Back in the early nineties, there seemed to be an abundance of good action vehicles and there were some powerful action stars. Names like Jean Claude van Damme and Steven Seagal (who threw punches) and Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger (who shot many guns) stood for some pretty good action films and good fight sequences. Since halfway the 1990's however, there was a tide of good action films and action fans like myself (I was 14 to 15 at the time) had to turn elsewhere. John Woo became my number one (after seeing Hard Target) and then I started watching more and more Jackie Chan. That guy is simply amazing and even over the last few years he has made some very good action films (First Strike, Shanghai Noon and Rush Hour).
Of course, as of late there have been numerous wire-fu films, but they are not exactly my cup of tea. Some style is great of course, but those films (like The House of Flying Daggers and Hero) simply overdo it and become unrealistic and to an extent boring. I like my action rough, realistic and if possible well filmed (not too poetic though) and as of late Jackie Chan seemed the only one able to provide me with that. But Jackie Chan cannot go on and make films forever and when he said he would quit making action films soon, I thought there was no hope for the good old fighting action film. I mean Arnie and Sly have sort of found their replacements in Vin Diesel and The Rock, but who I wondered would take over the torch from Jackie Chan? The answer came to me tonight...
TONY JAA!!!!! This guy is really great. Van Damme was good some time ago, Seagal was amazing in his day, Chan was crazy and Jaa is simply insane. His moves are great and combined with Pinakaew's skilled directing they fuse into a violent blow that will rock your world. But there is more to the film than the action. The story is good as well and the acting is about as great as the fighting scenes. In my mind, Ong-Bak is not only the new standard for action films, but also the new standard for incorporating believable fighting, skilled film-making, a good story and great acting. Forget XXX, Exit Wounds, The Fast and the Furious, The Savage and The Chronicles of Riddick! Stop contemplating Rocky 6 and Rambo 4. This is the new standard and I will accept nothing less in the future. I'm almost glad to say that after many years of drought, this is the first film to get an...
8,25 out of 10 (with an 8 given upon voting)
