Ong Bak.

Today I viewed Ong Bak on my computer. Unfortunately the only torrent with any seeders was a french dub. But I was'nt terribly interested in the dialogue. Believe the hype Tony Jaa is amazing. But I suspect a little foulplay in him being touted as the "Thai Warrior." His fighting style is definately Muay Thai influenced. But I'm not entirely sure Muay Thai has forms which he demonstrates throughout the movie. But I'm sure there's no way he is strictly a Thai warrior. I would say he looks also like a rather well-trained gymnast (pommel horse) and maybe even track athlete (hurdles). The movie is good not great. Somewhat better than your typical Van Damme writing but not by much. Granted I did'nt understand anything that was said. But I got the gist of the plot. The rogue's gallery is quite laughable unfortunately, his nemesis being a (I'm assuming) methamphetamine-jacked Thai fighter that is even shorter than the star. One of the most ridiculous characters is a fighter that is so scary that the fight-anouncer and all the crowd start panicking. We later see the reason this fighter is so feared is because of his amazing ability to pick up things and throw or hit Tony with. But yes Tony Jaa is amazing, the stunts are spectacular. In fact I'm quite convinced many of the "stunts" are not stunts at all but actors merely taking the punch, kick, elbow, knee or fall full-on. The opening sequence showcases it in fact. But I think it's clear the ground underneath the tree seems a bit more forgiving than usual treeside packed dirt. But it is still nonetheless very impressive.