falcon Rising), as well as character actors Paul Weller (Robocop) and Ron Perlman (Hellyboy). Which begs the question: does Skin Trade actually live up to the hype or is it destined to join the rest of Dolph Lundgren’s post-millennial career on the racks of America’s now non-existent video stores?

Perhaps befitting a film that seeks to unite two of the biggest action stars from opposite sides of the globe, Skin Trade itself seems to exhibit something of a split personality. The first half hour of the film plays out like you would expect a by-the-numbers Dolph Lundgren actioner to unfold, with Dolph on the hunt for a vicious Serbian gangster (played by Ron Perlman) who traffics women to be sold as slaves in Asia. It’s unclear just why Dolph has such a vendetta against Perlman, except for the fact that he’s a genuinely nasty piece of work, but when Perlman places a hit on Dolph’s family, it’s safe to say that things have become personal. This is the kind of revenge plot that would be set-up within the first ten minutes of a Steven Seagal flick, but for some reason takes three times as long here.

Fortunately, once Dolph Lundgren wakes up in the hospital seeing red, he hops a plane to Thailand and the real movie begins. In Asia, he crosses paths with Tony Jaa’s Thai detective – but if you were expecting the two of them to put aside their cultural differences and get to stopping Ron Perlman together, then you clearly haven’t read a comic book crossover in which our two heroes must first slug it out with each other before they can team-up. And once it does arrive, the Dolph Lundgren vs. Tony Jaa title match is well worth the wait. These two radically different combatants go at each other in a knock-down, drag-out brawl that thankfully doesn’t suffer from too much of the choppy editing that has ruined many a highly-anticipated bout (anyone remember Jet Li vs. Mark Dacascos in Cradle 2 the Grave?).

If that weren’t enough, their scuffle might just be bested later on when Tony Jaa squares off against Michael Jai White. The fight choreography is frequently captured from a far-off distance, which is a boon in that it allows us to see the athleticism of our combatants; however, it has the adverse side effect of underselling the drama of the fight. Since we never really cut to a close-up, the film fails to sell us on the emotions of the actors. Thus, I often had the impression I was watching two highly trained stunt people hit their marks rather than two characters engaged in a dramatically-charged conflict. It might seem like a small quibble in a direct-to-video flick, but the viewer should have a reason to care about the combat unfolding besides the fact that it features two of their favorite action stars.

Fans of actor Dolph Lundgren may be disappointed to hear he’s frequently outshined by his co-stars. While he is very much the main character, the filmmakers don’t afford him the same kind of jaw-dropping moments that Jaa and White receive. And despite his massive size and legitimate martial arts skills, Dolph has never moved as a graceful performer onscreen. There’s an awkward, lumbering quality to his movements that continues here, and he spends most of the climax of the film mowing down people with an AK-47 rather than employing fisticuffs. Peter Weller chews up the scenery every moment he’s onscreen (wait till you hear the way he pronounces “Asia”) but he unfortunately disappears from Skin Trade after the first act. Meanwhile, Ron Perlman seems to be doing a variation on his character from Drive, only this time with an Eastern European accent.

Skin Trade is not a great film by any stretch of the imagination – for one thing, it seeks to shed a spotlight on the real world horrors of sex trafficking, while at the same time shamelessly exploiting the few female characters in the cast. Regardless, Skin Trade certainly continues the trend of direct-to-video action movies stepping up their game: the movie harkens back to the kind of old-school, minimal-CG stunts and fight scenes that mainstream Hollywood seems to have turned their back on. There was a time when skipping a theatrical release and arriving via VOD was something of a kiss of death, but movies like Universal Soldier: Regeneration and Ninja II have proved that’s quickly changing. With its fast pace and copious amounts of bloody violence, this is clearly a film that knows its audience. As such, it’s hard to imagine that fans of the central performers won’t come away from Skin Trade thoroughly entertained.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 6/10

The post Skin Trade (2014) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Vengeance of an Assassin” Theatrical Poster

Director: Panna Rittikrai
Writer: Wichit Wattananont
Cast: Changprung Chupong, Nantawooti Boonrapsap, Ping Lumprapleng, Ooi Teik Huat
Running Time: 99 min

By oneleaf

Natee (Changprung Chupong) and Than (Nantawooti Boornrapsap) are orphans raised by their parent’s friend (Ping Lumprapleng). Never knowing their parents or how they died, the two boys had always wondered who was responsible for their murder. The pursuit of vengeance is the centerpiece of Vengeance of an Assassin, the last film by Panna Rittikrai before his untimely death at the age of 53 (from complications associated with acute liver and kidney failure).

Rittikrai started his career in 1979 as a physical trainer for Bangkok actors. Inspired by Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, he later started his own stunt team, PNP Stunt Team (Muay Thai Stunt Team). He appeared in countless films throughout the 80s, but it was Gerd Ma Lui (1986) that gave him his first directorial feature.

In addition to being the mentor to Tony Jaa (Ong-Bak), JeeJa Yanin (Chocolate) and Dan Chupong, Rittikrai was the main instrument that launched all three of their film careers. But to most, Rittikrai will be remembered for his groundbreaking choreography work in the acclaimed Ong-Bak (2003) and Tom-Yum-Goong (2005), both of which starred Jaa.

Vengeance of an Assassin reunites Rittikrai and Chupong from their Born to Fight (2004) collaboration. The film opens with a very unusual sequence of men screaming, kicking and punching each other while trying to maneuver a soccer ball in a dusty industrial warehouse. At one point, while the men are going at it in slow motion, they try to kick a ball in a small body of water, which appears out of nowhere. It makes absolutely no sense, but is fun to watch. Maybe Rittikrai was experimenting with some of his shots?

Vengeance of an Assassin mixes gunplay with hand-to-hand combat. Some of the firefights feel out of place. On numerous occasions, camera placement is at odds with what’s transpiring on screen. One such sequence involves an unknown figure entering a restaurant while opening fire on men (credit jones). The scene, which was filmed with the camera pointing up-below the waist from the assailant’s viewpoint (shot to hide the identity of the assailant), felt more like a video game than a movie, which left me with an unpleasant viewing experience.

Other problems in the movie was the use of CGI that didn’t match the surrounding scenery. Case in point was a scene on a speeding train where the the landscaping on both sides of the train look unreal and blurry. The color scheme of explosions didn’t match either. The compositing and rendering of images were so off that I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. Furthermore, when guys are fighting, it appears as if they’re on stationary platforms because they had no issues balancing themselves on a speeding train. These embarrassing visuals are not something you would expect from an experienced filmmaker like Rittikrai. It’s safe to assume that his health problems had something to do with the film’s careless post-production effects.

The martial arts combat, however, does not disappoint. One of the more exciting examples is Chupong’s fight with Nui-Kessarin Ektawatkul. This sequence takes place inside another warehouse where cables, pipes and anything within reach are used as weapons. What amazes me most is how Ektawatkul was able to go ballistic while wearing a sexy, sleeveless dress that didn’t seem to hinder any of her movements.

Another engaging action piece involves the elder Ooi Teik Huat versus a group of bad guys. He quickly disarms them with a rapid fire succession of punches, low kicks, throw downs and take downs. He’s not much of an actor, but his skills are stunning. My jaw literally dropped when I witnessed the exchanges on screen. So next time you see an older gentleman doing his morning Tai Chi routine, you might want to cancel your scroffs.

The star of the film, no doubt, is Chupong, but I find Boornrapsap’s physical ability more entertaining. Being younger and more acrobatic, his 360º kicks definitely steal the show. One such frenetic scene involves him exchanging punches and kicks through several glass panes, as shards of glass scatter every which way between the two combatants.

The bare-bones plot, disjointed script, bad CGI and other flaws shouldn’t be a deterrent to enjoying Vengeance of an Assassin. Being Rittikrai’s last project, action enthusiasts should embrace this important piece of Thai action cinema. R.I.P. Ah Gjan (“Teacher” in Thai) Panna, you will be sorely missed.

oneleaf’s Rating: 6/10

The post Vengeance of an Assassin (2014) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Tekken 2: Kazuya’s Revenge” Japanese DVD Cover

AKA: Tekken: A Man Called X
Director: Wych Kaosayananda
Cast: Kane Kosugi, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Rade Serbedzija, Gary Daniels, Kelly Wenham, Ron Smoorenburg, Paige Lindquist, Charlotte Kirk
Running Time: 88 min.

By Kelly Warner

2010’s Tekken came and went without many people taking notice. Well, I’m going to be honest: I kind of liked the film. I mean, make no mistake, I would never call it a good movie, but it’s fun in a stupid sort of way. Drink a few beers, have a sense of humor about things, and it makes for some silly entertainment. The least you can say is that at least the filmmakers went all out with their limited budget, making the film look like a videogame come to life, complete with goofy costumes, goofy dialogue, and just enough competent action to satisfy the fans.

And while the original Tekken failed to find an audience, I think the makers of 2014’s Tekken 2: Kazuya’s Revenge might secretly wish audiences would just ignore their film and move on. This is a lame, half-hearted effort from start to finish. Even the sound effects, music, and end credits feel like they were patched on at a moment’s notice. Really, I’d like to begin and end this review right here by telling you that this movie sucks, that it’s not worth your time, and that you should just find another way to waste 90 minutes in your day… but I expect you’d like to know why.

Despite that pesky 2 in the title, Tekken 2 actually serves as a prequel to the first film. Kane Kosugi plays Kazuya (originally played by Ian Anthony Dale), and Gary Daniels and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa return as Bryan Fury and Heihachi, respectively. Really though, these feel like completely different characters. Kazuya is an amnesiac, Heihachi is lacking his signature hairdo that makes him look like a balding Wolverine, and Fury never once reminded me of his original iteration. Tekken 2 has very little in common with the original film or the game that inspired it. And based on production rumors and misinformation – Kosugi’s site claimed he was not making a Tekken movie, and the film supposedly went through multiple titles like Agent X and A Man Called X – I kind of think Kazuya’s Revenge became a Tekken film very late in the game. Whatever the case may be, you get the sense that the producers just didn’t care. The original Tekken was cheap and silly but at least it tried. This film seems almost like it wants to brush the Tekken parts of its story underneath the rug.

The movie begins with Kane Kosugi waking up with no memory of who he is or what’s going on. After surviving a fight with armed men, thus learning he must’ve been some kind of badass before losing his memory, Kosugi is taken hostage by a group of assassins led by the mysterious Minister (Rade Serbedzija). Since he has no memory of who he is, the Minister decides to name our hero K. The Minister trains his people to be killers so that he may send them out into the world to assassinate enemies of peace, and he wants K to be his next assassin. There seems to be a cult-like relationship between the Minister and his followers, but this aspect of the story is largely left unexplored.

K is one of the most passive heroes I’ve ever seen in an action film. Here’s a man that should have an endless amount of questions – just for starters, who am I? – but he seems perfectly fine wasting the day away in bed or walking in slow motion across the city. Most of these introspective moments are filled with flashbacks, some of which remind us of events that just happened, and others look like clips taken from the original film (I may be wrong), which is very puzzling since those moments haven’t happened yet. K doesn’t really seem too bothered by the fact that he’s a man without a past or that he’s killing people for a man that’s holding him hostage, as he never asks enough questions or makes much of an attempt to escape.

In the finale, the “twist” is revealed and K learns he’s actually Kazuya Mishima, which comes as a total shock to the audience because the film is called Kazuya’s Revenge. He also learns his father is Heihachi Mishima, which again all videogame fans already knew. What’s puzzling is why this matters and why it counts as a revelation in the plot. Heihachi is a non-character throughout 95% of the film. If you didn’t know the game, you wouldn’t know he was important, and nor would you understand his complicated relationship with his son. The plot and all of its twists are so flat they barely register at all.

The only actor who impresses in any way is Kelly Wenham, who plays Rhona, K’s handler. Rhona’s the most complex character in the film and Wenham plays her well. While I would normally welcome the appearance of character actors Rade Serbedzija and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa in almost any film, neither one of them seems into the material. I can’t blame them, though. Kane Kosugi, who I usually like, fails to impress in the lead role. Sure, the character is poorly written, but his performance is wooden, only truly coming to life in the action scenes.

I’m really having a hard time thinking of something good to say about this movie… The fight scenes are fairly well choreographed and the performers are not without skill, but most of these scenes are shot devoid of style or rhythm. The only exciting fight is the last one, but by then I expect most audience members will have already checked out. The film, directed by Wych Kaos (Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever), never manages to rise above its minimal budget, and often looks cheaper than you would imagine.

At one point, director Prachya Pinkaew (Ong Bak) was slated to direct Tekken 2, which was then supposedly titled Tekken: Rise of the Tournament. Things obviously fell apart. Whether Pinkaew’s Tekken film was going to feature pretty much the plot same as Kazuya’s Revenge is unclear. In some alternate universe perhaps we got a really cool Tekken 2 movie… But our universe sucks and so does Tekken 2: Kazuya’s Revenge.

Tekken 2 belongs alongside Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, Alone in the Dark, and Double Dragon as one of the worst videogame movies of all time, and would feel right at home in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Avoid this one at all costs.

I’m giving this a 2 instead of a 1. It’s an awful film, but compared to other crap movies on the same spectrum at least I didn’t need to take a shower after watching it, and nor did I seriously contemplate suicide. So, that’s a plus. I reserve my 1’s for crimes against humanity. You know, like Manos: The Hands of Fate or Adam Sandler movies. Ah ha! I figured out a compliment for Tekken 2. It’s terrible but at least it doesn’t have Adam Sandler in it.

Kelly Warner’s Rating: 2/10

The post Tekken 2: Kazuya’s Revenge (2014) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

Director: Raimund Huber
Cast: Kazu Patrick Tang, Johan Kirsten, Macha Polivka, David Winters, Guk Srisawat, Stephen Thomas, Bonnie Zellerbach, Sunanta Yousagoon, Janissa Charoenrach, Vincent Kinne
Running Time: 120 min.

By Dirac

From Raimund Huber – the director of Kill ‘Em All (2012) and Bangkok Adrenaline (2009) – comes Dragonwolf, a Thai-produced, English language martial arts film about two friends who meet on the street as kids, and work their way up the ranks of a local criminal empire in a fictional city known as Devil’s Cauldron.

Julius (Johan Kirsten) befriends Mozart (Kazu Patrick Tang, who also served as fight choreographer and stunt coordinator) and takes him under his wing. Julius teaches Mozart self defense, as well as the use of weapons. The two soon make a name for themselves as effective enforcers. However, trouble ensues when they begin vying for the hand of the same woman.

Weird dubbing: ✓
Occasionally confusing continuity: ✓
Decent soundtrack: ✓

Pretty standard stuff, but there are a few things that bothered me. I know that it’s a Thai production, but the fact that EVERY character was dubbed made the dialog delivery seem awkward. As far as I can tell, the actors originally delivered their lines in English, but everyone was still dubbed. For example: in one scene, Julius’ tall and slender lackey (I think his name was Brutus) was obviously overacting his lines, and the dubbing of the voice made the overacting even more pronounced! The result is pretty hilarious, which I doubt was intentional.

The action choreography was shabby and inconsistent. For instance, Mozart seems to be capable of battling waves of bad guys and comes out the other side more or less intact; at other times, he’ll sustain a seemingly trivial flesh wound that would knock him out. I suppose one could say the same thing about Special ID (2013), but Dragonwolf takes the concept to new level.

I’m hesitant to use the word ‘copied,’ but at the very least, some fight scenes were inspired by Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003). Aside from the hordes of stock bad guys, Mozart would occasionally fight unique villains that actually had speaking lines (the two Russian guys, for instance), but the dialog was so silly that it got tiresome quickly. The ‘fight hordes of bad guys’ formula works really well in films like The Raid 2 (2014), but that movie had good writing, direction, cinematography, and editing on its side.

In terms of continuity, some things felt like they were tacked on; I won’t give away these plot points, but toward the end of the film, there’s a Deus Ex Machina plot device, as well as a twist that left me shaking my head. They could’ve been trying too hard or taking themselves too seriously, but these moments had a jarring effect that made me wonder: what went on during writing and pre-production? Also, it helps to be careful when using flashbacks liberally. I’m no filmmaker, but isn’t there a right and wrong way to intersperse flashbacks? At times, I wasn’t sure if I was watching a flashback or not.

I won’t criticize this film because it had a small budget, but the sets mostly consist of dilapidated buildings. If I didn’t already know the film was shot in Thailand, I would’ve guessed that the production crew chose a series of abandoned auto factories in Detroit. Maybe heavy industry in Devil’s Cauldron had fallen on hard times, due to an economic downturn or something? But, I digress. I did like the ambient soundtrack; I thought that its application per scene fit well, and didn’t feel discontinuous like the plot did at times.

I’ll wrap it up by saying that with a little more time and TLC, this film could’ve been better. I can see that the writer and director probably put considerable effort into it, but with odd post-production choices (dubbing!) and sloppy writing, Dragonwolf fell flat.

Dirac’s Rating: 4/10

The post Dragonwolf (2013) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Tom Yum Goong 2” Theatrical Poster

Director: Prachya Pinkaew
Cast: Tony Jaa, RZA, Mum Jokmok, Yanin Vismitananda, Petchtai Wongkamlao, Marrese Crump, Rhatha Phongam, Vince Makiling, Ujal Thapa, Jawed El Berni
Running Time: 103 minutes

By Paul Bramhall

Tony Jaa has had somewhat of a fall from grace since he was widely heralded as action cinemas shining saviour with the arrival of Ong Bak and Tom Yum Goong, released in 2003 and 2005 respectively. After an eventful production for his self-directed feature Ong Bak 2, things culminated with him reportedly running off into the jungle and disappearing for a couple of weeks. When he came back, things had gone massively over budget, resulting in his long time mentor Panna Ritikrai being brought on board to assist in finishing the movie (he gets a co-director credit in the final product), and a previously unplanned third installment in the form of Ong Bak 3, which was commissioned simply to make up for the amount of money which had been lost on the second one.

While for this reviewer at least, Ong Bak 2 delivered the goods despite its troubled production, Ong Bak 3 was met with almost universal disdain, and after its release in 2010, for several months word was quite on Jaa and co. It seems there were no future projects on the horizon and nothing to look forward to. Then, in 2011, it was announced that Jaa would be returning to the role of his sophomore feature as a leading man, for Tom Yum Goong 2. Not only that, but it would re-unite him with director Prachya Pinkaew, action choreographer Panna Ritikrai, and he’d be sharing top billing with his female equivalent, the star of Chocolate and Raging Phoenix, Jija Yanin. Thai action cinema was going to be back with a bang, and excitement was duly generated.

Banners were proudly displayed at various film markets showing Jaa and Yanin in high kicking poses above the bold lettering TYG2, and all seemed well with the world. However, the rest of 2011 then passed with barely a word. Then, 2012 proceeded in exactly the same manner. Rumbles began to start, what was taking so long!? Two years to make an action movie!? Finally, around the end of 2012 details began to slowly filter through – Jija Yanin had got pregnant stalling the production indefinitely, Jaa himself had got married, the decision had been made to film it in 3D, RZA was brought on board and worked into the script as the main villain. It all seemed very, well, disorganized.

Finally, close to almost 3 years since it was announced, at the end of October 2013 Tom Yum Goong 2 hit Thai cinema screens. Was the reaction a positive one? Or was it a negative one? Strangely, it was a non-reaction. The movie was finally out there, and no one was saying anything about it, even after it had been out for a couple of weeks, trying to find reviews or opinions on it seemed to be an unreasonably difficult task. So, skip forward to March 2014, and here in Australia the movie has just received a straight-to-DVD release with zero fan fare or marketing. It just quietly hit the shelves and was there. Some come back.

Now having watched it, it’s easy to see why. It’s a struggle to even call this a sequel, as it’s more of a re-boot, and a painfully inferior one at that. Events play out almost identical to the original – shady characters try to negotiate the sale of an elephant, Jaa refuses to sell, they steal it anyway in a truck, Jaa finds the person he left to look after it on the floor beaten. Even the motorbike scene comes in at almost the exact same moment. Story wise, there’s not even a single ounce of originality here, and the original was hardly ground breaking plot wise.

The cost of its labored 2+ year production is there onscreen for every second of its run time, and it’s a heavy cost indeed. We have fight scenes which are sloppily edited full of quick cuts, strange shots which don’t make any sense, a motorbike chase which drags on to the point you’ll find yourself slipping into a coma, some of the worse CGI you’ll ever witness in an action movie, and in the middle of it all is poor Tony Jaa. Say what you like about his acting ability, but he conveys what he needs to, even if that usually is blind rage.

In Tom Yum Goong 2 he’s reduced to an expressionless lump of muscle, I’d dare say a plank of wood could give a better acting performance than he does here. He just seems so, I don’t know what the word is – absent minded? If there was ever a more literal example of a performer phoning it in, then that’s what Jaa seems to be doing here. Remember the anger he oozes when ripping through the restaurant in Tom Yum Goong on the search for his elephant? Well here it’s stolen again, but it’s hard to believe he gives a crap.

Put simply he’s visibly slower and uninspired for the duration. It’s the same moves over and over again, and he actually spends a disproportionate amount of the run time having his ass handed to him. In the finale itself he doesn’t even get to do anything, except hold onto his precious elephants tusks which have been made into bombs that will detonate if he lets go, so it’s left to Jija Yanin to come out of nowhere and suddenly put the beat down on Marrese Crump, while Jaa stands there defenceless getting beaten up by RZA. Speaking of Yanin, her screen time has evidently been significantly chopped, so much so that she barely even registers as a supporting player. The dream double-billing of her and Jaa is a non-starter.

To add to the movies woes, even simple aspects of the story don’t make any sense. At the start we see Jaa with his elephant in the village teaching the local kids some moves, but it soon turns out he and his elephant are no longer welcomed like they once were, his elephant now being considered a nuisance and Muay Thai branded a waste of time. But that’s it, this seemingly important aspect of the plot never appears again. Likewise, when Jaa finds the guy who he knows was responsible for stealing the elephant, he’s dead in his office. At the same moment, two of the guys younger family members (one of which is Jija Yanin) also enter the office, and believing Jaa to be the murderer attempt to take him down. Not only do we never find out how he was killed, but over the course of the movie it seems to be forgotten that Yanin is actually connected to the guy who stole his elephant in the first place, and she and Jaa end up teaming up together! Top this all off with one of the most inconclusive final scenes you’re likely to witness, and it’s hard to be left feeling anything other than frustrated.

I could rant on about Tom Yum Goong 2 for a whole lot longer, but I won’t. All I want and have come to expect from Thai action cinema is a paper thin plot compensated with bone crunching action which comes thick and fast. I wanted it to be a big stupid action movie just like its predecessor, but in the end it was only one of those things – stupid.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 3/10

The post Tom Yum Goong 2 | aka The Protector 2 (2013) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“BKO: Bangkok Knockout” International Theatrical Poster

Director: Panna Rittikrai
Cast: Gitabak Agohjit, Speedy Arnold, Supakson Chaimongkol, Sorapong Chatree, Virat Kemgrad
Running Time: 105 min.

By HKFanatic

Director and fight choreographer Panna Rittikrai has stated his goal in cinema is to push the human body to its limit. “BKO: Bangkok Knockout,” then, is his magnum opus. Panna builds on style of his 2004 free-for-all stunt spectacular “Born to Fight” and unleashes a film that either pays tribute to Thai stuntmen or delivers their bone-crushing punishment – I’m still not sure which. If you’re looking for great performances, a complex plot, or character development…keep walking. “BKO” is not for you. This is a film for those who get off on the jaw-dropping, “Holy shit, I can’t believe they just did that” thrill of watching an action movie from Thailand, where brave stuntmen put their lives on the line and pay no heed to Hollywood insurance policies.

The premise of “BKO” is fairly bare bones, with a team of martial artist friends waking up after a night out on the town and realizing they’ve been drugged and brought to an unfinished housing project. There they are forced under penalty of death to fight against skilled opponents, all for the amusement and financial gain of some wealthy criminals who are betting on the action from a remote location. As per usual with these Thai movies, the few English-speaking actors deliver ridiculous performances. The man in charge of the gambling action is played by an actor named Speedy Arnold and the math he gives his associates makes absolutely no sense. “Bet $300,000 on this next fight,” he says with a smile and a Southern-fried accent, “and you stand to make $100,000.” What? I’m no business major but I can’t see why anyone would invest more than they stand to make. This happens about four times during the movie and by the final instance I was just dying of laughter.

If you could cut out the English-speaking actors (some of whom can just barely speak the language) and sped up the talky first 40 minutes, “BKO” would be close to perfect. As it stands those are the elements you have to endure to get to the good stuff. But it’s worth the sacrifice: once “BKO” gets rolling, the action rarely lets up. The cast features a bunch of young and talented martial artists from all over Asia. Stick around for the credits and they detail which style the actors specialize in: from Tai Chi to Tae Kwon Do, from free-running to Commando Krav Maga, even gymnastics.

The film is designed from the ground up to allow these gifted performers to show their stuff. If anything, “BKO” tips its hat a little too early: the first real fight scene set in a caged room is arguably the most amazing fight in the entire film, as the opponents cling to and fly off of a caged fence in acrobatic fashion. At the same time I can’t overlook the fight scene where the Thai Chi practitioner wields a giant metal rod, reminding me of Jet Li in his heyday; or the fight between lead hero Pod and the character the credits list as a “ninja samurai.” Director Panna Rittikrai himself gets in on the action at one point, starring as a bad guy who plays for keeps. He’s the kind of fighter who immediately goes for your weaknesses, seeking pressure points on the body or gouging out your eyes if he has to.

There’s also fight scenes involving a hulking, unstoppable killer with a Slipknot-type mask – it’s like seeing what would happen if a bunch of martial artists went up against Jason in a “Friday the 13th” movie. And then there’s a Death Race-style car that drives into crowds of people and smashes through concrete walls in spectacular fashion. This is not even mentioning the final act, which features plenty of stunts with a moving semi-truck and a bunch of dirtbikes.

The fact that there are so many characters is this film’s blessing and its curse: everybody gets to show off their moves but nobody really gets to make a lasting impression or deliver a memorable performance. There are so many actors I wish you could pluck from this film and give their own starring vehicle to see what they could do with the spotlight solely on them from 90 minutes. Tony Jaa continues to be the most popular Thai star abroad because he has charisma to burn. The cast in “Bangkok Knockout” doesn’t really get the chance to win the audience over besides leaving us in awe of their physical abilities. I also would have liked a woman martial artist in the film – the female characters mostly serve as damsels-in-distress to drive the story forward, though they do get a few kicks in. The presence of Jeeja Yanin (“Chocolate”) is sorely missed here.

Truly, “BKO: Bangkok Knockout” is a nonstop showreel of blistering, intense fight choreography and stunts so brutal you can’t believe people actually walked away from them. I’d say that the film sets the bar for action and stunts so high that it won’t be topped for quite some time except that I’m certain that Panna Rittikrai is dreaming up ways to outdo himself as I type. Panna is the mad scientist of martial arts cinema and “Bangkok Knockout” is his Frankenstein monster. Action fans the world over, get ready to rejoice.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 9/10

The post BKO: Bangkok Knockout (2010) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Demon Warriors” Thai Theatrical Poster

AKA: Opapatika
Director: Thanakorn Pongsuwan
Cast: Somchai Kemglad, Shahkrit Yamnarm, Leo Putt, Athip Nana, Ray MacDonald, Kemapsorn Sirisukha, Nirut Sirichanya, Pongpat Wachirabunjong
Running Time: 106 min.

By HKFanatic

This is a movie I held off watching, largely because the DVD cover didn’t inspire much confidence. The cover blurb declared the movie was something like a “darker X-Men” but I figured it was just another cheesy Thai action flick in the vein of “Mercury Man.” Shame on me for writing off this movie before I even saw it because I found “Demon Warriors” to be immensely entertaining.

This film is from the director of the basketball-meets-Muay Thai flick “Fireball,” and features cast members from “Dynamite Warrior” and “The Tiger Blade,” and yet tonally it couldn’t be any further from any of them. There are no Thai sex jokes here, no wink at the camera moments or awkward edits from scene to scene. From its opening minutes, “Demon Warriors” presents a relentlessly dark and humorless vision of the world and pursues that vision without wavering. And the film is all the better for it.

The easiest way to describe “Demon Warriors” is a cross between TV’s “Heroes” and Clive Barker’s “Hellraiser” – or, even better, if you remember the obscure 1990 Barker flick “Nightbreed.” Then again, there’s not much that’s “easy” about this plot. The biggest criticism I’ve seen thrown at “Demon Warriors” is that the story is extremely difficult to follow, possibly due to the subtitle translations. There’s no denying the first hour of the film is overstuffed with voice-over narration trying to explain just what the movie is about. Fortunately, everything (kinda) makes sense during the last few scenes of the movie, but until then you might be wondering what the hell is going on and why every character seems to change allegiances so quickly.

“Demon Warriors” doesn’t take place in our world. Apparently those who commit suicide are sent a place between heaven and hell, not unlike purgatory. A “lucky” few are granted special powers in this purgatory but the powers always come with a price. Half the fun of watching the movie is discovering the different abilities the characters have and the toll it takes on them. The story begins with a young detective who is ostensibly the main protagonist; before the opening credits roll, he’s shot himself in the head and entered the next world. It’s there in this limbo that a war is being waged between humans and Opapatika (the mutants AKA the “demon warriors” of the title).

It gets even more convoluted from there but the movie mostly unfolds through voice-over exposition, languid philosophical conversations, and extremely violent fight scenes. The body count in this film is ridiculously high and there are characters who do things I’ve never seen before. Just imagine an immortal stabbed through the chest with multiple machetes, then pulling them right back out of his own body to amputate his attackers. That’s the kind of bloody, visceral scope of this film.

I need to mention that “Demon Warriors” is absolutely gorgeous. The movie doesn’t look like it was filmed in 2007 and I mean that as a compliment. All of the locations in this film have a real, lived-in quality – they’re damp, dirty, worn with age. “Demon Warriors” just has that authentic look I normally associate with Asian films from the 90’s. The director of photography, Decha Seemanta, has worked on numerous other Thai films, including “Chocolate” and “The Eye,” but he really outdid himself here. This is hands down the most beautifully photographed Thai action movie I’ve ever seen. The on-location shooting and repeated aerial/crane shots never failed to impress me. In fact, one of the main reasons the climax let me down was because the action is shot at night and suddenly the footage becomes dark and grainy, losing the luster of the earlier film.

Considering how low my expectations were, “Demon Warriors” blew me away. The plot may be a bit murky (okay, very murky) but it consistently entertains with its grim and bloody superhero fantasy. Again, the ending is not that great and the fight scenes in the first half of the movie tend to be better than those during the latter half. But I have to give Thailand a heap-load of credit for producing this darkly imaginative film, one that’s visually stunning and without a trace of their usual bathroom humor or anti-drug PSAs. To me, this is the kind of movie that their film industry should focus on making. If the idea of Clive Barker having an S&M fantasy involving the X-Men appeals to you, you should check “Demon Warriors” out too.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 8/10

The post Demon Warriors (2007) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Dynamite Warrior” Thai Theatrical Poster

AKA: Khon Fai Bin, Fire Warriors
Director: Chalerm Wongpim
Cast: Dan Chupong, Panna Rittikrai, Leo Putt, Puttipong Sriwat, Samart Tipthamai, Kanyapak Suwannakoot, Samart Payakarun, Kampanart Angsoongnern
Running Time: 103 min.

By HKFanatic

Dan Chupong is a legitimate bad-ass. The stuntman/actor paid his dues with the famous Muay Thai Stunt team, performing stunts in “Ong Bak” (2003) before stepping in front of the camera to act in 2004’s “Born to Fight,” even if he had to share the spotlight with about a dozen other Thai athletes and ass-kickers. In 2006, Chupong was granted his own starring vehicle: the Thai martial arts/”Western” Khai fai Bin, dubbed “Dynamite Warrior” in the US.

The plot is actually pretty unique and not your usual “someone has stolen a Thai relic and our hero must get it back.” It’s set in the late 1800’s, back when Thailand was relying heavily on water buffalos to help plow its rice fields, rice being the country’s chief export. Dan Chupong plays a masked Thai cowboy who roams the countryside recovering stolen buffalos and returning them to the poor farmers. Besides his Robin Hood-like ways, he’s also on the hunt for the man he saw murder his parents when he was just a child.

“Dynamite Warrior” sets its action-packed pace right from its opening scene, when Dan takes on about 30 cattle rustlers and decimates them with a mix of Muay Thai blows and his seemingly infinite supply of rockets. Yeah, the title “Dynamite Warrior” is something of a misnomer; what Chupong actually wields is less like dynamite and more like firecracker rockets minus the part that makes pretty lights. Either way, it’s a blast to watch Chupong ride into battle on top of what is basically a giant missile.

The fight scenes are choreographed by Panna Rittikrai, the same guy responsible for the hard-hitting combat in “Ong Bak” and its myriad of sequels. In a cool change of pace, Mr. Rittikrai even has a rather large onscreen supporting role. Just don’t go into this expecting the full-on, foot-to-face level of contact you see in Tony Jaa’s movies; the fights here are a bit more staged but still entertaining.

What really sets “Dynamite Warrior” apart from other Thai action flicks is the supernatural aspect of its plot and action scenes. I won’t spoil anything here but the mystical element only increases as the movie goes on and there several characters who fight with a strength that is more than human. In some ways, the zany energy of this flick and its supernatural-enhanced kung fu reminded me of the 80’s John Carpenter classic “Big Trouble In Little China.” By the end battle things have got that whole ‘good wizard vs. bad wizard, shake the pillars of heaven’ kind of vibe, a rarity for movies these days.

Dan Chupong reportedly took acting lessons before filming “Dynamite Warrior.” I can’t say it really shows in the final product but Chupong has an innocent-faced quality that makes him a likable protagonist. My only knock against this film is that menstrual blood plays an embarrassingly large role in the plot (seriously) and I still can’t understand why Asian movies love to hover the threat of rape over every female character, something that can drain the fun vibes out of any flick. Fortunately, nothing stomach-churning happens here. “Dynamite Warrior” remains one of the better Thai action flicks I’ve seen that doesn’t star Tony Jaa.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 7/10

The post Dynamite Warrior | aka Tabunfire (2006) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Mercury Man” Thai Theatrical Poster

AKA: Ma noot lhek lai
Director: Bhandit Thongdee
Cast: Wasan Khantaau, Metinee Kingpayome, Arnon Saisangchan, Jinvipa Kheawkunya, Parinya Kiatbusaba, Darunee Khrittabhunyalai
Running Time: 101 min.

By HKFanatic

Supposedly the director of “Mercury Man” was targeting foreign markets with this film. If that’s the case, he’s got a long ways to go before this movie would successful in the West. At first glance, it’s a cool enough idea: a Thai superhero flick that blends the CG acrobatics of the “Spider-Man” movies with a bit of “Ong Bak”-style Muay Thai action. Our hero is a young firefighter ‘with a heart of gold’ who, through some far-fetched circumstances, ends up imbued with the power of an ancient Thai relic that gives him control over metal.

The problem arises in that the villain is a thinly veiled pastiche of a certain now-deceased terrorist leader, in the film named Osama Bin Ali (I kid you not), who delivers several lengthy diatribes about how the West is evil and how God has sent him on a mission to destroy America. This guy is even given a tragic backstory in which his family is murdered by stray bullets from US soldiers. So I guess we’re supposed to feel sorry for Mr. Terrorist Man? Now you can see why I face-palmed when I heard the filmmakers wanted “Mercury Man” to strike a chord with American audiences. No, my friends, I think your movie just pissed Middle America off!

It doesn’t help that the rest of the film suffers from a “me too” vibe when it comes to comic book movies. Mercury Man’s costume is cool but the way he uses his powers to magnetically attach to bridges and buildings just ends up looking a lot like Spider-Man. There’s also some very noticeable graffiti throughout the entire film that says things like “Hey Spidy!” or “Look at me, Spidy!” I think the filmmakers were trying to get Hollywood’s attention in the hopes of a future collaboration. Either that or they figured no one would criticize them for ripping off Marvel Comics if they pointed out the fact themselves. Frankly, I just found the constant Hollywood-baiting to be annoying.

The fight scenes were choreographed by Panna Rittikrai of “Ong Bak” and “Born to Fight” fame. There are a few cool fights but don’t expect anything near the level of a Tony Jaa movie. While Mercury Man uses plenty of Muay Thai moves, they lack the kinetic impact that you see in some of Panna’s other work. That said, I enjoyed the fight in a nightclub where the bad guys manage to temporarily rob Mercury Man of his powers; and when Mr. Mercury finally gets to fight a super-powered villain instead of your usual garden variety thugs at the very end of the movie, it’s a genuine highlight. If our hero was given more equally strong baddies like this to fight, I might actually be interested in a sequel.

As it stands, “Mercury Man” is something of a missed opportunity. The basic storytelling of the film is hampered by silly Engrish dialogue (“You mean…we can defeat him using erectricity?”) and shoddy editing. Its attempt to appeal to a Western audience backfires due to the script’s odd sympathy for terrorists and suicide bombers. The special FX are pretty good for the film’s purported budget of a million dollars but nobody is gonna mistake this for “Spider-Man 2” unless they’ve had too much to drink. What could have been a good, if not great, movie ends up a mere curiosity; only worth watching if you want to see Thailand take a stab at bringing a comic book-style hero to life. But for my money, Tony Jaa is more of a superhero than Mercury Man.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 5.5/10

The post Mercury Man (2006) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“SARS Wars: Bangkok Zombie Crisis” American DVD Cover

AKA: Khun krabii hiiroh
Director: Taweewat Wantha
Cast: Suthep Po-ngam, Supakorn Kitsuwon, Phintusuda Tunphairao, Lene Christensen, Somlek Sakdikul
Running Time: 95 min.

HKFanatic’s Review

“SARs Wars: Bangkok Zombie Crisis” is the rare film that manages to live up to its outlandish title. For 90 minutes you’re treated to Thailand’s off the wall sense of humor and a parade of flesh-eating zombies, Asian schoolgirls, and exploding heads. This is not to mention the fourth-wall breaking (characters frequently comment on the fact that they’re in a movie), countless jokes about transsexuals, and a giant CG snake. The movie tosses in everything but the kitchen sink in an effort to entertain its audience for its entire duration. Everything plays out with the manic energy of a live-action cartoon – hell, there are even a few flashbacks done in an anime style.

The filmmakers’ method of attack is to keep tossing jokes at the audience until one makes you laugh. The Thai people have a self-deprecating, self-aware sense of humor that Western audiences will either love or hate. They frequently mock the state of their film industry and sex is another favorite topic. The few physical gags here are actually pretty damn funny (a shoot-out in an elevator was probably the highlight for me) but mostly the characters are poking fun at themselves, like the sex-starved monk who powers his lightsaber with faulty Chinese batteries or the hero who announces his sexual positions like they’re Muay Thai moves.

Again, you’re either gonna chuckle or groan depending on your sense of humor. I won’t say “SARs Wars” is gut-bustingly funny but it is charming the way it relentlessly aims for the audience’s funny bone. Plot twists, character deaths, and “The Crying Game” spoofs almost come faster than you can process them.

Tonally, this movie is sort of like the sex-crazed, Thai cousin to Peter Jackson’s cult classic “Dead Alive.” There are zombies aplenty and the gore is mostly played for laughs. Actually, the zombie-less final 15 minutes are definitely the slowest part of the entire movie but the film attempts to redeem itself with a few outrageous jokes during the credits – “SARs Wars” literally ends with a shrunken head telling you to leave the movie theater and go home. By that point you’ve either sat through the entire movie with a smirk on your face or you turned it off an hour ago. If you have a taste for Thai humor and aren’t easily offended, “SARs Wars” is worth watching.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 6.5/10

The post SARS Wars: Bangkok Zombie Crisis (2004) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

"The Tiger Blade" International Theatrical Poster

Director: Theeratorn Siriphunvaraporn
Producer: Jirun Ratthanaviriyachai
Cast: Atsadawut Luengsuntorn, Phimonrat Phisarayabud, Pongpat Wachirabunjong, Srungsuda Lawanprasert, Amornrit Sriphung, Chalad Na Songkhla, Annan Bunnak
Running Time: 91 min.

By HKFanatic

Some guys have all the luck. At least that’s how I felt after watching this Thai action movie. I mean, not only does our hero carry the bad-ass codename of “Tiger Blade” but he’s a secret agent who answers to no one, has a way with women, and is a crack shot who can hit a motorcyclist from several yards away. Yup, Tiger Blade is the pretty boy hero who saves the world without fussing his perfectly gelled hair; also known as the kind of poser a lot of action fans can’t stand.

It’s clear from this film’s premise and ending that the producers were hoping to launch Tiger Blade into his own James Bond-style franchise. But here we are six years later and I haven’t heard a peep about a “Tiger Blade 2.” It’s probably because this movie is something of a mess; I doubt I would have understood the story any less if I’d turned the subtitles off.

The plot, so far as I can tell, deals with Tiger Blade trying to round up a dangerous group of thugs, one of whom has tattoos on his body that make him bullet-proof (I’m not making this up). This same band of baddies breaks a rebel leader out of prison, forming an uneasy alliance in order to do…something. It’s not clear what their motive is until the very end of the movie and I won’t spoil it here. Suffice to say, our hero chases them all around Thailand in various action set-pieces as he tries to unravel the murky plot himself.

“Tiger Blade” suffers from that same shoddy editing style you see in many Thai films where scenes seem to transition from one scene to the next without rhyme or reason. I’m not knocking the Thai movie industry because I do love their work but it’s clearly a business that’s still trying to work the technical kinks out. They know how to make a glossy-looking picture that appeals to Western markets; however, the actual mechanics of telling a coherent story sometimes eludes their action filmmakers.

That’s not to say “Tiger Blade” is without its moments. The film’s saving grace is probably its sense of humor, which is in full effect most of the time. During the opening scene, Tiger Blade fends off a group of shotgun-toting attackers wearing nothing but a bath towel (something I thought only Jackie could do!). Later on, he returns to his apartment to find a harem of Thai ladies in lingerie ready to cook him a spicy meal – until his sister shows up to spoil the fun. Add in a clever joke about J-horror and some outrageous stunts and you have a flick that had me laughing more often than not.

The action scenes are plentiful and over-the-top but the fight choreography is way more staged and transparent than in “Ong Bak.” An over-abundance of slow motion must be meant to hide the fact that the cast isn’t really trained in martial arts. There are a few stand-out scenes: I found out what happens when you trap a grenade in someone’s motorcycle helmet and the ending features a bravado highway chase on go-karts(!!). Somehow I feel my life is better now that I’ve seen a Thai stuntman drive a go-kart under a moving semi-truck.

“The Tiger Blade” is worth a rental if, like me, you’re on a mission to watch every single Thai action movie that has been released in the West. Anyone else probably won’t lose sleep if they never find out whether or not this super, super secret agent with a faux-hawk haircut saves Thailand.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 5.5/10

The post Tiger Blade, The (2005) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Fireball” Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Thanakorn Pongsuwan
Cast: Preeti Barameeanat, Khanutra Chuchuaysuwan, Kumpanat Oungsoongnern, Phutharit Prombandal, 9 Million Sam, Arucha Tosawat, Rattanaballang Tohssawat
Running Time: 97 min.

By HKFanatic

You just got out of prison only to find out that your twin brother is a coma, beaten half-to-death by the same thugs he borrowed money from to ensure your release. So what do you do? If it’s the 80’s and you’re Jean Claude Van Damme, you join an underground fighting ring to get revenge. If it’s 2009 and you’re in Thailand, apparently you join a full-contact basketball team dubbed Fireball.

I should mention that Fireball bears little to no resemblance to actual basketball. There’s a hoop and there’s a ball, but it’s not so much about lay-ups and free-throws as it is “everyone beats the crap out of each other and then, if they feel like it, whoever’s left standing might throw the ball in the net.” Which is an admittedly ridiculous premise but it makes for a decent guilty pleasure flick, especially when you toss brutal Muay Thai fighting into the mix.

The only problem with “Fireball” is that it suffers from an overabundance of that quick-cut, shakycam filmmaking style, which renders the action on the court nearly incomprehensible at times. This is the kind of movie that switches from digital video to filmstock mid-fight scene, just because the director thinks it looks cool. Visually, it’s a mess. I mean, it kinda moots the point of full contact sports when the “contact” part has been captured by a spastic, whirling camera and then sliced to bits by your editor. Perhaps it’s an attempt to cover up the lack of fighting experience on the part of much of the cast.

But for better or worse, “Fireball” stays on my good side thanks to the pure novelty of the “sport” itself and the few shots that do actually convey some bone-crunching brutality. In what other sports movie are you gonna see the rival team’s manager gleefully toss lead pipes into the middle of the court so his players can bash the good guys’ heads in – and nobody does anything about it, because technically it’s not against the rules? This is the unique charm of “Fireball,” my friends.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 6.5/10

The post Fireball: Muay Thai Dunk | aka Fire Ball (2009) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Muay Thai Giant” Thai Theatrical Poster

Director: Nonthakorn Thaveesuk
Cast: Nathan Jones, Nawarat Techaratanaprasert, Sasisa Jindamanee, Chupong Changprung
Running Time: 99 min.

By HKFanatic

“Somtum” is something of a novelty film, a Thai action movie that I suspect a lot of people are either going to love or think is the corniest thing ever. Personally, I got a kick out of this movie. It’s the first headlining vehicle for Nathan Jones, a guy that you’ve probably seen at least once if you’ve watched any action flick in the past 20 years. He’s the 6’11” giant of a man who attacked Jackie Chan in his Australian apartment in “Police Story 4: First Strike”; rammed into Tony Jaa Juggernaut-style in “Tom Yum Goon”; and fought Jet Li in a wrestling ring in “Fearless.” Oh yeah, he was also quickly defeated by Brad Pitt in the opening scenes of “Troy,” but I’m pretty sure in a real fight Nathan Jones would turn Brad Pitt into glue paste.

In “Somtum,” Nathan Jones plays up the image of a “gentle giant”; he’s a non-violent, peace-loving Australian guy on vacation in Thailand. Shortly after arriving, he’s fed with drinks by a lovely local until he passes out. The next day, he wakes up with barely any clothes and, worse yet, his passport stolen. On the hunt for his missing papers, he runs into and befriends two young local sisters. Back at their mom’s restaurant, Jones samples the local Thai dish of the title, somtum, which looks to my Western eyes like a chopped salad with a ton of hot peppers tossed in. Upon eating it, Nathan turns into a red-tinted Hulk who can’t control his actions. He destroys the restaurant (not hard to do, since it’s basically a shanty) and finds his stay in Thailand further extended as a result: now not only does he have to locate his passport, he has to raise enough money to help rebuild the restaurant.

This simple set-up gives way to plenty of fun action scenes. Despite the American title of “Muay Thai Giant,” Nathan’s character a bit of a wuss who doesn’t like to fight, so expect to see him take more punches than he gives. The real star here is Sasisa Jindamanee, a junior national champion in Thai kickboxing who also starred in “Power Kids.” Despite her young age and petite frame, she is a true force to be reckoned with. She has plenty of great fights in and out of the ring, and her flying knee and elbow attacks keep the action quotient up for most of the film’s runtime. If anyone is looking for the next “Chocolate”-style breakout female action star from Thailand, my vote is definitely for Sasisa!

It’s only during the last 20 minutes that audiences get to see what they probably rented the movie for, and that’s Nathan Jones on a rampage. Thankfully, the climax of the movie does not disappoint. Jones is fed some more more somtum and turns into a rage-fueled monster. He fights two or three guys who are almost as big as himself in a knockout, drag-out fight. They suplex each other into truckbeds, whack each other with oil drums, and just generally dish out more punishment and pain than any real human being would be able to survive. Watch them crash through walls, strangle  and electrocute each other, and just keep on fighting. It’s almost like the old-school beat-em-up arcade game “Final Fight” brought to life. As long as you can suspend your disbelief, it’s a hell of a good time.

Also be on the lookout for an extended cameo and fight scene by Dan Chupong of “Dynamite Warrior” and “Born to Fight” fame. Beyond the admittedly great fight scenes, what makes “Somtum” endearing is the bond that Jones forms with Sassia and her sister. Some people may find that these scenes go on for too long (one scene of the two sisters crying on the beach does get pretty melodramatic), but it was nice to watch a Thai martial arts flick that actually cared enough to develop the characters and their relationships.

At the risk of sounding like a cheesy quote you’d read on the DVD box, “Somtum” has plenty of action, laughs, and heart to spare. It’s one of my favorite Thai flicks and proof there’s life beyond “Ong Bak.” Although the violence is hard-hitting and “R” rated, for once there’s no sexual content at all. Well, except for a scene where Nathan Jones has a waking nightmare about him being a go-go dancer. That I’m trying to forget about!

HKFanatic’s Rating: 8/10

The post Muay Thai Giant | aka Somtum (2008) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

"Vengeance" Chinese DVD Cover

AKA: Phairii Phinaat Paa Mawrana
Director: Pleo Sirisuwan
Cast: Nattanun Jantarawetch, Chalad Na Songkhla, Sorachai Sang-aakaat, Watchara Tangkaprasert, Nattaree Wiboonlert, Chirapat Wongpaisanlux
Running Time: 90 min.

By HKFanatic

“Vengeance” is a slick, commercial flick from Thailand with a decent plot hook: some dangerous bandits have escaped from prison (though we never actually see their big breakout) and headed into a mystical forest. A steely-eyed cop with a dark past is hot on their trail, along with his cadre of fellow policemen and a few locals who know the area.

Note to self: do not wander into the Thai jungle. If so, you put yourself at the risk of flesh-eating tiger wasps, killer Dwarf Caiman Crocodiles, seductive Fruit Maidens who will steal your soul mid-coitus, giant snakes that could eat an Anaconda for breakfast, and a whole village of people who aren’t so friendly during a full moon. Yeah, “Vengeance” is basically 90 minutes of silly, Thai-language fun. It’s not the fastest-paced film and the special FX are a bit “Sci-Fi Channel Movie,” but it’s got a certain charm to it, like a hot piece of pizza while you’re suffering a hangover.

Thailand has made a splash in recent years with their incredible martial arts movies, but this isn’t one of those. So despite some gunfights early on, don’t expect much one-on-one combat. “Vengeance” is more like an R-rated version of those Brendan Fraser “Mummy” movies from the 90’s, transported to the Thai jungle. There’s plenty of humor but I’m not sure how much of it was intentional on the part of the filmmakers. Some last minute plot twists are pretty crazy and give the whole movie this weird, cyclical ending that could be interpreted as Buddhist in philosophy.

Then again, I wouldn’t recommend that anyone think that hard about “Vengeance” (let alone about why it has that title). It’s a movie for people who would rather waste an evening watching a gonzo foreign b-movie over your typical Hollywood flick. Enter the jungle at your own risk.

HKFanatic’s Rating: The performance of the CG killer baby crocs: 10/10, the actual film: 5.5/10

The post Vengeance | aka Ekdikisi (2006) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

"The Sanctuary" Thai Theatrical Poster

AKA: Sam Pan Boke
Director: Thanapon Maliwan
Writer: Thanapon Maliwan, Anuwat Kaewsopark
Cast: Michael B., Russell Wong, Intira Jaroenpura, Patharawarin Timkul, Erik Markus Schuetz, Winston Sefu, Lak-Khet Waslikachart
Running TIme: 86 min.

By HKFanatic

As a stuntman for Tony Jaa (“Ong Bak”), Mike B. probably had to learn to take a few hits. Unfortunately, he brings that same philosophy to his own starring vehicle, the Thai martial arts flick “The Sanctuary.” This movie is literally 86 minutes of Mike B. being treated like a human punching bag.

The plot follows a similar formula to “Ong Bak”: some ancient Thai antiques are stolen from the monastery near Mike B.’s workplace by Russell Wong (yes, Russell Wong of “Romeo Must Die” fame!) and of course Mike is the only one who can get them back. Too bad every bad guy that he runs into kicks his ass.

One of the antiques Mike recovers is a mystical amulet which promises to teach him he secrets of Thai boxing, but it never really works. Mike B. gets his ass handed to him before and after peering into the amulet’s secrets. I was having flashbacks to those old Van Damme movies like “Kickboxer” and “Lionheart” where the main villain would beat on Van Damme for twenty minutes until JCVD turned things around and won the fight with a few well-placed spin kicks. But Mike B. doesn’t even have any spin kicks. It’s a shame – if Mike had put up just a little bit of a fight, this could have been a satisfying martial arts movie.

At least Mike wisely populates his movie with a host of colorful bad guys. Russell Wong’s three henchman are a joy to watch – one of them is this ladyboy-in-training who fights like he’s doing an exaggerated pantomime of Catwoman. Another guy looks like he stepped out of the Hitler Youth and his long legs can kick like nobody’s business. Lastly, there’s a dude who looks like he should be in a SoCal metal band but he’s just an all around great Muay Tha fighter. These three guys are fun to watch and excellent at martial arts – basically, the opposite of Mike B. “The Sanctuary” is almost worth renting just to see them in action. I promise action junkies won’t forget about them anytime soon.

The rest of the movie is fairly forgettable, though I was entertained by the cheesy “Engrish” dialogue and the various ‘plot twists’ that occurred. The opening scene is actually set during the 1890’s and features one of Mike B.’s ancestors, who is about a hundred times more bad-ass than him. This sequence is far bloodier than the rest of the movie and a lot of fun. If there are any Russell Wong fans out there (anybody?), you can be rest assured that the actor is still pretty tough in his middle-age. During the finale, he puts the hurt on Mike B. and nearly drowns the poor bastard.

If there’s any consolation, it’s that “The Sanctuary” is far better than Mike B.’s 2007 debut “Brave,” which had the most pedestrian fights and stunts I’ve ever seen captured on film. But at the end of the day, nobody wants to see their hero get the crap kicked out of him, to never once gain the upper hand. Mike B. is sort of like the polar opposite of Donnie Yen or Steven Seagal, who rarely, if ever, let an opponent land a blow on them. I guess “The Sanctuary” is proof that you can actually make an action movie by hiring other, better martial artists to beat you up for 90 minutes.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 5.5/10

The post Sanctuary, The | aka The Warrior’s Path (2009) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Ong-Bak 3” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Tony Jaa
Co-director: Panna Rittikrai
Cast: Tony Jaa, Primrata Det-Udom, Dan Chupong, Sarunyu Wongkrajang, Nirutti Sirijanya, Petchtai Wongkamlao, Chumphorn Thepphithak, Supakorn Kitsuwon, Sorapong Chatree, Santisuk Promsiri
Running Time: 95 min.

By JJ Hatfield

Before viewing “Ong Bak” 3 it is essential to have watched “Ong Bak” 2, or as some people refer to it as the first half of the film. It was written and planned as being one film, perhaps a cliff hanger, but the studio thought they would make more money if they were treated as two different films. They were wrong.

The film opens with fighting scenes from OB2. Everything has a gray-green cast to it, post shooting color grading but it serves well to remind the viewer of some of the wild action that has come before as the credits roll. The story begins at the point the last one ended. Lord Rajeesna (Sarunyoo Wongkrachang) practically rubs his hands in glee as he orders the beginning of Tien’s punishment.

We first see Tien’s battered face, unconscious in a head and hand stock. He is awakened by the soldiers dousing him with water. They release him from the stock but he is still chained. Thus begins some of the most brutal, bloody beating scenes ever in a movie with Tony Jaa! I will not even get into the crushing bones part. In between however we get to watch Tien as he beats hell out of the soldiers. He’s in great shape and does incredibly amazing moves that manage to look fresh and different. Not even Tien can hold out forever and is recaptured by the soldiers. The time Tien is being beaten and brutalized is a bit of sadistic desires fulfilled by Lord Rajeesna. He repeatedly stated he wants Tien to die slowly and painfully, as a lesson to others, but in truth he has hated Tien’s entire family for many years and is really enjoying himself and the the crowning glory to his little party.

To Tony’s credit watching the horrible violence looks uncomfortably very, very real. He really can act when he puts forth the effort. His face shows emotions ranging from defiance to the realization he wasn’t going to get out of the horrible situation to fear in his face as the next hammer is about to strike a temple shattering blow.

During his time as a prisoner Tien’s hatred and thirst for revenge grows. While the viewer’s focus may be on Tien, the Crow Demon becomes more powerful, and perhaps a bit more human in appearance as the curse spreads. Master Bua makes a pilgrimage to the temple near the Kona Khone village. He secludes himself in the temple to meditate.As Master Bua meditates the dark presence tries to influence him. The Master is able to cast off the evil but he realizes he needs to purify himself if he is to help Tien or the people falling victim to the curse. For the first time the Master feels the cold sickness and seems to understand more of what Tony is feeling. He is able to help Tien later through his fear after experiencing it for only a few moments. Master Bua purifies himself and goes through the ritual ceremonies to become a Buddhist Monk.

“Ong Bak 3“ is a very spiritual movie. I realize that sounds like an odd description of a story with so much fighting and killing but it’s true. The viewer will sometimes not understand what the hell is going on or why at times but be patient. However do not think all your questions will be answered because they won’t. And I don’t necessarily think that is a bad thing. Sometimes it makes a better film to allow the audience to think and find their own answers.

Because of the spiritual aspect, meditation and Buddhism, differences in culture and time period it is easy as a non Thai to miss certain phrases or objects of relevance. Some events take place in real time, others in deep meditation. Visions or spiritual messages don’t necessarily seem related to time.

Kana Khone was a real village in 1421 although relatively small. It is found in reference to the specific village in the 1600‘s by the common name “Khone Chook”, although the Royals used the term “Soh-Khan”. Life is a daily struggle for residents of the village, known for it’s healing arts. Living in the middle of the jungle-forest in a state of poverty the villagers try to survive a war torn existence. Buddhism is not something they believe in, it’s an important part of their daily lives. Following Buddha has allowed the villagers to not retaliate when the village is raided and yet have peace in their hearts.

Under the guidance of Master Bua the villagers unite their minds and hearts to make a symbol showing their spiritual belief was strong in the hopes it will help Tien heal. Mhen (Petchtai Wongkamlao) has more on screen time and in his own way also helps Tien. Is this group attempt to help Tien supernatural? A miracle? Buddha? Or in the context of the film Tien is in superb shape, he has a lot of adrenaline flowing through his veins already and getting pounded might have added a bit. He receives the best medicine for the time and he is very, very lucky? This is the kind of story behind the story many people miss. It’s easy to get caught up with the fighting and training. But there really is more to this half of the film than it has received credit for – yet.

Some day it will.

There is a superb fight scene, tied for the best in the movie when Lord Rajaseena takes his troops to the Crow Demon’s Castle. Everything is dark and foreboding with crows swooping and flying close to the soldiers. Only the Lord is allowed in the castle. The Crow’s castle is creepy and the Demon Crow even more so. (Dan Chupong really out-does himself in a great performance!) Full of skeletons, skulls, draped in big cobwebs, menacing looking statues, signs of sacrifices, decay everywhere, you can smell it. Everything reeks of slaughter and death. The Lord is angry and more than a little afraid but he must end the curse upon him and attacks the Demon Crow. (Again Chupong does an almost over the top performance but stops just short of losing any demonic qualities) Lord Rajaseena is furious and sends his men into the castle to kill the Crow Demon. Bad idea for the soldiers but it brings about a fantastic fight! The amazing powerful fights are all pretty much one sided. The Crow Demon is a master of fighting, or as Lord Rajaseena said “A fighter like no other.” Chupong pulls off moves that look new and specific to a character called the Crow Demon.

The Crow Demon is an excellent fighter and dispatches the soldiers easily, at times by pushing them through the castle walls. It is a long and enjoyable fight scene! Chupong is an excellent martial artist as well as superb stunt master. And it shows. I was quite impressed with the high quality choreography and the number of punches and kicks he would do at the same time. In order to achieve the “beyond human” status’ there are a couple of scenes where Chupong is on wires. It does add to the character especially the first time he fights, however he really doesn’t need wires too impress.

While the Crow Demon works to increase his powers Tien has been training and trying to recover from his severe injuries. He works to create a new fighting form that include elements of dance and beauty, and not as lethal as other forms. He tries to follow Master Bua’s teachings but the rage in his heart only feeds his demons. He continues to train and meditate to cleanse his spirit. His return to the village presents a severe test of his beliefs and behavior. People lie dead, the village on fire and in ruins. His friend Pim and other villagers are no where to be found. He is in despair… and soldiers are coming. Can Tien fight those who attacked the village without being enraged? How could anyone?

The production values were good with great attention to detail in the sets and costumes, whether in the grimy muddy village road or the grand palatial castle. The ongoing village life was obvious with what background characters were doing and demonstrates why it is known as a healing place. From jewelry to dishes to medicines everything was literally designed to feel and look authentic.

There were definitely problems that hampered the production on OB 2-3. The schedule was tight to begin with but it quickly was behind and over-budget for the point they were at already. Tony is known for shooting much more fighting than will be used in the film. This created a situation where some scenes had to be edited out or not filmed. Additionally there were some fairly serious discussions between Tony and company with the people in charge of the area of the Vihear Temple. Being so close to the Cambodian border tensions were very high and several scenes were necessary to leave out for all around safety purposes. Unfortunately the viewers want to see all of the movie but we in the U.S., U.K, Canada etc. need to remember this is Thailand. We do not always see issues the same way. It would have been ridiculous to risk anyone being hurt for real for a few extra movie scenes.

Speaking of being hurt there had to be a lot of stunt guys in pain, and Tony as well. The majority of fights are brutal beyond compare. Sure these guys are used to do doing crazy ass stunts but I doubt if that makes the pain go away. Reports of Tony and/or Dan Chupong being injured were a weekly event.

Plenty of rumors made the rounds with stories becoming more unbelievable as time grew closer to the release. Panna and Tony worked well together most of the time. And then the rumors about Triad involvement? Well we know it’s not uncommon. Jackie, Jet – Tony would not be the first to have such problems but no one really knows the truth.

While “OB” 2 seemed to be about nothing but nothing more than vengeance there is far more there than just a dark story of revenge. Some viewers may want to watch it again. Both 2 and 3 are complex despite the complaints of nothing happening, no fighting, etc. Tony is training, beating and fighting most of the film.

I can’t say much more without major spoilers. However I can guarantee you have never seen fighting like this before from Tony! The two part climax is absolutely incredible! Tien becomes a rabid enraged animal, consumed by hatred and revenge. Blood flies in every direction as Tien pummels soldiers, snaps necks, spears people stabbing them again and again. Tien literally rips people apart. The elephants are there in force and help Tien take out some bad guys. Some people complain elephants are used too often but you haven’t seen them like this before. There really are quite a few things the audience has not watched previously. No one can watch this film and claim there is not enough fighting. This is a movie, with a plot, a message and a hell of a lot of realistic fighting and buckets of blood. It’s damn good entertainment! It is also a trilogy, with all three “Ong Bak” movies having connections, the most obvious being the statue of Ong Bak.

At the core all the “Ong Bak” films have presented the same message, and one of the most important aspects of Buddhism is to not hate or hold revenge in your heart or mind, nor pursue vengeance. To truly forgive and let go is the path to peace for not just Tien but it also shows howholding on to revenge can grow to bring about suffering to all. Buddism is a very peaceful way of life but also includes Karma. What you do in this life affects what will happen in the next reincarnation and so forth.

A couple of notes about time:

* Although some people have insisted the punishment lasted for ten minutes, they are wrong. Tien is beaten by the guards for over one minute. Then he starts to fight back and beats hell out of the soldiers for two minutes real time, then back to Tien being bashed for another minute. There is also a period when Master Bua sees Tien and the beatings he is suffering. Even if you include that minute plus Tien fighting in between you still end up with approximately five minutes. However it can definitely feel far longer.

* The “coma” time has also been wildly exaggerated by people. Some reviewers apparently can’t count because of remarks like, “Tony is in a coma for half the movie” If you count from the time a rescue attempt is made, through the villagers extraordinary efforts to heal him is less than ten minutes….hardly half the film. On the other hand it could be said that Tien is training and meditating and healing almost up to the point the Crow Demon turned King fights him.

* Pim’s healing dance with Tien from when they see each other runs about five minutes.

These notes are examples of how time can be distorted. Times listed are not to be considered accurate to the second. Some day when I have the opportunity I may go back and time exactly certain scenes but the viewer will either accept certain scenes feel longer than they are or believe what they want.

*I have viewed two versions of “Ong Bak” with different actual running times. The only real differences are length of fight scenes and the editing of the Vihear Temple.

As with the other “Ong Bak” reviews please forgive incorrect spellings of names and locations.

The Ong Bak films will be debated for many years to come. As I stated when Tony “retired” he is not through with movies. He still shows that drive to be in front of the camera but he is a good director in the making. However we have not seen the last of Tony’s movies!

If anyone would like to offer comments or feedback I look forward to it. I’m expecting a number of persons are anticipating my posting with a number or reasons why I’m wrong. In fact the violence may be worse after this review than in the movie. I do not mind a bit. In fact I welcome the opportunity to help misguided folk understand why they are wrong.

Bring it on guys. To borrow from the “Weird”… Let’s Roll!

JJ Hatfield’s Rating: 9.5/10 (11/10 for the Trilogy)

The post Ong-Bak 3: The Final Battle (2010) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

"Ong-Bak 2" US Theatrical Poster

Director: Tony Jaa, Panna Rittikrai
Cast: Tony Jaa, Nirut Sirichanya, Sorapong Chatree, Sarunyoo Wongkrachang, Santisuk Promsiri, Primorata Dejudom, Natdanai Kongthong, Prarinya Karmkeaw, Patthama Panthong, Petchtai Wongkamlao, Dan Chupong, Tim Man
Running Time: 92 min.

By JJ Hatfield

Five hundred ninety years ago in a place known as Siam struggle for power was tearing the country apart. Violence of immense proportions seized the land, from both royalty and bandits. The citizens were mostly poverty stricken and defenseless however that did not stop the slaughter of many, many thousands. In the Buddhist epoch calendar it is the year 1974. King Rama II of Ayutthaya created a powerful Royal Court in efforts to expand the kingdom and seized Sukhothal. When enough soldiers were gathered they battered and hacked the way to the east and laid siege to the City of Angels (Bangkok) for eight long months.

Ayutthaya was a Siamese kingdom that was in power from 1351 until 1767. Ayutthaya was known as a city that welcomed most foreigners and traders including Vietnamese (Annamese), Chinese, Korea (now)Japanese, Indians, Persians and other foreigners, even letting them establish whole villages around the city walls. The Sukhothal, dynasty lasted from 1238 – 1438. This information is very much real. The period piece is on the mark with the rulers and events in general. Of course Teean’s story is not a part of history but someone did their homework so that the story fit into what we do know about the period.

From a rainy mist comes the sound of a horse breathing hard. The rider is being pursued by a number of enemies. Realizing all is lost he does what he can for the young boy riding with him and leaves him to care for himself. Suddenly the soldier runs into a trap and is killed in a flurry of arrows. Then the “Ong Bak” logo comes on and the movie rarely slows down again.

The young boy is Teean, played by Nutdanai Kongtong. His father is one of four generals in charge of keeping the peace in the area in a time of violent turmoil. Teean has always wanted to be a great warrior like his father. However his father and mother do not want him to be involved with fighting in any way, hoping to keep him safe and separate from soldiers and enemies. His father refuses to teach him how to fight instead sheltering him in a village known for the arts, music and dancing. The general is betrayed and his household killed, simultaneously enraging and demoralizing him. Teean is thrown into a savagely different world after being torn from his parents and all he has ever known. The situation goes from very bad to very much worse when he is captured by slave merchants. He doesn’t even know where he is or how to fight but he refuses to just accept his fate quietly. That is the kind of spirit that might allow him to survive in a world seemingly full of only evil where anything could be bought including humans.

By coincidence Teean is at the same market as a group of pirates suddenly take over. When they are through with the village the Chief of the Pha Peek Krut Pirates ChurNung (Sorapong Chatree) allows Teean to come with them and they heal his wounds. He is given a choice of staying there and learning the martial arts and become one of them, or he can go where ever he wants.

Teean wanders through the village. Markets and, people practicing every conceivable kind of school or form of martial arts or performing what seems more like stunts. Teean is all eyes as nearly magical things happen right in front of him. This is very different from the village with dancing and healing! People sparring with each other, flipping and spinning, some using different kinds of swords. To Teean this is the perfect place to be. He stays and learns dozens of types of martial arts fighting techniques as well as some of the other’s specialties including slight of hand and explosives.

Over the years he has never forgotten what happened to his parents, nor has revenge left his heart. He burns for vengeance and restoring the family name. While avenging them is always in his mind he begins to learn about the weapons and fighting in a more spiritual manner. That may sound odd, spiritual used with a word of weapons but many cultures felt certain weapons were endowed with special powers. The spiritual Father (Cheang) to the village tells Teean that any weapon he masters will, make him the best of the best. As Teean grows up so improve his skills.

No doubt no one will win awards for acting but everyone is good enough to make it work. Tony is probably the best actor in the film with the possible exception of Nutdanai Kongtong in small scenes. Especially after he is with Chur Nung in the village when Teean is forced to make choices and deal with incredible burdens Tony shows he has grown as an actor.

Watching Teean train is a real treat. By the end of this part of the movie Tony has proved he can do just about anything anyone else can and maybe a little better. He is eloquence in motion and the viewer is never cheated by slipping the same exact scenes as some movie do. The fighting can be beautiful but it is also bloody and deadly.

One thing I think people forget is that Panna wrote this story, with input from Tony. Panna has a spiritual element in many if not most of his movies. Sometimes it is represented through Buddhism and pacifism. However there is usually a large helping of spirit, what some would call, supernatural or magical elements. He wanted to express that early but it was usually something like zombies, or strange natives, weird creatures. In other words as much as he could afford and the audience seemed to like it enough for it to be an oft used part of a script. Ong Bak 2 is no exception. Panna and Tony expected the audience to make the connections without beating the viewer over the head with one of those skull shattering elbow strikes.

The fight cinematography is superb! Panna came up with the wild ideas and Tony and crew worked until they made it happen. Panna does know what looks good on film and I think Tony has the same quality. However not even Jet Li could pull off acting/screenplay/director/fight choreography etc. Tony took on an extreme amount of responsibility for several major aspects of the film.

A most beautiful, powerful “dance” choreography is contained in this film. While we have seen traditional Thai dancing with women this dance is performed by Tony, and what a dance! It really held my attention, an amazing blend of strength and sublety. There is also a “Drunken Tony” scene which is not to be missed!

The viewer is treated to a variety of very different moves from Tony. Chinese Kung Fu, Judo,Samurai, Ninja ?,Muay Thai and even a new form of Muay Thai Tony put together himself, a Muay Thai form with dance type movements included. Watching Tony doing Snake and Crane was a blast! I think given time there is not much Tony cannot do, if that is what he chooses. He is truly a joy to watch! It’s incredible how many different forms and styles he does and does very well.

Not to mention his real life Muay Thai boxing training with a Master who is also a stunt man. Part of the time Jaa was supposed to be *missing* he was frantically running around learning to sharpen (no pun intended unless you laughed) his skills in everything besides Muay Thai boxing. He seems to take his training and testing very seriously and spars with so many different styles and forms it’s impossible to catch them all because Tony is so damn fast.

Not only do the fights involve some very high quality hand to hand there are plenty of weapons to use and they are used! I have never seen anyone use so many different weapons! He would just pick up something and turn it into a tool, a weapon in his hands. Knives, daggers, swords, plus many more including a three section staff are used. Tony deliberately changes styles of fighting when faced with an opponent’s style, and uses, that form. All of the fighting looks fresh and new which is a tribute to Panna and Tony. They never use the same shot the same way. And of course kudos to the men and women? who are the stunt team. Without them Tony would have no one to fight.

The actual fight/stunt editing is consistent enough to keep the story flowing. There are a few flashbacks for the back story but it works well enough.

The production values are higher than in either of Jaa’s big movies Ong Bak and Tom Yum Goong. I was impressed with the over all realistic feeling of the sets, from the primitive villages to the gauche finery of the royals. Roads and paths are dusty or muddy, depending on the season.

The viewer sees a wide variety of objects that were probably in use at the time on a daily basis. Costumes were done well both for royalty and peasants. There were a lot of extras involved to clothe as well. Most of the males, excluding royals seemed to be wearing a loincloth and tattoos/paint. It could be historic and accurate but not something I want to see much more. The tattoos may denote rank in the army, or property of, or spells to make them rich. I have not been able to find out anything for certain other than they were in the movie.

Jaa is nimble and agile sailing effortlessly through the air then suddenly deadly as he nails his opponent with two knees to the chest. There is an amazing stunt (yes it is a stunt and it was very dangerous) with Tony running around on top of a herd of elephants moving pretty damn fast. He is nearly as nuts as Panna.

Tony does have good ideas about story lines but there is the contract he must adhere to and no one around here has seen a copy of that. I think he also has a good eye and someday may make a great director. But not even Tony can do everything at the same time and devote 110% to the project.

The number one problem with this film was that it was only half. Ong Bak 2 and 3 were one complete film. If it had been left as one film it would not have seemed so lopsided as well as 3. The studio decided to split the movie. Big mistake, for the story and the viewer but it made more money that way so screw the story.

Panna wrote the story and co – directed with Jaa. So it wasn’t as if Tony was all by himself in the film’s creation. It really f$cked up the movie to have it split. Virtually all the filming for Ong Bak ”3“ was in the can but the studio wanted more money so they hacked it into two and had to add more flash backs and back story.

There were problems that were certainly not Jaa’s fault including having to cut the temple scene (Preah Vihear) temple very short, or edit it out of the film due to tensions between Cambodia and Thailand as it is close to the border of Cambodia. It wasn’t safe.

So much negative press and PR and really, really bizarre rumors about Jaa and the film. Jaa disappeared, died, was hanging out in a cave “meditating”, in Cambodia to learn the black arts and even more bizarre rumors. To the best of my knowledge Jaa and/or representatives had to discuss the use of the temple close to the border. In some newer versions of the film the scenes were cut entirely or truncated. The same with the black arts. Someone needed to have an idea of how to represent emotions and feelings as becoming tangible. Was Tony ever there? Does it matter? With all this bizarro shit supposedly happening not one person got off a pic? Not even in Thailand are things such that no one would talk about this stuff. A substantial portion of claims are probably fiction but there is often something real, that sets someone off and the story goes on.

Even though his character was on screen only a short time I like the Crow Demon character, played by Dan Chupong. Some places list him as un-credited but he is credited in the Thai only movie as well as the version with subtitles.

The viewer must pay attention between the action because there are things that connect the three Ong Bak movies. If you have not seen Ong Bak 2 do not bother to see Ong Bak 3 because you won’t understand anything. There are still unanswered questions, most of them will be answered by 3 and then you see the connections. Also remember reincarnation is an accepted fact by Buddhists. Things you do in previous lives really does effect your path in this life or the next and so forth. If you can’t accept the characters’ whole hearted belief, you won’t understand the film and you won’t like it. In fact rigid in the box types don’t watch this. Without setting aside different beliefs (if you have them) this movie is beyond you. Just turn off the sound and watch the action.

Ong Bak 3 is much more in the spiritual realm than OB2, the way they cut the film in half. It too is a great movie but very different than what the viewer sees in OB2.

Remember that, Ong Bak was released in 2003, and Ong Bak 2 in 2008. Between the two Tony Jaa made Tom Yum Goong, a fantastic film but not related in any way to Ong Bak. Actually there are a couple of connections I thought you could make a case for but no one else has stated that so it’s simply my opinion. It doesn’t matter because Ong Bak 2 is a totally different story, even from the first film. Watch “2“, more than once before going on to “3“ That’s all I can say without spoilers.

Please forgive any errors I may have in spellings of names or other information. The more research I did the more confusing the matter became. There are multiple spellings and pronunciations for nearly every region and person. Since history is written at first by only the winners it can become exceedingly difficult to sort it all out.

Ayutthaya was officially known as Siam, however people of Ayutthaya called themselves Tai, from the Kingdom of, Krung Tai or ‘the Kingdom of the Tais. This is not confirmed.

JJ Hatfield’s Rating: 9.5/10

By Ningen

Aspiring to be a prequel to the original Tony Jaa action-adventure flick, Ong Bak 2 decides to go back six hundred years before the setting in Ong Bak 1. In OB2, Jaa plays Tien, the son of a village chief trying to stand up against the imperialistic Evil Overlord, er, Rajasena. Rajasena killed Tien’s parents and wiped out his village when Tien was a child. Tien survived by seeking refuge with a group of bandits versed in the martial arts. Tien then seeks the bandits’ training, in order to get his revenge on Rajasena.

While the first Ong Bak was a semi-tribute to Jackie Chan movies and a basic man-on-the-run film, the director of the sequel apparently decided he needed to go Hollywood with this one. So in Ong Bak 2, you have to endure pointless Bay-style slow-mo pans combined with pseudo-Enya music, unnecessary and frequent flashbacks which don’t really add anything new to the main story, a childhood friend who becomes a love interest to Tien for no reason, and a tenuous and disappointing connection to the original film, a la George Lucas with Star Wars I-III. So what should be a fast-paced action movie ends up feeling a lot longer than its 90 minute running time would suggest.

And while there are fight scenes, they don’t very show up often until the end of the movie. Plus, by then, the fights get really boring really fast. The choreography itself is a bi-polar mix of regular martial arts and wannabe-MMA bloodbaths consisting of groups of thugs over-powering Tien in numbers, more than skill.

Meanwhile, the story’s a pain in the ass, since it gets my hopes up, and then wastes my time with a Mondo Cane-style tour of Thailand which probably does more to hurt the peninsula’s image than help any tourist bureaus. Yeah, I know Ong Bak 2 takes place in a different century, but I don’t think scenes of the locals eating animal eyeballs will encourage casual viewers to order Thai food any time soon. And I was bored enough with the pointless dance numbers in Flying Daggers. So I don’t need them being used in place of character development and tension in this film. Plus, I can experience that form of performance art for free in a National Geographic documentary. So why do I want to pay to sit through it in an action movie?

But I think what really pisses me off is the way the movie goads me into believing that Tien can and will save the day. I won’t mention any spoilers, but after the build-up, the plot suddenly throws in some cheap twists near the end. These sudden developments don’t come off surprising as much as forced. And by the time you’re done with the story, you’ll wonder if you reached one of those “alternate” endings in a video game you were supposed to play “correctly” to get to the real conclusion. But either way, with Ong’s Bak 2 paper-thin writing and uninspired fights, you’ll lose.

Ningen’s Rating: “Elephant-fu” 8/10; Regular fights 6.5/10; Story 4/10; Final score 5.5/10

By Kioko

My last review of Tony Jaa’s Tom Yum Goong rated a 10/10.

The title of the best martial artist on film has been handed over to Tony Jaa.

Everything I said then about Jaa rings even more true NOW with his latest release of Ong Bak 2. This is his directorial debut and you can see such a difference with his last films and this one. Specifically, the other films had an observant, tripod, watch-the-stunts-on-film feel to it. Much like all of Jackie Chan’s films. In Ong Bak 2, Jaa shows style, visuals, flashbacks, themes, he shows it all. Everything you see on the screen has a purpose.

The story has a similar theme, young boy trained in the martial arts. But this film adds a Soap opera feel to it, keeping you involved in the story as it is revealed to you parts at a time. And involves the history and motivations of not just the main actor, but the supporting actors and villains as well. And it doesn’t drag.

There is no one who can touch Jaa. The actions is SPECTACULAR! Of 90 minutes. There is 30 minutes story, 60 minutes action. He shows the martial arts on film in a way not seen since Chang Cheh and Shaw Brothers film of the 70s. There is even a 11-second one take fight scene. Over 10 different weapons, 8 different styles you can see he poured his heart into this one. Grouping a few scenes together, I’d even say it is borderline X-Rated violence. Definitely R.

If there were any debates that Jet or Jackie was the next Bruce Lee. Then you gotta give Jaa his props. He pays an homage to Jackie Chan’s drunken master and crushes Chan’s performance. One scene that impressed me was his Kung Fu Fist and Muy Thai fist vs 2 opponents. He switches styles back and forth throughout the fight.

Other elements, the music score is really fitting. Head banging right along with the action. Even the Koon dance, that I thought would be a drag, they scored it just right and was great to see. Cinematography, thankfully, the camera pulls back and doesn’t chop up the acting or the fighting.

Proper martial arts film – it’s the hard, raw, kick ass ma film we have been waiting for since the days of Bruce Lee.

Kioko’s Rating: 11/10

The post Ong-Bak 2: The Beginning (2008) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Born to Fight” German Theatrical Poster

Director: Prachya Pinkaew
Cast: Dan Chupong, Noppol Gomarachun, Suntisuk Phromsiri, Piyapong Pue-On, Somluck Kamsing, Amornthep Waewsaeng, Suebsak Phunsueb, Nantaway Wongwanichsilp, Kessarin Ektawatkul, Rattanaporn Khemtong
Running Time: 91 min.

By JJ Hatfield

This movie was made right after the original Ong Bak. It is essentially the same team minus Tony Jaa replaced with Dan Chupong. The writer and director is Prachya Pinkaew, this being only his second time directing with Ong Bak being the first. It seemed as though he was determined to make an even more dangerous movie which meant the bar was not only raised it had metal spikes,was on fire, spewing poison and about to explode.

The skeleton plot involves a young cop Pe Deaw (Dan Chupong) and his much more seasoned partner, Major Phantakan Riddamong who are involved in part of a huge operation with U.S. forces to capture a major gun smuggling gang run by General Yang. They manage to catch Wong but his partner and mentor is killed in the process. He is deeply depressed. When his younger sister, a Taekwondo student needs permission to go on a volunteer outing involving Thai athletes Deaw agrees but insists on going with her. They travel to a desperately poor village to distribute food, clothing and other needs including toys for the children. I don’t know how they managed to convince Addidas to provide clothes for a few athletes. Come to think of it they did look a little worn… maybe they got them at a used clothing store.

There is plenty of action but inexplicably Pinkaew and Panna decided to make this movie with youthful athletes. Team Addidas is bad enough but I will say right now Pinkaew is a terrible writer and uses cheap victim shots to “push the envelope” If the fight to stunt format had something else be sides it… oh what word can I use… uhm… I’ve got it! If there was a f#cking plot! The viewer never gets to see any kind of depth in the characters. That does not mean the people in the film can’t act. How the hell would we know they never get to do anything but run around doing the Team Addidas crap!

Since the audience is never given any idea of what the characters are like, so that the viewer cares at least a little what happens to them, another hook must be devised. Something to make the audience invest themselves at least until the next cool fight or stunt.

Suddenly shots ring out and helpless villagers scatter and scream as General Yangs soldiers blaze into the village shooting men, women, children, elderly – everybody! They round up the live ones and keep them in one area. Pe Deaw sneaks off at night and goes to investigate what the soldiers are up to gets caught and has to fight. The sequence is fairly long for an action movie but I am not complaining. The action is the thing!

The bad guys seize the village to force the government to release General Yang. They put up cameras around the village so the government can watch them brutalize and murder innocent people including children. The villagers and Team Addidas decide to fight back. What do athletes fight with? Why their athletic specialty of course. Some rugby players, male and female gymnastics. Armed with lots and lots of soccer balls, and some really hard small wicker-rattan balls are used to successfully knock out the enemy or kill them, what ever.

There is action on the balance beam, even and uneven parallel bars, pole vaulting and they do flips a lot. There is also the sister taekwondo ass kicker with a heart of gold. But instead of picking up a frickin gun they do this like the f ing Olympics! It’s obvious stunt work was designed to be bigger and better than Ong Bak. I won’t argue with that however it is sometimes even more dangerous doing fights and flips. The stunt sequences themselves are much longer and highly entertaining and definitely more dangerous! If you have any doubt just watch the out takes.

The viewer does get a bit of action at the beginning of the movie. A shoot out, semi – trucks, one of which goes through a shanty town in an homage (?) to a very similar scene in the original Jackie Chan and Police Story when a car drives right through a poor town of shacks, people diving for cover and quite a few explosions. Panna’s version was of course verging on insane, typical for him, but damned if it wasn’t great to watch! Deaw is shown fighting enough we certainly know Dan Chupong has talent. He needs someone to get him in a decent film!

The soundtrack, often only supplied by weapons being fired and people screaming, is to say the least is annoying and not because it is traditional Thai music. It is not! Probably stock music, rather like scratchy techno – lite. But don’t give up yet. Chupong is a good martial artist and one hell of a brave man for doing some outrageous but thrilling stunts. The stunts in Born to Fight are crazier than I have seen in quite a while… in fact I can only think of a handful. Chupong does not use wires, doubles or cgi. I do enjoy the real thing.

This is a must see for the fighting/stunts! There is more action than exposition but just watch the action. I would have rated this higher but the Pinkaew story was a cheap shot, shoddy and the best he could get to hook the audience is mass slaughter of innocent helpless people? If he were a journalist it would be called “yellow journalism”. I don’t usually recommend this but if you want to FF now and then I wouldn’t blame you.

You really have to see this once for the action!

JJ Hatfield’s Rating: 5/10 (action 8.5/10, story 1/10, fighting/stunts 9/10)

By Raging Gaijin

Hot on the heels of “Ong Bak”, comes “Born to Fight”, the latest Thai film to endanger the lives of courageous stuntmen in that country. You get the sense that the filmmakers behind “Born to Fight” are trying their hardest to out-do “Ong Bak” – and, on some level, they succeed. The action sequences are even longer, the stunts are even more dangerous, and the violence is even more intense. Unfortunately, “Born to Fight” falls short in the crucial areas of story and character development.

As one-note as the story in “Ong Bak” may have been, at least the characters were rather defined; each of them had their own personality. From Ting’s stoic resolve to the scheming Dirty Balls; even if you didn’t like one of the characters at the beginning of the movie, by the end they had you won over (yeah, even the girl with the annoying as hell voice). So the plot was cliché and its anti-drug message overdone; you were still involved in the characters, and, as a result, you too wanted that statue head returned to the village.

With “Born to Fight”, we have a lot of pretty young Thai people who display great athletic ability – but no personality. It’s not that they can’t act; they just never really get the chance too. The action takes the center stage, while plot and character development are left far behind. Thus the filmmakers resort to extreme violence (the mass slaughter of an entire village) in order to make you care about the characters. The audience is coerced into caring because, well, innocent people are being murdered for no apparent reason. It’s a cheap tactic and it’s really what keeps “Born to Fight” from being an instant classic like “Ong Bak”.

That said, the action and stunts are absolutely jaw-dropping. They alone justify at least one viewing. But in the end, this is more like a stunt reel rather than a full-fledged movie; it just feels like a string of footage meant to show what the Thai film industry is capable of when it comes to action. It’s a movie where the characters are defined solely by the sports they play and the villains are easy to spot because they’re the inhuman bastards who shoot parents in front of their children. Obviously, it’s a movie completely without subtlety. Then again, it’s also a movie where people are thrown off moving semi-trucks and blown up by rocket launchers.

I’ve basically spent this entire review more or less detailing why “Born to Fight” isn’t as good as “Ong Bak”, but I’m still giving this movie a good score. Why? Because everything you’ve heard about it is true: the action is out of this world. If you love the kind of life-threatening stunts that Jackie Chan made famous with movies like “Police Story”, then you can’t pass up this movie. The soundtrack and fancy editing is a poor attempt at being “modern” but the style and genre of “Born to Fight” has been around for ages. I for one am grateful to see action flicks get back to their no-wires, no-CGI roots. This is bone breaking action at its finest. There’s admittedly not as much genuine martials arts as “Ong Bak” but the over-the-top violence makes up for it. One noteworthy sequence is the extended steadicam shot that Ozark Savage mentions in his review. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it since the heyday of John Woo; it’s almost like something out of a video game. It’s a short moment smack dab in the middle of a long chunk of action but it’s memorable and unique in its own way.

Action movies don’t have be give-and-take between story and violence, but this one certainly is. It’s a shame there isn’t more to “Born to Fight” than brilliant stuntwork, but it entertains nonetheless. If you’re enjoying this resurgence of ‘old school’ action and stunts set forth by “Ong Bak”, then don’t miss “Born to Fight”.

Raging Gaijin’s Rating: 7.5/10

By Ozark Savage

In an interview with the Bangkok post in mid-2004 Panna Rittikrai said that he wanted to push the limits of the human body to see where the boundary was. Well it may seem like he has just started this but he has been working on it for the past 2 decades and over 50 films – all of these movies being low-budget, largely unseen B-flicks. In Thailand his movies are famous for the over the top, almost suicidal stunt choreography. Then in 2003 came Ong Bak without Panna’s stuntwork or training Tony Jaa may not be the breakthrough star he is right now.

So where to go after being involved in a movie which is almost redefining a genre and giving Muay Thai the respect it deserves? Well why not remake one of your old movies with a bigger budget. Born to Fight is birthed.

The plot is nothing new. Cop Pe Deaw and partner/mentor are undercover trying to take down General Wong, just your average scumbag drug lord. The opening runs like a preview of things to come with a chase sequence involving two semis, Pe Deaw on top of said semis and a few bad guys being shot or thrown off the semis. Culminating with Pe Deaw’s mentor dying and the capture of the General. Thus tormented by the death of his friend he sits at home brooding when his sister, a taekwondo star, suggests he come with her on her trip to a remote village to deliver sporting goods. She is part of a group of athletes from The Thailand Sport Authority doing charity work. The group includes a soccer coach, a soccer player, a gymnast and a rugby player. They get to the village just as a group of terrorists violently attack and take them all hostage along with the villagers. They are holding them in an effort to get General Wong released. Facing almost certain death the athletes and villagers fight back.

Interesting fact is that instead of getting actors and training them to fight, Panna went and hired real athletes. Even better is the fact that these athletes aren’t that terrible at acting, what there is of a script they work well. Unlike Ong Bak where the pacing is pretty steady throughout, the build up to the climax can drag but it is well worth the wait.

What you get for your patience is over thirty minutes of the most insane, crazy and absolutely brilliant action you could ask for. Panna’s movie making has definitely been affected, for example, the single take steadicam shot of Pe Deaw gunning down bad guys ala John Woo’s Hard Boiled hospital shot.

This is one of the few action movies where when the action ended I just wanted more of it. And by more of it I mean, give Panna a bigger budget but please don’t let Hollywood know about him… Look what they already did to Asian cinema stars and film-makers. Just don’t let it happen to Panna.

Ozark Savage’s Rating: 7.5/10

By Mighty Peking Man

“Born To Fight” starts out very serious: Bloody gun play, villagers being wiped out massacre style, and weeping children seeing their parents killed before their eyes.

Then, before you know it, we have a series of pretty Thai athletes sporting Adidas tracksuits, taking on a bunch of fully armed soldiers using gymnastics, soccer balls, and acrobatic martial arts moves that just don’t look like they’re causing impact. Sure, let’s flip a couple of times in the air, spread out our legs, then lightly kick someone in the jaw and watch them fly 10 feet away. All in slow motion. Whatever.

Yes, the stunts, acrobatics and fight sequences are pretty impressive but in a Universal Studios Tour/Gymnastics competition sort of way.

I hate to be one of those guys who keeps on saying “Hong Kong did it better in the 1980s,” but I have to be honest, they DID do it better. Don’t let this new phase of crisp sound effects, constant slow motion shots, and multiple cameras fool you into thinking you’re seeing something groundbreaking than something like “Police Story” or “Dragon Lord,” because it’s no; And I speak not only for this film, but for Prachya Pinkaew’s last film, “Ong Bak,” as well. At least the latter had ongoing fight sequences that were entertaining.

If you’re a gymnastics fan or like to see people being knocked off towers with soccer balls, then this flick is for you. Otherwise, “Born To Fight” is overrated and ridiculous.

I’m not sure how many bones were broke during production, whatever the number was, it was NOT worth this film. Prachya Pinkaew, take a hike; And take your shitty techno soundtrack with you.

Hong Kong still owns you, buddy.

Mighty Peking Man’s Rating: 4/10

The post Born to Fight (2004) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Ong-Bak” International Teaser Poster

AKA: Daredevil
Director: Prachya Pinkaew
Cast: Tony Jaa, Petchtai Wongkamlao, Pumwaree Yodkamol, Chattapong Pantana-Angkul, Pumwaree Yodkamol, Suchao Pongwilai, Wannakit Sirioput, Chumphorn Thepphithak, Rungrawee Barijindakul, Cheathavuth Watcharakhun, Dan Chupong, Panna Rittikrai
Running Time: 105 min.

Jesse’s Review

I’m going to start this review out by saying that I might seem a bit biased when discussing this movie because I am a huge Jackie Chan fan, and have seen many of his old Hong Kong films from the 70’s and 80’s (which were his best ones also).

Ting, played by Tony Jaa, escapes from his village and goes to the big city in order to find and bring back the head of the “Ong Bak” statue which was stolen from his hometown. That’s about all the story there is. Ting does meet up with another person who used to belong to his village and the former villager’s partner-in-crime/con artist pal, but their main use in the film is to provide comic relief when necessary.

The movie does start out a big slow and does drag in certain places, but the fight scenes are so incredible that it’s easy to forgive those flaws for the most part. What really took me out of the film was my constant flashbacks of Jackie Chan’s 1986 Indiana Jones meets kung fu flick, Armour of God, especially during the last 30 minutes or so of the film.

In both Ong Bak and Armour of God, the main characters are on a mission to capture an important relic that will bring some joy to them if found, with the rewards being either money or honor. Both films also deal with kidnappings and both end in similiar looking locations, so you can clearly see that Ong Bak did take a note from Armour of God and various other Chan flicks, in its use of slapstick humor mixed with acrobatic action.

Though I was entertained by those elements in both Ong Bak and Chan’s films, the full amount of enjoyment I could have experienced during the movie was taken away a bit from a persistent feeling of deja vu. Also with the double-takes/replays and such used throughout the film: it almost felt like I was watching a martial arts version of Wrestling where Tony Jaa would come crashing down on a villain in slo-mo and the audience would go wild every time he did something like that, even if it wasn’t always necessarily memorable.

I shouldn’t be too negative though, because I did in fact have a fun time while watching Ong Bak for a couple of reasons. While I couldn’t help but compare the film to JC’s older HK flicks, one of the main differences between Ong Bak and those films is that Tony Jaa does get down and dirty very often, and isn’t one to f*ck around. My favorite scene in the film was a 15-20 minute sequence with Jaa’s character going up against different opponents in an underground fight club, with him beating them all pretty senselessly. Jaa is a wonder to watch while in action. He’s super fast, extremely tough, and never backs down while in a brawl. And like I mentioned previously, the movie is a lot of fun and doesn’t really take itself too seriously. The humor doesn’t always work, but it never gets boring.

So I’ll end this review by saying that if you’re a guy like me who has seen a good deal of martial arts/Jackie Chan flicks, then you’ll have a nice time watching this film but you might not see God or anything like that by the time everything is over. But if you’re a newcomer in the kung fu/martial arts scene and haven’t popped your cherry yet when it comes to that kind of stuff, you’ll really enjoy this flick.

Jesse’s Rating: 7.5/10

By Mairosu

History shows us that usually, when a country decides that they want to boost their cinematic output and stir crowd appeal, the filmmakers usually turn to historic or traditional motives. Western movies were the first succesful genre in Hollywood, and the world war two and prohibition era mobster epics also had their run on the big screen. The Chinese glorified their mythical heroes and their martial arts skills such as kung-fu and such. The Japanese turned to the tradition of samurai and the honour of the yakuza, the Yugoslavs rebuilt their film industry thanks to the huge popularity of “partizan” film (world war two stories about guerilla liberation movement), and the Italians exploited their great history of zombies, demons and the living dead.

Okay, scratch that last bit. But what I’m getting to is, Thailand has always been an also-ran in the Asian cinema. While China, Hong Kong, Japan and recently Korea grabbed the headlines, Thai filmmakers produced a couple of long historical epics such as Suriyothai which garnered critical, but then again not much commercial appeal out here west. So, unable to flog us their historical heritage, the crafty people of Thailand decided to give another authentical Thai thing a celluloid work-out.

The deadly martial art of Muay-Thai.

And may lightning strike me (or at least someone responsible for Asian film distribution western of Istanbul) if they don’t cash in on this one, because Ong-Bak, the debut full-length feature of the director Prachya Pinkaew, is, mark my words here , definitely the next big thing in the turbulent world of the martial arts action cinema.

Ong-Bak, casually billed as The Daredevil (not to be confused with Frank Miller’s comic book creation) and Muay Thai Warrior during its rare festival entries, is a story of a young Buddhist monk trainee who embarks on a conquest to retrieve the stolen head of the Buddha idol from his village. The story, as you can somewhat feel, does not evolve or develop one inch away from the sentence above, but as soon as the knees and elbows start flying, you pretty much forget that there was a plot in the first place. What happens when our hero called Ai Ting (played by stuntman extraordinaire Phanom Yeerum) enters the city of Bangkok can be described by only two words : jaw-dropping.

To elaborate… Ting’s “contact” in the city is Ai Yod, otherwise known as Ai Fum (or Hum ?) Lae, the country kid who supposedly made it big in the city (he actually gets by by hustling mobsters on bike racing and dealing drugs smalltime). Ai Yod, played by Perttary Wongkamlao, is reluctant to help Ai Ting with his task, but accepts eventually, thinking he can manipulate the whole gig into something monetary for him. Before you know it, Ai Ting is involved into some intense underground fighting matches, an escape sequence through downtown Bangkok which puts any Hollywood film to shame, a sort of homage to Blues Brothers’ hilarious car chase involving Thai three-wheeled taxis called “tuk tuks” (I hope, I’m not good on spoken Thai comprehension) and more high octane action joy. Sure, there’s a subplot involving Ai Yod’s female friend and her sister who is a hopeless junkie… but who cares? We’re here to see the gravity-defying stunts and bone-breaking martial arts, Goddamnit!

And does the action deliver. Yeerum? a real life Muay Thai expert? is the real deal. Earlier, in my review for Kiss of the Dragon, I mentioned Jet Li is the first since Bruce Lee to have that big screen poise and panache, the dominant martial artist in cinema. Well I changed my mind. Scratch Jet Li. The aptly named Phanom (Phanom, Phenom, geddit ?) puts all the ancient kung fu masters to shame with his unique combination of freak athleticism and martial art skill. The first is on show during the aforementioned chase sequence ? I won’t give away much, but there’s some serious circus stuff going on right there, and the latter… well, during most of the film.

Muay Thai is a skill which heavily relies on usage of knees and elbows, and Yeerum is no different – his most devastating attacks involve exactly elbows, and a couple of his trademark “flying elbows” will definitely leave any viewer breathless. Thanks to the great fighting choreography and the amount of skill Yeerum and co. possess, almost every fight scene is a standout, but the second string of fights in the seedy brawling joint and the thrilling climax are the ones to remember. To reinforce the sheer madness of some of Yeerum’s moves, the director implemented a “he-did-WHAT-?!” instant replay which will show you his latest amazing move from another angle. Neat trick, but sometimes overused, and can be annoying as well.

It’s time to shine back at that first paragraph which deals with patriotic cinema tastes. Namely, the movie is superbly tailored to the Thai mass audiences, and it’s not shy to show us that. First, Ai Ting seems to have a thing for beating up on loud-mouthed foreigners. Second, he’s a good Thai country boy, Buddhist and all. Third, the main villain turns out to be a guy who is busy black-marketing big Buddha statues, which is (probably) as horrible a crime as one can imagine. Fourth, the soundtrack is a stirring mix of modern electronic beats and traditional Thai music used in Muay Thai fighting arenas.

Director Pinkaew thus manages to balance the box office appeal in between success in his homeland and make a respectful action movie which has success potential overseas, which was usually not the case with commercial Japanese filmmakers, who were often accused of being “too western” by the domestic critics (take Akira Kurosawa for one).

A word about acting… no one in this crowd will ever get an Oscar nomination, but there are some solid supporting roles to be seen. Wongkamlao is a riot as the charming weasel Ai Yod (his character also winds up with a patriotic twist, see it for yourself), and his friend Muay (the girl I don’t know the name of ) does an OK job as well. Yeerum himself is pretty much a shy, reclusive figure with a mousey voice of sorts, but luckily it’s usually his limbs (and the pointy ends of them) who do the talking in this one. I ought to credit the director and the whole crew here as well, because Ong-Bak absolutely does not look cheap ? it is slick and well produced, and is well up to Hollywood standards when it comes to direction and production values. Also, have I mentioned the film doesn’t use any wires? No? Well, be prepared – all the action and flying in this film is for real, no crappy wires, which, at least in my opinion, tend to ruin a good film.

And for all the praise, the availability of this film is still spotty. Ong-Bak is a cult classic in file sharing circles, but other than that it got no distribution outside of Asia as of yet. You can order the Thai region 3 DVD somewhere online (use Google you lazy sods), but it has no English subs. Then again, not that you need them anyway ? I initially watched this film without any subs, and you can follow the plot pretty clearly without understanding of single word of Thai language. Last news is that Luc Besson, of Nikita and Fifth Element fame, clinched the rights for the European release and that the movie will be premiered in France in April. No words on the US release as of yet, but I hope for the sake of all US cinema fans that the Miramax will stay far and away from this one.

So to round this review up, I’d really love to give this film a grade in the A level, but the sub par (well, make that “non-existent”) story and script will limit it to nine out of ten in our honourable City on Fire rating.

Well nah. Nine and a half. The action is that good. Who needs script, anyway?

Reviewer’s Note : I am absolutely not sure about the names of the actors and if I matched the character and actor names good. The all-round information on the net about this is very vague as of now ? unless you can speak Thai, which I can’t. Sorry for inconvenience. I am sure the main guy IS Phanom Yeerum though.

Mairosu’s Rating: 9.5/10

The post Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

"Legend of the Tsunami Warrior" Thai Theatrical Poster

AKA: The Pirates of Langkasuka, The Tsunami Warrior, Queens of Langkasuka
Director: Nonzee Nimibutr
Writer: Winn Leawwarin
Producer: Nonzee Nimibutr
Cast: Sorapong Chatree, Ananda Everingham, Jesdaporn Pholdee, Chupong Changprung, Ake Oree, Jakrit Phanichphatikram, Jarunee Suksawas, Winai Kraibutr, Jaqueline Apithananon
Running Time: 119 min.

By JJ Hatfield

I watched this film and looked at a few short notes I jotted down. Where should I begin with a review? I admit I watched this twice and still experienced more than one wtf? moments.

The premise is very broadly based on a mythical place and time with a kingdom on the sea. Okay I can follow that. I guess. There are three princesses, or sisters, or maybe one is a queen and the other two are princesses… that rule over the kingdom …anyway that’s the least of the problems! I listened carefully as the director explained how he wanted to create something different. Well by golly he sure got his wish! I don’t mind different but this movie borders on incomprehensible! The director, Nonee Nimibutr was excited to bring about the first – fantasy based historical – like a medium sized kind of epic but action too movie. wth? If you watch this you too will be having those moments. If there were any real situation to have drawn from the subject would have been far more interesting..

The three royal rulers have to combine forces and work together to uhm……oh yeah, protect their kingdoms. Everyone seems to have a canon fetish. Everyone has canons, lots of canons. Some of the canons have dragon heads, others are all shiny and one or two are even pulled up from the ocean floor. These people need canons! This should have been called “Canons of the Fish Warriors”.

If you are looking for Dan Chupong he isn’t hard to find. Early on he saves the Queen from an assassination attempt but he is burned by acid leaving a scar on his face. No problem says the queen so they stick him in a cheap silver-ish mask that covers half his face. I’m not sure if he wanted to be noticed or if he was trying to hide. There are some fights but they are shot so poorly it’s hard to see anything. One of the princesses marries a ruler from another region so that she can bring home – yes – more canons!

Oh yes and our hero, how could I forget him? He has a lot of baggage but he can still study the magic of being at one with the fish and other critters in the water. He doesn’t raise any tsunamis or even a mild hurricane. There are some fairly interesting shots of underwater plant life – Wait – back to looking for canons! Our hero doesn’t really do much with his powers he waits until half the peasants are dead and then yells from his stomach and moby dick or some creature shows up after most of the dirty work is done. He does say he will go live in the sea and I hope to God that means there will not be a sequel!

JJ Hatfield’s Rating: 3.5/10

The post Legend of the Tsunami Warrior (2008) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.