Action the Star of Ong Bak 2
The first thing to know about Ong Bak 2: The Beginning is that there is no story. The second thing to know is that the first thing isn’t as much of a bother as it probably should be. The third, and most important, thing to know is that this film is filled with such explosive martial arts action that a viewer’s eyes could literally pop out of their head from all the stimulation.
Tony Jaa in Magnet Releasing's Ong Bak 2: The Beginning
Not so much a sequel as a totally unconnected prequel to the popular 2003 cult original, Ong Bak 2 once again stars Tony Jaa this time as orphan boy named Tien raised by bandits and trained in all martial arts styles. As he reaches maturity he is given command of the clan, sent out on raids to destroy the immoral slave trade and relieve wealthy merchants of their wares. But Tien wants revenge against the ruling Thai forces who killed his father, leaving the clan to engage in a battle that will test his metal and skills like nothing else has before.
Blah, blah, blah. This bit of fiction set in Thailand’s ancient past is outright hooey. More than that, it’s a blatant setup for another sequel, the whole the ending in such an annoying cliffhanger I couldn’t help but laugh at the audacity of it. Co-directed by its star and written by its producer Panna Rittikrai (who is also the other director), the movie is a hodgepodge of melodramatic clichés that went out of style eons ago, both men not caring an ounce that a single second of their project contains even a whisper of originality.
What they do care about is action and what they deliver is beyond astonishing. I thought Jaa was out of this world in Ong Bak but what he does here goes beyond that and then some. While nothing is as innovative or as technically spellbinding as that almost ten minute tracking shot in the otherwise underwhelming The Protector, the level of martial arts ingenuity and skill on display here is simply out of this world. It is almost as if the fights themselves refuse to come to an end, and just as soon as one enemy is dispatched two, ten, maybe even 20 more suddenly rise up to replace them.
The much talked about bit on an elephant lives up to the hype, while a sequence inside a royal palace is a stunningly innovative set piece echoing the very best Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan or Jet Li ever put to screen in one of their early martial arts spectaculars. The final, seemingly never-ending sequence inside the bandits’ empty village is beyond stupendous, the whole thing making my audibly gasp so many times I’m sure the guy sitting close to me would have been annoyed had he not been doing the exact same thing.
I admit, it is hard to get past just how stupid and inane much of this film is. It also doesn’t help that Jaa and Rittikrai treat it all with a dead seriousness that’s downright scary, the clown-like humor that enlivened the actor’s earlier events completely absent here. That ending is also hugely unsatisfying, and as much as I enjoyed myself the fact the film didn’t even bother to come to a conclusion is a thing I have trouble forgiving.
Not that a person doesn’t go into a movie like Ong Bak 2 not knowing what they’re in for. The film is wall-to-wall action that stretches an R-rating to its absolute breaking point. It is unapologetically violent photographed and edited with all the subtlety of a jackhammer (and I mean that as a compliment). Jaa doesn’t so much break new ground as he slams his fist into the earth marking his territory and for those partial to that sort of thing this is one sequel viewers will be punching themselves senseless in order to see.
Film Rating: êê1/2 (out of 4)
Additional Links:
