In my last post, I was wondering about the existence of good action/romance films. The martial arts gem Hero came to mind this morning, fits the category, and I would like to recommend it again as one of my all time favorites. And since I am now in a martial arts mood, I checked out Ong Bak for a bit of a different martial arts flavor. I had not previously seen Thai martial arts (referred to as Muoy Thai in the film), but it is distinctly different. It is less about hand/foot speed, more about fluidity. Unique and frequent use of triceps, shins and knees instead of fists and feet. I liked the form alot. In this film, Tony Jaa plays the lead character Ting who is sent from his rural village into Bangkok to seek out the return of a stolen buddha head. Along the way, he encounters the requisite bad guys and has to fight himself out of trouble. I particularly appreciated the slow speed auto-rickshaw chase scene through the city. It was not near the beauty of the auto choreography of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, but highly enjoyable. I guess I am off to see the sequel then.
4 stars (out of 5)
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