Ong Bak Film Difficulty Ranking: 2
If you’re looking for some of the most awesome stunts and acrobatics you can see on screen, you’ve come to the right place. Ong Bak is a martial arts stunts fest that you can watch again and again. Yes,the script is a little basic and predictable, but, ultimately you won’t care, because this film is so much fun to watch. It’s a thrill ride from start to finish.
From: Thailand, Asia
Watch: Trailer, Rent on Amazon, Buy on Amazon
Next: Enter the Dragon, Kung Fu Hustle, Steamboat Bill Jr.
Why Watch Ong Bak?
- For a crazy Tuk Tuk Chase in central Bangkok
- If you like James Bond villains – the villain in Ong Bak is Blofeld esque
- To see a hilarious first fight
- Explore the urban vs. rural divide in Thailand
The Breakdown
Ong Bak starts with a group of mud covered men looking up at a flag flying from the top of a tree. After a moment of silence, they all scream and charge at the tree in a competition to retrieve the flag. The climbers fight their way to the top at the expense of their rivals, with some pretty terrifying falls. A victor eventually emerges and jumps down from the tree to the cheers of a local crowd. It’s all just a traditional village competition and a quick intro to our lead character.
The next scene establishes the villain – a young man from the city who thinks money can buy anything. He tries to haggle with one of the village elders for the amulet he wears, but the old man rebuffs him,saying it’s not for sale. The villain’s slicked back hair, money, and attempt to trick the villager out of his family heirloom immediately give him away. And his status is confirmed when he steals the town’s Buddha, Ong Bak, in the opening minutes.
So who’s his adversary going to be? Step up Ting, a humble villager, training monk, and winner of the tree climbing/fighting competition. The next scene shows him demonstrating all of the Muay Thai moves he knows, from the elbow to the neck move to a range of kicks. Every move he demonstrates is like the dramatic principle of Chekhov’s gun – each move is introduced before it will necessarily reappear later in the film in action. You can’t show a human weapon like Ting and not use it! Therefore it’s only natural that he is nominated to bring back Ong Bak’s head.
The BaNgkok Underground
After Ting is given good luck gifts by his town, he goes to Bangkok to search for Ong Bak. First, he finds Humlae, a middle aged man originally from Ban Nong Pradu, like himself. However, Humlae denies his humble origins and steals Ting’s good will gifts to gamble at his local underground fight club. Humlae and the fight club are a quick introduction to the dark side of Bangkok which stands in direct contrast to the humble, peaceful rural town of Ban Nong Pradu.
The film makers enforce the urban vs. rural divide in everything they show. In the city, there is drugs, prostitution, gambling, street gangs, and violence. Whereas in the country there’s just a bunch of humble, honest,religious villagers (that take part in the occasional violent tree climbing competition).
One of the main distinctions between the city and country is religion. This is shown in the difference between the temple’s in Bangkok and Ban Nong Pradu. In Bangkok, the temple that Ting enters to pay his respects is lavishly decorated in gold leaf and vivid colours. It’s much prettier than his temple at home. However, this temple, for all its riches, is completely empty – its only visitor is a humble villager from the country. It indicates that wealth has distracted the city dwellers from their faith. Now they only care about making more and more money to try and make themselves into their own God’s, instead of praising ‘worthless stone’.
The lack of Faith in the city is also depicted in the characters. There’s the Burmese fighter that injects himself with drugs to power up his fighting ability, instead of relying on religious inspiration like Ting (who only needs to look into the eyes of a Buddha statue for belief). There’s also the character arc of Humlae, a guy who initially renounces his connection to his humble roots, but eventually rediscovers his faith to become a hero. It all enforces the view that the city folk have lost their way in their search for riches.
What to Watch Next
If you want to have more fun, here’s what to watch next.
For more great stunts, check out:
- Rumble in the Bronx featuring Jackie Chan.
- Steamboat Bill Jr for one of Buster Keaton’s best.
- Mission Impossible 5 (or any of the others).
For more fun martial arts films, check out:
- Enter the Dragon to see Bruce Lee on top form.
- Kung Fu Hustle for martial art comedy.
- Ip Man for another great martial arts film series.
Or if you want more action that is so ridiculous that it’s good, check out:
- Crank – possibly the craziest action film you’ll see.
- The Fast and the Furious – if you ignore the cheesiness.
- Mad Max Fury Road – so much fun!
','' ); } ?>