day 72 - Ong bak 2

OK film fans it's been a rainy, cold day and I'm feeling under the weather. When I'm home sick I usually go for an old favorite or something simple like a comedy or action flick. So tonight I have a little something quick and fun before the Nyquil kicks in.

Ong bak 2 is a semi-coherent martial arts film by the phenomenally talented Tony Jaa. Jaa directs and stars in this film about betrayal, revenge and honor, but doesn't have anything to do with the first Ong bak. Tien (Jaa) is the son of a regional Lord killed by his own general who has betrayed him for another more power hungry lord. Tien escapes but is abducted by slave traders. When he proves to be unruly they send him, gladiator style, to fight a crocodile barehanded in a muddy pit. Just as his battle begins the slave traders are attacked by an infamous pirate gang (seriously, this is the plot). Intrigued by his fighting spirit they take Tien with them and teach him their skills, a combination of fighting style from all over Asia. The first glimpse at what the film has to offer comes when the boy has grown and faces a series of test to take his place as a full member of the pirates. Tien displays a mastery of several martial arts and weapons in brutally realistic fashion.

Now a master of martial arts, Tien promptly leaves the pirate fold to seek revenge, first against the slave traders and then the lord that wiped out his family. The last 30 minutes of the film have some of the most amazing martial arts fights ever filmed. The complexity of the fight sequences are astonishing, far beyond what Hollywood serves us up with films like The Matrix and The Transporter. I'm not the biggest martial arts fan but as guy I've seen my fair share of them and the stuff Jaa does in this film is just ridiculous. The only person making films who's even in the same category is the legendary Jet Li (and they both have created great fight scenes around Nathan Jones).

Unfortunately part way through filming Jaa had a nervous breakdown, speculated as being a combination of stress from being a first time director and financial problems with the production, and disappeared from shooting for 2 months. While he did return to finish the job the final product is uneven and disjointed, including a surprising twist and the cliffhanger ending. But to be honest, who cares? They could just film this guy kicking ass for 90 minutes and I'd still watch it. So if you're looking for pure escapism, and someone cracking skulls, Jaa is your man.