Ong Bak 2: The Beginning

Tagline: Real fight is back. [No, seriously.]

Curiosity: I love the shit out of the original.

Plot: Set in the 1400s in Thailand, Tien (played by Natdanai Kongthong as a child, Jaa as an adult) is rescued from certain death by bandits and raised as one of their own. Consider he’d just witnessed the death of his parents and had to wrastle a crocodile, that’s the first break he’s gotten in a while. The leader of the bandits, Chernang (Sorapong Chatree), loves Tien like a son and trains him to one day take over the tribe. But Tien can’t forget what happened to his parents and vows revenge against their killer, Lord Rajasena (Sarunyoo Wongkrachang). Ridiculously awesome fight scenes ensue.

Thoughts: For a movie that has fuck-all to do with its predecessor, Ong Bak 2 is pretty great. Yeah, the story gets a bit jumbled at time, and it’s unnecessary for this film to piggyback off of the original since they’re set in totally different time periods, but overall this second installment in the series is satisfyingly packed with action.

In order to appreciate it fully, though, you need to be a Jaa enthusiast. At the very least, viewers should be familiar with his style, so that they can marvel at how much he subverts it. Just about everything about Tien is a departure for Jaa, from the wider emotional range to the diversity in fighting moves. There are moments where Tien tries to use classic Jaa moves (flying knees ‘n’ elbow drops) and they don’t work; it’s as if Jaa is explicitly stating that this movie is a whole new experience. This ain’t your daddy’s Tony Jaa movie!

Aside from a scene that blatantly rips off Jackie Chan’s drunken master style (which the behind-the-scenes featurettes confirm), Jaa seamlessly incorporates Thai, Chinese, and Japanese fighting styles into one unified form. And he gets to use a lot of weapons too! Tien is also a lot more brutal that Jaa’s other characters; dude fights to kill, and he kills a lot. This is easily the bloodiest Jaa film (Although Ong Bak 3 hasn’t hit the U.S. yet…).

Reflection: Not to get all spoiler-y, but the ending is such a gut punch of a bummer. I did not expect to have such a strong emotional reaction.