Ong-bak 2: The Beginning

Tony Jaa completed his carefully crafted image as the “Thai Bruce Lee” and created such a work that the master of martial arts himself was unable to finalise. Ong bak 2: The Beginning is Jaa’s Game of Death (in the sense of Lee’s original concept, not the demeaning dud released after the master’s death). Whereas competing Thai fight movies focus on absurd plots and superficial pandering to viewers, Jaa created a film that takes a sophisticated and consistent approach to the fighting. Thanks to its combination of contact choreography and intense physical style, Ong bak 2: The Beginning is the new pinnacle of its genre. (02/23/2013)

The absolutely perfect fight sequences are ruined by an oddly told story. Tony is a master of martial arts who has affection for beautiful pictures, but he is completely unfamiliar with any kind of story build up or character motivation. The finale is amongst the most sophisticated fights of all time and if it wasn’t for the WTF ending which leaves the viewer completely puzzled (why wasn’t there at least “to be continued" written in Thai?) it would be the epitome of perfection in its category. (03/30/2009)