Wow, Thai Moves Have Come A Long Way, Ong Bak....

[Kamui 777]

Ong Bak Trailer

The above link has it in French, but I bought the bootleg today.

This movie was great!! Plot wasn't (but what fighting movie is), but the action scenes were awesome. He slid underneath a car!!

The fights were great, too.

Definetly worth checking out.!!!

Edited April 26, 2004 by Kamui 777

[Golden Arms]

I gotta check that film out. Is their version with english subtitles? The plot seems very similar to Fist and Guts.

[UN Spacy]

The last movie that I've seen center around Thailand was Kickboxer. Is this supposed to center around a Muy Thai fighter?

The choreography looks pretty good.

[Oihan]

I wouldn't mind seeing it myself either. Generally when I think of martial arts movies I think of Jackie Chan and 'goofy' martial arts films. This one looks to be serious...would be nice for a change.

[Kamui 777]

You can buy some Eng subs on eBay. It has great Muay Thai fights and even a Tuk Tuk chase scene.

It's not a comical film, but again, don't expect a great plot.

[areaseven]

Ong-Bak ( องค์บาก )

Baa-Ram-Ewe/Sahamongkolfilm Co. Ltd., 2003

EuropaCorp/Magnolia Pictures, 2005

Directed by Prachya Pinkaew

Rated R for graphic martial arts violence, slight nudity, suggestive sexual situations, drug use and profanity.

Cast

- Phanom "Tony Jaa" Yeerum as Ting

- Petchtai Wongkamlao as George/Hum-Lae

- Pumwaree Yodkamol as Muay-Lek

- Suchoa Pongvilai as Komtuan

- Chatthapong Pantanaunkul as Saming

Synopsis

Somewhere in the Nong Pradu village in Thailand, there is a sacred Buddha statue called "Ong-Bak." It is said that Ong-Bak possesses mystical powers that keep the village safe. But one night, a former villager named Don steals the head of Ong-Bak to win the respect of the ruthless crime lord Komtuan.

To save his village, a young disciple named Ting offers to travel to Bangkok. He will do anything - even break his sacred morals and participate in illegal fights - to recover the head of Ong-Bak.

Lowdown

For decades, the general public has only seen Asian martial arts flicks come out of Hong Kong and Japan. Then, a couple of years ago, the South Korean film industry made people aware that they can also make such films like Volcano High. The latest country in Asia to enter the bandwagon is Thailand.

Muay Thai movies aren't new; they were made popular by Jean-Claude Van Damme in the 1980s with Bloodsport and Kickboxer. Ong-Bak, on the other hand, takes Muay Thai flicks to a new level. Never mind that the movie has little or no plot. It's all about Phanom Yeerum (known in Asia as Tony Jaa) showing his moves as Ting. His unbelievable agility is reminiscent of a young Jackie Chan. As a matter of fact, he'd legitimately flatten Van Damme with one knee or elbow if they ever meet.

And what's a martial arts flick these days without comic relief? You have Hum-Lae, the idiotic swindler who once lived in Ting's village. He and his partner Muay-Lek do nothing but give our hero trouble with either thugs or the police. You have a crime lord that needs a voice box to talk (Wow...how original. I wonder if they got that from WWE...). Hell, you even have a high-speed Tuk Tuk (tricycle taxi) chase scene that's more exciting than 2 Fast 2 Furious. And the fight scenes? They're so well-choreographed that they look real enough to make you say, "Ouch!" for every knee lift or elbow smash that Ting does on anyone.

If it weren't for the drug scenes or implied sex, Ong-Bak could've been a PG-13 type flick. Nevertheless, it's 108 minutes of jaw-breaking, skull-crunching Muay Thai action. No strings attached.

Rating: B+

Links

Official Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior Homepage (France)

Official Mach!!!!!!!! Homepage (Japan)

Weekly Magazine Mach (Japanese)

Reference

The Internet Movie Database

Edited March 3, 2005 by areaseven

[dr_vandermeer]

THIS MOVIE WILL KICK YOUR ASS.

All of the blows connect, no faking here. You can see the stuntmen wince just a second before some of the punches and kicks land. Elbows, Knees, Fists. OUCH OUCH OUCH!

NO WIRES.

Some of the stuff looks insanely impossible, but from what I've been told about the Thai DVDs/VCDs with behind the scenes footage, it's all really him doing that stuff. Yes, even him running across PEOPLE'S SHOULDERS.

His agility is amazing. But Jackie will always be the king to me because of his inventiveness, choreography, and flow. But this guy Tony Jaa is a definite find.

A7, do you know if he's working on any new movies? After Ong-Bak, I need to see more of what this guy can do.

[areaseven]

A7, do you know if he's working on any new movies? After Ong-Bak, I need to see more of what this guy can do.

Well, he hasn't done anything else yet. BTW, did you know that he was Robin Shou's stunt double in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation?

[areaseven]

BTW, the director had a way to get the attention of foreign film directors:

1. In one scene where Ting is running away from a bunch of thugs, there's some graffiti that reads, "Spielberg, we should get together."

2. In the scene where a tuk tuk flies off a bridge and hits an apartment building before crashing down, there's graffiti on the left side of the screen that reads, "Luc Besson, we are waiting for you."

Shortly after Ong-Bak hit theatres, Luc Besson supposedly called up the director and bought the film rights.

[BoBe-Patt]

wow, this just reminds me of jackie chan stuff but in Thai form. And that picture reminds me of Adon from street fighter alpha. Cool movie though. I'd definitly check this one out.

[dr_vandermeer]

Yeah, I had heard something about him playing Shou's stunt double. And I caught the Speilberg nod.

Missed the Luc Besson one though. I'll have to look for it again.

Can't wait for it to hit the big screen here.

C'mon Luc! Get a move on!

[Golden Arms]

Ong Bak is a awesome movie. I rented it 2 months ago and was highlyentertained. You guys are right, the lead puts alot into his attacks. Very hard hitting. He's nowhere near as agile As Jackie Chan, Chiang Cheng, or Hsiao Hou. But very impressive non the less.

[Solscud007]

Yeah bought this in Canada. Boy he is awesome. His stunts and the form of his fighting style is so brutal!!!!

[areaseven]

Can't wait for it to hit the big screen here.

C'mon Luc! Get a move on!

Actually, I found out that Europa Films - the company that released Ong-Bak in France - is run by Luc Besson. A company called Magnolia Pictures is supposedly releasing the French edited version in English this November.

Meanwhile, the cast of Ong-Bak just finished promoting the film in Japan, where it's titled Mach!!!!!!!! (Yeah, that title doesn't make sense at all.). Here's a link where you can download a video featuring Tony Jaa demonstrating his agility:

http://www.cinematopics.com/cinema/c_repor....php?number=933

And it looks like a sequel to Ong-Bak is in the works:

http://www.themovieblog.com/archives/2004/...this_month.html

Edited July 21, 2004 by areaseven

[dr_vandermeer]

Can't wait for it to hit the big screen here.

C'mon Luc! Get a move on!

Actually, I found out that Europa Films - the company that released Ong-Bak in France - is run by Luc Besson. A company called Magnolia Pictures is supposedly releasing the French edited version in English this November.

Meanwhile, the cast of Ong-Bak just finished promoting the film in Japan, where it's titled Mach!!!!!!!! (Yeah, that title doesn't make sense at all.). Here's a link where you can download a video featuring Tony Jaa demonstrating his agility:

http://www.cinematopics.com/cinema/c_repor....php?number=933

And it looks like a sequel to Ong-Bak is in the works:

http://www.themovieblog.com/archives/2004/...this_month.html

Sweeet! I also heard about another Thai movie coming out called 'Born to Fight' from the same director. Sounded like it'd be cool, but didn't have too much info on it.

[mpchi]

Man. A co worker of mine just gaved me a copy of this DVD, which is a HK release I believe. But to my surprise, it doesn't play in all DVD players that I have. Turned out its a region 3. Now makes me itch about watching it even more.

[areaseven]

Fans of Thai cinema will be pleased to know that the director and production team behind Ong-Bak have a new movie out titled Born to Fight. Tony Jaa is not in it, and it's less realistic than Ong-Bak, but Born to Fight seems to be more action-packed and more violent.

Born to Fight Trailer

[Amped]

Born to Fight looks entertaining as hell! Everyone at my office has the same reaction to the fight on top of the semi-tractor trailers... WTF?!? I can only assume that was a minor character, 'cause if they screwed that stunt up, he wouldn't be around for a second take!

Ong Bak was a great chop-socky flick. I order one of the boots offa eBay a coupla weeks ago and was very impressed with the quality of the DVD. The movie itself was a great piece of entertainment. Kindava slow-burn experience. It never really reaches a 'climax', per se, but it does what it does very well.

A wafer-thin plot/intro... builds up to series of chase/ fight scenes... and a quick conclusion. Inbetween all of that is some of the most brutal fighting I've ever seen in a film. Not bloody... just F'n brutal. I've never seen such excessive (& effective) use of elbow & knee hits as this flick depicts! You'll cringe as many of these moves connect (I'm sure the stunt men were feelin' it the next day). The main character has the most aggressive style I've ever seen... he's constantly advancing, absorbing blows, pressing his attack. Very cool & tough.

One scene in particular sticks in my head: where the main dude is goin' to town with his elbows on this other guy's head... my buddy winced and said it sounded like an adding machine rappin' against the guys skull, the blows were rainin' down so fast!!! Hell, even my mom was entertained while watching this movie!

If you like fighting films, you won't be disappointed by this one!

[JRock]

I saw this movie at Otakon. Damn Ong Bak is tight!! I bought the DVD shortly after seeing it. I noticed the Luc Besson message, but where is the Spielberg message? Is it earlier than the tuk-tuk chase?

[areaseven]

I saw this movie at Otakon. Damn Ong Bak is tight!! I bought the DVD shortly after seeing it. I noticed the Luc Besson message, but where is the Spielberg message? Is it earlier than the tuk-tuk chase?

During the scene where Ting is being chased by the thugs, he dodges some of them on a table. As he jumps off the table, the Spielberg message appears on a metal gate in the background.

[JRock]

I saw this movie at Otakon. Damn Ong Bak is tight!! I bought the DVD shortly after seeing it. I noticed the Luc Besson message, but where is the Spielberg message? Is it earlier than the tuk-tuk chase?

During the scene where Ting is being chased by the thugs, he dodges some of them on a table. As he jumps off the table, the Spielberg message appears on a metal gate in the background.

Found it.

[JRock]

Here's the Luc Besson message.

[areaseven]

For those interested in picking up the DVD, here's a short guide on the versions available online:

Ong-Bak (Hong Kong Edition)

Languages: Thai, Cantonese

Subtitles: English, Chinese

There are several bootleg versions of this DVD. I have one by Easy DVD, which has a rather dark picture quality. The English subtitles are very good, despite some spelling errors.

Included are these bonus features:

- Original Thai trailer & TV spot.

- Chinese trailer.

- Interviews with Tony Jaa and the director.

- Outtakes.

- Hong Kong promotional video, where Tony Jaa demonstrates his skills in front of a live audience.

Ong Bak (Taiwan Bootleg Edition)

Languages: Thai

Subtitles: English

I also have this copy at home. Unlike the HK version, this DVD has an English menu. It also appears to be a direct rip from the original Thai release, as it carries the same extras.

The picture quality is much better than the one above. You might expect better subtitles, but there are problems. The subtitles don't mention names other than the main characters. The name of the village is referred to as Ong-Bak when it isn't. And there are some grammatical errors as well. In addition, Tony Jaa's kata moves are translated in English. While that's a plus for most viewers, many martial arts enthusiasts will want to know the actual Thai names of the techniques.

As for the extras, here they are:

- Fight Choreographic

- Ong-Bak's Easter Eggs

- Casting & Audition

- Story Board Comparison

- Demo Scenes

- Alternate Ending

- Deleted Scene

- 3D Animatic Comparison

Which one should you get? It all depends on what you want on the DVD.

BTW, JRock, which version do you have?

Edited January 18, 2005 by areaseven

[JRock]

The version I have is from a company called Red Sun. It's under the name Ong*Bak: Thai Warrior (The "*" is actually marked as Ong-Bak's severed head on the cover.) It too seems to be a direct rip of the Thai disc. The text is BOLD font English on top, and small Thai text on the bottom. I have all the extras but the commentary. It couldn't play on my Daewoo DVD-5800 but it works fine on my PC DVD-ROM. I got it at Otakon when I saw multiple versions of the movie. I saw at least three different covers. I got one of the corniest.

I'll show you a few screen grabs of the menu.

[JRock]

Here's one of the Audio Menu. Notice the Director's Commentary option is missing, and replaced with tacked on text for the option of English subtitles.

[JRock]

Here's something I've just noticed while I was watching some of the extras.

Take a look at the guy's black jacket. Hmm. That faint looking drawling looks familiar....

[areaseven]

The version I have is from a company called Red Sun. It's under the name Ong*Bak: Thai Warrior (The "*" is actually marked as Ong-Bak's severed head on the cover.) It too seems to be a direct rip of the Thai disc. The text is BOLD font English on top, and small Thai text on the bottom. I have all the extras but the commentary. It couldn't play on my Daewoo DVD-5800 but it works fine on my PC DVD-ROM. I got it at Otakon when I saw multiple versions of the movie. I saw at least three different covers. I got one of the corniest.

I'll show you a few screen grabs of the menu.

Interesting. The DVD menus on your copy are similar to mine. I did some further research on eBay and I found out that one bootleg has two different covers.

[dr_vandermeer]

Hey guys. So none of these versions come with the behind the scenes footage that I've seen online?

[JRock]

Here's the cover of the version I own.

[areaseven]

Mark your calendar, folks. Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is coming to selected theatres on February 11.

http://www.ongbakmovie.com/

[areaseven]

Only two more days before Ong-Bak makes its nationwide premiere. And based on Rotten Tomatoes' review archives, it's 100% fresh (10 out of 10 reviews are positive).

And even more good news: Tony Jaa will star alongside Jackie Chan in Drunken Master 3.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

I saw the movie 2 weeks ago. It KICKED ass. Supposedly there is a sequel and another movie coming out as well. I am not sure but there is one which translates to "lemongrass soup"(I kid you not), read on a tony jaa bbs, which is due to be released in august this year in thailand. Biggest movie there since this other movie which started with an S.

[areaseven]

I watched Ong-Bak last night at AMC 30 Theatres in Orange, CA. As I predicted, it's the French-edited version, even though it's still in Thai with English subtitles. Most of the original soundtrack was replaced with cheesy French hip-hop music. The movie has been shortened by about five minutes; the cut scenes aren't noticeable unless you've seen the original version. Here's the edit list (Highlight to read):

1. There's no mention of Ting being an orphan and raised by the village.

2. There's no reference of Muaylek's sister Ngek, a hooker trying to make enough money for Muaylek's college tuition. The scene where Don OD's Ngek is intact (as a matter of fact, that's the only scene with Ngek in it), but it will leave viewers wondering who she is and what she handed Hum-Lae before lapsing into a coma.

The U.S. release is okay, but because of the horrible new soundtrack and the subtle editing, you should hunt down a DVD bootleg copy instead. Otherwise, I'd still recommend watching it on the big screen.

[KingNor]

As a matter of fact, he'd legitimately flatten Van Damme with one knee or elbow if they ever meet.

silly

i'm no fan of van damme but really, when youve studied martial arts the way any of these guys have, i'm sure one kick from any of the would be enough to put the other down in one hit.

besides how old is damme now? gotta be pushin 40+ isnt' he? and this guy seems to be in his 20's

anyway thats about as far as i'll defend damme, cuz i really do hate the guy, but that line just reminded me of the childish "chuck noris could beat up steven segal and van damme and bla bla bla all by himself" conversations i had when i was 10 hehe

[areaseven]

Check out your local Best Buy or Suncoast today to see if the R1 DVD release of Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is out. I just saw a commercial of it last night while watching The Ultimate Fighter 2 on SpikeTV.

Edited August 30, 2005 by areaseven