Zepp
02-10-2005, 04:54 PM
Seems as though this one is sans wires. I've only seen a short TV trailer myself.
ONG-BAK: THE THAI WARRIOR
Starring Tony Jaa, Petchai Wongkamlao. Written by Suphachai Sithiamphan. Directed by Prachya Pinkaew. (STC) 105 min. Opens Feb 11.
Jaa rules: Thailand's rising martial arts star does it himself in Ong-Bak
BY JASON ANDERSON
The martial-arts genre is a lot like Queen Street's western frontier. Once dependably seedy, it has been transformed by the forces of gentrification. Instead of new restaurants and boutique hotels, the signs of chopsocky's rise to respectability are opulent productions full of impeccably choreographed combat. In the wake of Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000 came more upscale wuxia efforts like Zhang Yimou's Hero and House of Flying Daggers, He Ping's Warriors of Heaven and Earth and Tsui Hark's forthcoming Seven Swords. With Quentin Tarantino's double shot of Kill Bill, the traditional divide separating martial arts and art house vanished like $2 glasses of draft from West Queen West's establishments.
On the contrary, Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is about as genteel as a flying elbow smash to the head. That's one of star Tony Jaa's signature moves. He's also fond of kicking adversaries in the face, jumping up on their shoulders and landing on their chests with his knees. Though the action is just as exhilarating as it is in the more lavish productions, Ong-Bak is a no-nonsense, old-school martial-arts experience more akin to Fists of Fury or The Street Fighter. The formulaic plotline about Ting (Jaa) -- a country boy who comes to Bangkok to retrieve the stolen head of Ong-Bak, his village's stone Buddha -- provides little in the way of distraction. In other words, it's all about the fighting and that's a very good thing when there are so many fresh moves on display....
Full article can be found here (http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_02.10.05/film/ong-bak.html).
ONG-BAK: THE THAI WARRIOR
Starring Tony Jaa, Petchai Wongkamlao. Written by Suphachai Sithiamphan. Directed by Prachya Pinkaew. (STC) 105 min. Opens Feb 11.
Jaa rules: Thailand's rising martial arts star does it himself in Ong-Bak
BY JASON ANDERSON
The martial-arts genre is a lot like Queen Street's western frontier. Once dependably seedy, it has been transformed by the forces of gentrification. Instead of new restaurants and boutique hotels, the signs of chopsocky's rise to respectability are opulent productions full of impeccably choreographed combat. In the wake of Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000 came more upscale wuxia efforts like Zhang Yimou's Hero and House of Flying Daggers, He Ping's Warriors of Heaven and Earth and Tsui Hark's forthcoming Seven Swords. With Quentin Tarantino's double shot of Kill Bill, the traditional divide separating martial arts and art house vanished like $2 glasses of draft from West Queen West's establishments.
On the contrary, Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is about as genteel as a flying elbow smash to the head. That's one of star Tony Jaa's signature moves. He's also fond of kicking adversaries in the face, jumping up on their shoulders and landing on their chests with his knees. Though the action is just as exhilarating as it is in the more lavish productions, Ong-Bak is a no-nonsense, old-school martial-arts experience more akin to Fists of Fury or The Street Fighter. The formulaic plotline about Ting (Jaa) -- a country boy who comes to Bangkok to retrieve the stolen head of Ong-Bak, his village's stone Buddha -- provides little in the way of distraction. In other words, it's all about the fighting and that's a very good thing when there are so many fresh moves on display....
Full article can be found here (http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_02.10.05/film/ong-bak.html).