Ong-Bak: The Beginning [DVD] [2010]

Description

From the moment the crocodile leaps out of the muddy water, you know you’re in for some dynamic entertainment. What will surprise you is just how sweeping, inventive, and even beautiful this Thai martial arts movie can be. The plot of Ong Bak 2 is basic: A young prince sees his parents murdered by a usurping tyrant. Under the tutelage of a bandit chief, the boy grows up to be an astonishing fighter who sets out to take revenge. (There’s no need to see Ong Bak before seeing this film; the only thing they have in common is their star.) What lifts it above the ordinary are aggressive camera-work, acrobatic action sequences, and moments of dazzling, hypnotic loveliness (such as the Thai dance scene, shot with a stunning visual symmetry that falls somewhere between Busby Berkeley and Stanley Kubrick). And above all, there is Tony Jaa, who stars as the adult prince and co-directed. Jaa is one of those virtuosic physical performers--like Bruce Lee but also like Fred Astaire--who seem to channel some divine energy through human flesh. Not only is he is a peak athlete; he has a vulnerable, soulful charisma, which has nothing to do with acting ability but makes someone supremely watchable on film. Ong Bak 2 is not kitsch or camp; it has the over-the-top romanticism that Western audiences sometimes resist--but if you surrender to it, Ong Bak 2 is a rich, rewarding movie experience. --Bret Fetzer