I can't decide which sentence to use for my opening salvo, so please just imagine that you're reading the following two lines simultaneously:
Oh my God.
ONG BAK: MUY THAI WARRIOR is better than ENTER THE DRAGON.
To paraphrase Roger Ebert, this film is 107 minutes long. Seven of those minutes are devoted to the plot, which exists to give our hero, Tony Jaa, a maguffin to pursue through the mean streets of Bangkok. The other 100 minutes contain extraordinary fights, the best footchase ever committed to film, and even a tuk-tuk race. Tony Jaa is a revelation, drawing comparisons to Jackie Chan for the pure creativity and exuberance of his stunt work, and this movie had me exclaiming "Oh my God!", "How is that possible?", and "Did you see that?" more often than a sailor on Phu Ket shore leave.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not questioning ENTER THE DRAGON's quality, importance to film history, or contributions to the screenwriter's hall of fame, Mr. Han-Man. I'm saying that ONG BAK has more action per reel, doesn't bother with the cheesy James Bond storyline, and features stunts so tightly choreographed and executed that Bruce Lee himself would approve.
Tony Jaa is the real deal - no wonder both Chan and Jet Li want to work with him. I can't wait to see what he does next.
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