Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted
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.

263583[/snapback]

lol, I saw a full uncut version of this in a cinema here months ago. Go UK! (for once)

I saw the Speilberg message but missed the Luc Besson one, too busy watching Tuk, Tuks. :D

Posted (edited)

I bought Ong Bak last year online, and even though the seller stated it had English subtitles, it didn't. But, it didn't really matter since the story was kinda hokey anyway, watch it for the action sequences. I was like, "Damns!", the whole time watching it. Great great action, gets you all pumped up watching it. I even bought the new DVD release today and gave the other version to a Thai friend.

Dang, that trailer for Tony Ja's Tom Young.... new movie is off the hook. It's great it's the same producers and cast. The actor is like a melding of Jackie Chan's acrobatics and Bruce Lee's fighting ferocity.

Edited by baronv
Posted

ongbakdvd01.jpg

Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior ( องค์บาภ)

Baa-Ram-Ewe/Sahamongkol Film, 2003

EuropaCorp/Golden Network/2929 Entertainment/Magnolia Pictures, 2005

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2005

Directed by Prachya Pinkaew (Born to Fight)

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

The R1 DVD release of Ong-Bak is upon us, but is it worth buying compared to the numerous bootlegs found on eBay? Here's the lowdown on the DVD's contents.

Picture Quality

As with many R1 releases of Asian films, FOX's DVD release of Ong-Bak boasts a cleaner picture and higher contrast than the R3 or bootleg releases.

Sound Quality

The Thai soundtrack is presented in Dolby Surround 5.1. Also included is an English dub in Dolby Surround 2.1. And to no surprise, the English dub is among the worst ever recorded for a martial arts flick.

And as reported on one of my earlier posts, EuropaCorp replaced most of the BGM with some cheesy French hip-hop music. In comparison to the original soundtrack, the new music completely detracts from the film, especially during the bar fights and the tuk-tuk chase scene.

Extras

Like the R3 and bootlegs, the R1 release has the Eight Movements of Muay Thai. It also carries many of the features of the R2 European release:

Live - Tony Jaa and Stuntmen Performance Before French Auditorium Audience

"Je reste ghetto" by Tragedie featuring Reed the Weed - French rap video featuring Tony Jaa

The Making of the Rap Video Mentioned Above - Who cares?

Selected B-Roll - Outtakes of the tuk-tuk chase, the arena fight and Tony Jaa with his pants on fire.

Promotional Video Featuring The RZA - What a waste of time.

Trailers - Two from the original Thai release plus two from France and two American ones - one of which has RZA pimping the film like it was his.

In short, if you don't mind the extra crap on the disc, pick up the R1 release. But then again, the nauseating music will have you ordering the bootleg immediately.

Posted (edited)
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.

He is actively working on a project in HK. Check out the HK film tabloids and you will find him mentioned.

Edited by Fortress_Maximus
  • 2 years later...
Posted
The new movie from the director of Ong Bak looks awesome...

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/35213

Thanks for posting that link. I'll definately look for this film once it comes out.

The protector wasn't that good of a film, but the stunts and action were unreal. These films remind me so much of the old 70's shaw bros movies.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...