Last night I rented Ong Bak - The Thai Warrior. I think everyone saw the previews to that, claiming Tony Jaa as the next Jet Li and Jackie Chan combined.
Jaa plays a fighter trained by monks in a small village of Thailand. So his character is the strong, quiet type. I listened to the movie in English then went back to hear his Thai voice and I had to do a lot of skipping to find a moment when he said more than two words. That's not a criticism, it worked fine for the movie, but it gives you an idea.
The fighting style, which really is the whole point of the movie, is interesting. Very direct and to the point, but with lots of acrobatics that seem to serve as a distraction to get your point across (or your fist). Lots of elbows to the head, too. All in all, makes me not want to fight Jaa, even if it is all staged.
Other than fights, the movie is acceptable. A cute little story about country boy in the city. The plot holds itself together and is believable -- he doesn't just start fighting out of the blue, you can see how he gets there. Of course, the "bad guys" are really out there, but that's part of the fun of it, isn't it?
Although I won't be buying that DVD, I recommend everyone who hasn't seen it to rent it. And it's ok for the wife, too (even if mine hasn't seen it): not a whole lot of blood or overly dramatic fights, so it won't end with your wife looking at you with them you-are-such-a-dork-for-loving-stuff-like-this eyes.
