Ong Bak 2 News

It's no longer prophetic, and probably superfluous, to repeat that Thai cinema has come of age through the thick and thin of the past 10 years.

With all the broken-limb sound effects used in "Ong Bak 2," I bet there isn't an unsnapped chicken bone left in all of Thailand.

The first thing to know about Ong Bak 2 is that you don't need to have seen Ong Bak in order to appreciate it.

Opening this week on the local film-society circuit: 'Ong Bak 2: The Beginning' Thai martial artist Tony Jaa stars in his big-budget followup to "Ong-Bak." In that 2003 film he played a villager who goes to the big city to recover the stolen head of a sacred Buddha statue.

You probably didn't see Ong-Bak 2 , the prequel to spectacular 2003 film that introduced American audiences to muay thai, the Thai national martial art.

Last year, film writer Matt Zoller Seitz wrote a defense of the much-maligned "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," in which he recalled his first viewing of the movie in 1984.

Fan of Ong Bak can bear one sigh of release: The sequel has once again features Tony Jaa and his incredible martial arts and acrobatics.

In a cinematic climate plagued by easy explosions and automatic weapons, it's refreshing to see a martial arts master slash, kick and break more people in two hours than Jack Bauer shoots in 24 episodes of primetime television.

'Ong-Bak 2' [Sequences of violence.] [Subtitled] - Stunning choreography, hand-to-hand combat sequences, bad teeth, and superb martial arts dominates this violent, blood-splattered, twisting film in which a Thai teenager in 1431 A.D. seeks revenge for the death of his father and mother after being trained by the king of the outlaws .

For some reason, dedicated martial-arts films remind me of Fred Astaire movies. The plot is the flimsiest excuse possible, there only to provide a bare thread of continuity between the choreographed action sequences.

I bet you're wondering why I've gathered you here today: Tony Jaa in "Ong Bak 2" Photo courtesy of Magnet Releasing Ong Bak 2: The Beginning opens Friday There is a mighty urge to give Ong Bak 2: The Beginning a pachyderm-sized pass.

So I'm sitting in a screening room at noon of a recent weekday, watching Tony Jaa kick huge quantities of ass in Ong-Bak 2: The Beginning and thinking, This is too much fun to be considered work.

Thai action star Tony Jaa says his Hollywood debut is a "matter of time" after his latest movie, "Ong Bak 2," was released in the United States last week.

Ong Bak 2 is a movie that the Hollywood Reporter had identified as, "the most anticipated Thai movie ever." Got your attention? Well, here's another little tidbit- star Tony Jaa and the film hit North American theaters this past weekend.

While the original film in the "Ong Bak" series was entertaining, the second film, meant to be a prequel, has little correlation with the events of the first.

Action. Starring Tony Jaa. Directed by Jaa and Panna Rittikrai. Thai with subtitles.

Tony Jaa might be the world's biggest action star you haven't heard of. The 33-year-old Thai martial-arts master garnered international acclaim thanks to his starring role in 2003's Ong Bak , a freewheeling romp about a villager who travels to Bangkok to retrieve a stolen statue - with violent results.

Ritz at the Bourse Posted on Fri, Oct. 23, 2009 Ong Bak 2: The Beginning It's a joy to see Tony Jaa back on screen after an unbearable four-year absence.

Dig that poster? Want one for yourself? Want one signed by acclaimed ass-kicker Tony Jaa? The good news is that I can make this happen.

Back in 2003, a little Thai movie called Ong Bak introduced the world to an elephant-herder-turned-martial-artist named Tony Jaa.