Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is the story of Ting (Tony Jaa), a resident of the village of Pradu. As the small farming village prepares for a holy celebration, a small-time hoodlum steals the head of the village's sacred statue of the deity Ong-Bak. Ting volunteers to go to Bangkok and track down the thieves in order to return the head of the revered statue, as it is believed that only misfortune will come to the village while the relic remains defiled. Upon arriving in Bangkok, Ting tracks down Humlae (Petchtai Wongkamlao), the son of the village elder, and tries to enlist his aid. Humlae, or George as he is known in Bangkok, is only interested in gambling and trying to stay one step ahead of the gang who is trying to collect on his gambling debts. After George discovers Ting's fighting prowess, he tries to use him in a series of underground fighting events to make some extra money. Ting, however, is only interested in tracking down the lowly gangster and getting back the head of Ong-Bak. Inevitably, Ting either ends up fighting to save George or running pell-mell through the streets of the city trying to escape the seemingly endless hordes of thugs that are trying to collect from George. During his search, Ting stumbles upon a treasure trove of stolen religious artifacts. When he reports this to the authorities, he attracts the vengeful attention of the gang's big boss. The climactic fight, which is staged in front of a huge Buddha head inside of a cave, allows Ting to seek his vengeance and George to find redemption.
There is no doubt that Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is an hour and a half of pure adrenaline, with the occasional sprinkle of Hong Kong-esque humor mixed in. When I saw the movie in the theater some 7 years ago, I remember thinking how simply incredible Tony Jaa's abilities were. The stunts, free-running and fight sequences are all filmed without wires or nets and many of the moves are literally jaw-dropping. If there is a downside to this, it is that the director knows it and likes to show the audience, again and again, just how spectacular these moments are. Replays of fights or stunts are a frequent occurrence during the film. Many times, the sequence is deserving of another look (though maybe not three or four), but sometimes, one time was enough. I have little doubt that most of these maneuvers were death-defying and took precision timing, but this does not always translate to a moment that needs multiple angle viewing. Ong-Bak was filmed on location in Thailand. The backdrop is fitting for the story, but it is obvious that the production budget was a little slim. Some areas of the film are grainy and poorly lit. These shortfalls become even more evident when viewing the movie in high-definition on Blu-ray. The flip side of this observation is that, on Blu-ray, the sheer athleticism and mind-blowing skills of Tony Jaa are evidenced. Though I just complained above about the over-abundant use of the "instant replay" in Ong-Bak, I did find myself replaying a few of the more spectacular sequences in super slow motion, often unbelieving that a human body could do the things that I was watching on the screen. Sound quality was another area of the film that I found just adequate. The sound of physical contact in fights and of objects breaking were all well done, but scenes such as a taxi chase through the streets were filled with distortion and white noise. The Blu-ray release includes several special features. Several of these are just fillers, such as a promotional spot by the hip-hop artist Rza and a rap video from the film. There are some nice outtakes and behind-the-scenes looks at the stunt work, as well as some short takes featuring the movements of muay thai.
For all of my complaints about the use of replays, the poor film quality and the "just adequate" sound, Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is still a film any martial arts enthusiast should enjoy. The phenomenally skilled Jaa deserves the highest praise for his abilities. The movie itself, though somewhat predictable, is enjoyable and not overly pretentious. The ending seemed a bit canned, but that may be a cultural schism and is something that I can easily overlook. That being said, if you already own this movie on standard DVD format, I did not find that the special features nor the transfer to high definition were particularly noteworthy. Unless you are just determined to transfer your entire collection to Blu-ray, this is a purchase that can be postponed for the foreseeable future. In the years since the release of Ong-Bak, Jaa has only been featured in two films that have made theatrical release in the United States; 2005's The Protector and 2009's Ong-Bak 2: The Beginning. Film quality increased in both of these films and Jaa continued to impress. I hope to see much more of him in the future, perhaps making the migration to some Hollywood-quality movies in the years to come.
