

The filmmakers try to do too much in a 98-minute movie, and instead accomplish too little. Again, it seems like he could go in a number of ways, but he never goes anywhere.

Another is that Tien never has a concrete goal or story arc. Perhaps this is due to my woeful lack of knowledge about the history of Thailand, perhaps not. I’m not sure who is on who’s side, who is betraying who, and where alliances lie. It would flow much smoother in the story was simply told in a linear fashion from the first events to the last.Īs it is, the plot is jumbled and difficult to follow at times. Much of the story is told through flashbacks, you jump into Tien’s memories at random, and the structure feels forced. An hour into the film there is still no discernable path. Is this going to be a revenge story, a story of redemption, or is he going to reconnect with his lost love, Pim (Primorata Dejudom)? There are a number of directions the narrative could go, but it never really goes anywhere. The trouble lies in the way the story is told.
#Ong bak 4 full movie movie
The story itself is fine, though you’ve seen it many times before in every single Kung Fu movie ever made. Which is really too bad, since that is where problems arise. Whereas Ong Bak was pretty much a hey-world-look-at-me stunt reel for Jaa, Ong Bak 2 focuses more on the story. After passing a number of physical and mental tests, Tien replaces his mentor, Chernung, as head outlaw. Of course when young Tien grows up he turns out to be none other than Tony Jaa, who on this particular feature film is credited at star, co-director, martial arts choreographer, and action director, among others. There is even a scene that tips its cap to Jackie Chan’s turn in the Drunken Master series. Over a period of years the boy trains in a wide variety of weapons and martial arts, including Muay Thai, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, and a little Jiu Jitsu thrown in for good measure. The leader of the new outlaws, Chernung (Sorapong Chatree), takes a liking to the plucky underdog, Tien, and takes him under his wing. While he is locked in a life and death struggle with the aforementioned angry reptile, the slave traders are taken out by another band of outlaw raiders. Tien is feisty for a boy from a privileged family, especially one who was taught to dance instead of fight, and he kills the croc. Instead of waiting passively to be sold, Tien clubs the main bad guy in the face with a rock, and his captors decide to soak him in blood and toss him into a mud pit to fight an angry crocodile for sport. When he is a young boy his parents are betrayed and murdered, and he is captured by tough looking slave traders with facial tattoos. This is the story of Tien, the son of a high-ranking member of the military. There are mystics, treachery, royal courts, and all of the fun stuff that goes accompanies a feudal society. The countryside is full of warlords, bands of outlaws, and political upheaval. The real Ong Bak 2 begins in the year 1431 AD, a time of strife and siege in the history of Thailand. It would be different from what he's done in the past, but would still potentially be awesome: Seh Daeng.Ong Bak 2: The Beginning should not be confused with Tom yum goong, which was released theatrically in the US as The Protector, but has appeared in a number of questionably legal places mislabeled as Ong Bak 2. I've got a great idea for a movie when and if he comes back, though. If not, there are plenty of people in Hollywood who would love to have him- I'd just be worried about what they'd do to him. Hopefully, he will also make peace with his former director. But maybe this will straighten him out, give him peace, and get him back on track. If those black magic rumors are true, it certainly seems like a contradiction. It would be disrespectful if he joined under false pretenses. I hope he joined the monkhood for the right reasons- and not to escape some contract, or whatever. Maybe he wanted to take the reigns for legitimate reasons, or maybe he got greedy.

It sounds like he tried biting off more than he could chew, and, as the article says, crumbled under the pressure. I love Tony Jaa's movies, but I admittedly no nothing of the man as a person. The rumors of sacrificing animals and black magic also don't help his image. I feel sorry for the stuff he's been through, but I question his motivations for insisting to direct Ong Bak 2.
