Ong-Bak: The Beginning

Director: Tony Jaa, Panna Rittikrai

Stars: Tony Jaa, Sorapong Chatree, Sarunyu Wongkrachang, Nirut Sirichanya

Year: 2009 Running Time: 98 mins Rating:

The phenomenal 2003 action thriller Ong-Bak is followed up by this prequel which takes the action back a couple of centuries to medieval Thailand. The martial arts education of street urchin Tien - a well-born boy stripped of his nobility when his parents were murdered - is taken on by a gang of thieves who adopt him as their own. Tony Jaa returns as the high-kicking warrior...this time up against the leader of a crew of vicious slavers. Worth the admission for the fight scenes alone.

Review

A loose prequel to stunning marital arts hit Ong-Bak, The Beginning may have even less plot than the original, but it makes up for its slender storyline with several mind-bogglingly brilliant fight scenes.

Re-situating the action from modern day Bangkok to medieval Thailand, the gloves are off as Jaa batters his opponents senseless with fists, feet and elephants (yes, elephants).

Having witnessed the murder of his parents at the hands of the evil Lord Rajasena (Wongkrajang), rich kid Tien (Jaa) flees the scene before being captured by vicious slavers.

Impressed at the courage Tien displays when thrown to a hungry crocodile, Chernung (Chatree), the leader of a group of local bandits, rescues the boy and raises him like a son.

Tutored in a range of ancient fighting styles, Tien becomes a valued and deadly member of the group, returning to punish the thugs who imprisoned him.

His lust for vengeance still not satiated, Tien risks everything to go after the man who killed his parents. Facing Rajasena's army of elite bodyguards, however, the fearless warrior may finally have met his match.

Co-directed by the preternaturally nimble Jaa, The Beginning is a stark reminder of just how limp Hollywood fight scenes have become. Shot with a confidence and bone-crunching clarity that puts Western efforts to shame, every encounter is a masterpiece of physical dexterity and ingeniously conceived choreography.

Any doubt that Jaa is the natural successor to Bruce Lee is put aside in a phenomenally imaginative sequence that sees the star take on a phalanx of enemies while using an elephant for cover. Bold, brutal and downright bonkers, Jaa proves he's up to the tusk in a flurry of expertly executed moves that has to be seen to be believed.

It's a bit of a shame then that the plot isn't anywhere near as dynamic as the scrapping, the film coming to an abrupt, anti-climatic ending that will leave many baffled. Hopefully, all will be revealed when Ong Bak 3 - currently filming in Thailand - explodes into cinemas in 2010.

Until then, make do with some of the most exhilarating martial arts action to hit screens in recent years. Ong Bak: The Beginning may be little more than a showcase for Jaa's abilities, but with a performer this talented, it's not only the elephants who'll find it difficult to forget.