Ong Bak: Muai Thai Warrior (2003)
Cast: Panom Yeerum, Petchtai Wongkamiao, Pumwaree Yodkamol
Director: Prachya Pinkaew
Synopsis: Exciting, Crowd-pleasing martial arts stunt extravaganza from Thailand
Reviewed by: Omar Khan

A Thai martial arts entry – the film begins misleadingly in a tranquil Thai village with an intriguing and alluring and beautifully shot scene of a tree climbing competition, just one of the many rituals that are a prelude to the main occasion the villagers await – that of honouring the villages’ pride; the enormous golden Buddha statue that is the centrepiece of the festival.

We are shown a young Maui Thai Warrior who has mastered his art and earned the respect of the elders. He is taken aside by a wise old man who reiterates that the young lion warrior needs to always remember that the deadly discipline of Maui Thai can only be justified when used in self defence. The film opens with a seductive glimpse of old world village customs before careering off on a wildly different tangent altogether – like the calm before an enormously violent storm.

A gangster arrives at the village and sneaks off with the revered Buddha statue leaving the entire village traumatized as the festival they’ve looked forward to for an age is now totally ruined unless by some miracle they can find a way to reclaim it. And so the young warrior is given the responsibility of recovering the statue and the innocent village boy sets off for the big bad city to try to find “Don” the evil hood who has made off with the Buddha.

Once the young lad (Ting, played by Petchai Wongkamiao) reaches the nasty city he tries to contact an old friend from his village – does indeed find him but discovers that the city has mutated him into a godless heathen with no scruples or morals at all. In no time at all the situation spirals totally out of control and Ting finds himself having to rely on his deadly Maui Thai skills in order to survive. The rest of the film is unfolds like an out and out martial arts spectacular when one fight sequence is followed seamlessly by another. The stunts and the fights are exhilaratingly staged and there are strong doses of humour and occasional pathos that help propel the film forward at breakneck speed.

One spectacularly staged stunt set piece is followed by another and the film fizzes along with sheer exuberant energy towards its admittedly fairytale conclusion. Ong Bak is a huge crowd-pleasing entertainer and despite some of the rather awkward acting it has so much vitality and energy that it keeps the audience involved and entertained throughout. The Sitges audience reacted very positively and the film won an award in the Orient Express category and was clearly a big crowd favourite despite being a rather one dimensional stunt flick. However it succeeded in achieving its goal and thrilled and amused the audience unrelentingly.

I must admit having a very limited knowledge of the martial arts films but at least I can attest to the fact that there wasn’t a dull moment throughout – A bit of a simplistic fairytale and lacking in sophistication, nonetheless it managed to entertain from the beginning till the end, which itself is a commendable feat. Sadly it seems Miramax have acquired the rights and Western audiences will never get to see the film in its original form as no doubt the studio will make alterations to suit the western palate – Pity!

A wild, wacky and thoroughly entertaining ride – well worth a popcorn Saturday afternoon!