Preview
ONG BAK: THE THAI WARRIOR
Starring Tony Jaa, Petchthai Wongkamlao and Pumwaree Yodkamlao
Directed by Prachya Pinkaew
Opens Friday, February 11
Check listings
With all the hoopla surrounding Hero and House of Flying Daggers, it’s easy to forget that the balletic martial-arts films being imported to North America have been a staple in Asia for ages.
With larger than life fight choreography, audiences have taken to the stylish battleground where actors are as light on their feet as their safety wires will allow them. But if you thought those films were impressive, check out Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior. It might not be as polished, but then again, star Tony Jaa isn’t using any wires. In fact, he does it without any effects at all.
"It is humanly possible to do these things with the right training. It was something that was challenging for me," says Jaa. "I wanted to make this different from other films… and show my real abilities"
Ong Bak does just that. In the opening scene a group of men battle in the arms of a huge tree, they fall nearly 30 feet to the ground, bouncing off the branches as they go. No wires, no mats, no cuts. It’s no wonder people are mentioning Jaa’s name in the same breath as the big-screen legends who inspired him – Bruce Lee, Jet Li and Jackie Chan.
"I am happy that people think of me that way, but Bruce Lee, Jet Li and Jackie Chan are my heroes and I think of them as my masters," says Jaa, who would watch their moves and practise them on his own.
His at-home practice regime, which included working out with two elephants (I’m not kidding), started when Jaa was 12 years old. He learned taekwondo, swordplay, gymnastics and muai thai (his fighting style of choice in Ong Bak), all in the hopes of following in the footsteps of his idols. He finally broke into movies doing stunt work, but until recently his biggest break was as Robin Shou’s stunt double in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Ong Bak will no doubt raise his profile.
In the film, Jaa stars as Ting, a young man who heads to Bangkok after his village is looted by thugs. In an attempt to retrieve the head of Ong Bak, a sacred statue in his village, Ting is forced into the world of underground boxing. Of course, Ting is well trained in the art of muai thai and it’s not long before he comes to blows with those who have desecrated his hometown.
The standard Asian action methodology is in play – the good guys are too nice for their own good, while the villains are some of the most evil cats around – and to be fair most of the plot is centred on the opportunity for Jaa to strut his stuff. And thank god, because when he does, this movie is in a class by itself.
First, and most obviously, Jaa’s no-strings-attached approach means that when Ting evades a group of thugs by jumping five feet in the air to run along their shoulders, audiences will shake their heads in disbelief. However, martial-arts fans will probably be equally impressed by the fact that this is the first film to really use muai thai boxing as its primary fighting style.
"The culture and tradition that comes into play in muai thai is different than other forms," says Jaa. "The names that they have for the different moves may be different. In taekwondo you might have a side kick, but in muai thai you would call it ‘the deer turning towards the back’ or something like that."
Jaa says that in bringing muai thai to the screen, which he did after four years of research, he wanted the look of the fights to be considerably different. As the film’s hero, Jaa puts himself even further in harm’s way by fighting with his elbows and knees, not just his fists and feet. This means that the fights in Ong Bak are closer and the finishing blows are that much more deadly.
However Jaa stays true to the principles of muai thai, which ultimately teach you to be a better person. After years of training, Jaa reveals that he has found an effective technique for dealing with bullies in real life.
"The best thing to do is to run away," he says, "and not to hit anybody."
CELEB TOP FIVE
The Top Five favourite martial-arts films of Ong Bak star Tony Jaa:
1. The Way of the Dragon starring Bruce Lee
2. Police Story starring Jackie Chan
3. Once Upon a Time In China starring Jet Li
4. Born to Fight starring Phana Rithikra
5. The Last Samurai starring Tom Cruise |
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