BLU-RAY: Ong Bak – The Beginning

After witnessing the bone-crunching arrival of Tony Jaa in Ong Bak and Warrior King, here in the UK we’ve had to wait quite some time for his period film, Onk Bak: The Beginning.

To get the story out of the way: we watch as Tien (Jaa) witnesses his parents’ death, is rescued by a martial arts school, learns various fighting styles, masters lots of weapons, remembers his past, goes on a violent, vengeful rampage and does lots more fighting.

Sound familiar?  Okay, but did I mention this stars Tony Jaa?!

Ong Bak: The Beginning was quite an ambitious project for Jaa, as he filled the roles of writer, director and lead. Which is all very impressive, but sadly it was too much too soon for the action star.

Shooting was filled with reported breakdowns in communication and it shows, as the film is quite scatty. Characters come and go and very few faces stay around for long enough to get you emotionally involved in Tien’s quest for revenge. We don’t expect elaborate storylines in martial arts films, but backstories should at least be interesting.

That said, you won’t want to turn it off.  The spectable of Jaa performing his own stunts and showcasing an amazing array of martial arts will keep you glued to the screen.

This film is definitely not about skull-crushing elbow strikes followed by flying knees; this is raw, close-proximity fighting-come-wrestling, but with an emphasis on weapons. There is genuinely nothing Jaa can’t use. With spears, darts, knives and plenty of sword work, it’s great to see a different side to what Tony Jaa can do.

So should you see this film? Yes, just don’t be surprised by the weak structure of the film, on the evidence of this, it was too much for Jaa, who should probably stick to the death-defying stunts and awesome fight scenes he does so well.

With our on-screen martial arts heroes steadily growing older and producing weak Hollywood kiddy films, Ong Bak: The Beginning proves that Tony Jaa is our brightest hope for the future.

Hats off sir, you are already a legend.

Ong Bak: The Beginning is available to buy on Blu-ray and DVD.

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