CinemaClown Jam-packed with crazy stunts & insane action choreography, and introducing Tony Jaa as the next major martial arts star after Bruce Lee & Jackie Chan, Ong-bak (also known as Ong-bak: Muay Thai Warrior or simply The Thai Warrior) is more an exhibition of the famous combat style than anything else, for the story it packs in is barely serviceable.The story of Ong-bak follows a young martial artist who journeys to Bangkok to retrieve an artefact that was stolen from his village by some thieves. Enlisting the help of his cousin who already lives in the big city, he attempts to track down the thieves but finds himself delving deeper into the Thai underworld and has to rely on his combat skills to defeat his adversaries.Co-written & directed by Prachya Pinkaew, the plot is paper thin yet many of the storytelling shortcomings are brushed away by the acrobatics & martial arts on display here as every action scene is violent yet fascinating to watch. However, it is also overdone, as evident in the different angles employed to capture the same stunt multiple times throughout the movie.The absence of CGI & wire fu is a welcome element, providing its practical stunts & action choreography an authentic & realistic touch that most martial arts films tend to lack. It isn't just the face-offs that's thrilling to watch but also the chases that the film has in store. The plot outline is a simple one, dialogues aren't good at all, and yet it is a mostly entertaining ride.Tony Jaa is what makes Ong-bak so refreshing on so many levels. His acting may not be up to the mark but watching him destroy his opponents with the combat skills, speed & athleticism he has in his arsenal is an absolute delight. There are a few moments the story could've done without but majority of its action segments carry zero complaints. The background score however is a total letdown.On an overall scale, Ong-bak brings ancient Muay Thai to mainstream cinema in a truly memorable fashion and is one of the finest martial arts films in existence. Its shortcomings are plenty yet for every action aficionado, it is going to be a mostly satisfying cinematic experience. Announcing the arrival of a new martial arts star in grand style and keeping its combat style well within the realms of physics, this Thai classic is a must for every action film fanatic out there.

Charles Herold (cherold) In Ong-bak, monk-in-training Ting volunteers to go to the city to hunt down the mobster who stole the head of their sacred statue. He falls in with a couple of swindlers and winds up in a whole bunch of fights. The fights are brutally entertaining, full of leaps and kicks and elbow jabs. Star Tony Jaa is athletically acrobatic, something shown off to greatest effect not in a fight but in a long chase sequence in which Ting does things like leap over cars (in splits position). The action is terrific, but not much else is. It's a little hard to judge things like acting and dialogue when watching a foreign movie, but most of the acting seemed pretty bad (especially the early scenes in the village) and the subtitled dialogue was pretty stupid.Jaa himself has solid screen presence, and Petchtai Wongkamlao is amusing as one of the swindlers, but take out the action sequences are you have a really bad half hour. The story isn't even neutral; it is actually worse than if they'd had no story at all, because it relies on criminals so spiteful that they do things that lead to their ruin (a smart criminal could have ended the whole sage in five peaceful minutes), and because the ending is a bummer.But if you want to see a bunch of martial arts, definitely check this one out.

Takeshi-K "Ong Bak" refers to a really old statue of The Buddha that sits in a small Thai village. Thieves from Bangkok disrespect and decapitate the statue and take the head with them. Believing their village is now cursed without it, the upset villagers determine to recover it. One of the villagers, Ting, played by Muay Thai legend Tony Jaa, volunteers to travel to Bangkok. His logical starting point is Don, a drug dealer who attempted to buy the statue and so begins his spiritual warrior journey into the depths of Bangkok's criminal underworld.As a Thai I admit I am biased but this is one of the great martial arts films of all time. The action is incredible and the fact that there is no cgi makes it all the more epic and rewarding. No wire work either. It is a battle of good vs evil elevated to epic status since the hero's journey is spiritually justified. Muay Thai and Taekwondo fans will recognise many of the moves. This is an exciting introduction to Thai Culture and our people.

lewiskendell A young country man travels to Bangkok to recover the stolen stone head of Ong-Bak, the Buddha statue of his village. Though he is an incredibly skilled Muay Thai fighter, his master asks him not to use his dangerous skills, in an effort to keep him from accidentally killing someone and being forced to live the rest of his life in regret. Circumstances and the corrupt people of the city force him into situations where he must fight, though, and he's willing to do anything to bring the stone head back to his village, which is cursed by its absence. The fight sequences in Ong-Bak are so fun that they completely make up for the fact that the rest of the movie is fairly dull. That won't matter at all, though, as you're watch Tony Jaa deliver endless flying elbows and kicks, while pulling of some absolutely insane stunt and fight choreography. Sit back, relax, and grin while you watch him literally kick the dust off people's heads.