Review: Ong-Bak 2

Set in Feudal-era Thailand, Tony Jaa plays Ting, whose noble parents were killed when he was a boy. Nearly sent into a life of slavery, he falls in with a bunch of pirates, who train him in martial arts and eventually Ting sets about some (belated) revenge in the name of his parents.

This wildly different 2008 sequel to the terrific Thai martial arts flick from 2003 is a bit of a disappointment. However, it’s watchable enough and commendable enough to suggest that star/co-director Tony Jaa (assisted in action direction by Panna Rithikrai, who co-scripted the first film and this one) has obvious talent. So it’s a jolly good thing for the movie world that he didn’t stay in the monastery forever. “Ong-Bak” was a winner, and there are signs that he could’ve made a damn good film here too, but the end result is at times borderline incoherent.

Everything here is grander and more stylised than in the previous film- it borders on being a wuxia epic at times, albeit an over-the-top one with killer crocs and martial arts in the same film. If you’re hoping for the same stripped-down fight flick vibe, you might be disappointed with what’s on offer here. The budget was clearly bigger, and whilst I still absolutely hate filtered cinematography (outside of maybe “Terminator 2: Judgement Day”), I have to say that this is one damn gorgeous-looking movie. It’s almost to the point of making me rethink my uber-negative stance on filtered cinematography...almost. The stunning imagery and uber-atmospheric feel of the film- fog, lightning, forests, rain, etc. all add up to an impressive mise-en-scene, if nothing else. I wouldn’t say it’s as opulent or epic-scale as the wuxia films, but it’s a close Thai facsimile at least to something like “Curse of the Golden Flower”.

Whilst the first film was more steeped in Muay Thai, this one’s got a lot more weapons fighting in it, as star Jaa (who ain’t no stuntman-happy, wire-fu wimp) shows his prowess and versatility. In fact, there’s one scene where Jaa adopts a couple of different fighting styles in a training sequence taking on two different guys. We get a badass sword fight wherein slow-mo is used to enhance things rather than hide the physical limitations of the actors, ala a latter-day Steven Seagal film. Jaa’s the real mofo deal. Jaa also improves upon a lot of those old Shaw Bros. flicks with their ‘blocking’ style of martial arts that for me, didn’t look impactful at all. Jaa gives it an impact, and there is also kicking involved, so it doesn’t just come off like a silly slapping contest. Then we come to the film’s grandiose moment, a fight scene that incorporates a freakin’ elephant! It’s the most incredible thing I’ve seen in quite a while, and if it’s CGI (I doubt it), it’s awfully bloody convincing. This is likely the only martial arts film you’re going to see where a guy walks on the backs of a herd of elephants. It’s jaw-dropping stuff. Oh, and a word of warning: Don’t do what someone in this film does by slapping a big-arse elephant. If you did that in real life, I’m pretty sure the elephant is gonna get a teeny bit pissed.

There’s no getting around it, this just isn’t as good as the first film. Ambition is fine and all (They seem to be trying for a Thai version of a Kurosawa samurai epic), but Jaa and Rithikrai (who scripted) aren’t quite up to the task. The flashback structure of the film makes it a bit too hard to follow, and the film itself is more complex than the first film (which was definitely more of a ‘fight’ film), but Jaa’s lead character, most certainly is not complex (Although not the same character, he’s still just a noble arse-kicker). It might not seem like a complicated story by my synopsis above, but the way it plays out in the film is far more complex. The structure also affects the pacing (it feels like the film never really goes anywhere), and since the characters and story didn’t do much for me, obviously there was always going to be a lack of investment.

Make no mistake, this is a gorgeous-looking movie and the fights are terrific, but narratively, this just doesn’t come together. I just don’t think this story was ready to be committed to film, and considering there was a five year gap between the films (yes, Jaa made other films in the interim too, I know) it’s a pretty unforgiveable sin. Disastrous ending, too. It’s a watchable film, for its visual and visceral pleasures, but the story is severely lacking.

Rating: C+