Ong-Bak

ONG-BAK (2003) - Feb. 12, 2005
Tony Jaa proves without a doubt that he's going to be the next big martial arts star in this movie about a man who goes into the big city after a statue's head is stolen from his small town. The action sequences - including a chase through a busy city, and the whole end part where Jaa takes on a couple dozen guys - are... well, I think the only word for it is "awesome." There were just so many parts where the only possible reaction is, "oh man, that was AWESOME." The action certainly ranks right up there with the best stuff Jackie Chan has done. As for the movie itself, it wasn't all that great, but I was never bored, which is pretty much all you ask for in a movie like this. But really, when the action is this good, who cares about the rest of the movie? It's like complaining that the dialogue sucks in a porno film. It's quite astounding that this is Tony Jaa's first movie; I can't wait to see where he goes from here (especially now that he is becoming - deservedly so - a big star). ***