Tony Jaa Elbows Your Face in Ong Bak 2
When Tony Jaa blasted onto the international martial arts film scene with Ong Bak, he brought with him an eye-popping athleticism, wire-free stunts, and an electrifying arsenal of badass Muay Thai moves. Unfortunately, his movies grew progressively more nonsensical. Does this sequel to his debut continue that unfortunate trend?
There’s a “2″ at the end of the title, but this is not a continuation of the events of Ong Bak. In fact, the story for Ong Bak 2 takes place hundreds of years in the past. Jaa stars as Tien, the lost prince of a kingdom on the brink of extinction. After his father is killed, Tien is captured by slave traders, but manages to escape and shack up with some awesome fighting woodspeople, where he learns the ins and outs of swordplay, martial arts, and basic leadership skills (e.g. murdering mentally unstable cave-dwelling hags).
From there, it’s time to embark on his mission: avenge the death of his father. Along the way, he’ll have to face off against a crocodile in hand-to-hand combat, infiltrate a royal dance party, smack down the very slaves who imprisoned him, and engage in some bodacious elephant surfing.
