Ong Bak and Ong Bak 2

What's up fellow kung fu movie goers? Oh, and happy Halloween too. Today, I'll be reviewing Ong Bak and Ong Bak 2. I realize that these aren't kung fu movies, but they do involve martial arts, and they're definitely fun to watch. These movies star Tony Jaa, an exceptional martial artist, and all around bad ass. Let's get started shall we?

Ong Bak. Overall, this movie is fairly decent. It's got action sequences, rom- I mean, more action sequences and even more action sequences. Don't get me wrong, but this movie should have been titled, "Obstacles and people thrown at Tony Jaa and See what Happens." I like how muay thai is incorporated into this flick, but the story's sort of just lurking in the back ground. Speaking of the story, in the remote village of Ban Nong Pradu, some thugs steal the head of the Buddah statue in hopes it will make them rich. Ting, a local boy who is a master of elbows and knees (aka, Muay Thai) goes after the thieves to get the head back. On the way, he uncovers an evil scheme and brings an end to it. Oh, did I mention there were lots of action scenes? Because, 98% of the movie is Tony Jaa running around, beating people up and doing Thai boxing parkour. Not that I have a problem with this, it just feels like the story should have been more...thought out. For example, when Ong Bak's head is stolen, Ting's grandmother says the village is doomed unless the head is back. The only scene of the "doomed" village is short and pointless. Apparently, Ong Bak brings rain to the village, and if he's headless there's no rain? That's like when Scar in the Lion King took over the lion pride. Scar is so evil, apparently he causes a lush land to become a dead and lifeless because weather forgets how to work when evil is taking over. I don't recall Buddha having the power of calling forth the rain, but I digress. There should have been more scenes depicting the village going through trouble since Ong Bak isn't there. Ting does get the head back and the village is saved.

The Good:
Obviously, the action. Tony Jaa is incredible to watch, and the stuff the movie throws at him is like riding a roller coaster. Lots of excitement.  Seeing Muay Thai in a movie makes it different, and also, let me tell you, Thai boxing is violent. I mean, the stuff you see in this movie makes you cringe, but at the same time, you're thinking "Man, that looks awesome, I wish I could do that." The comic relief, Mum Jokemok, plays George, a con man with bad luck, is funny and makes a few laughs along the way.

The Bad:
The story. If Ong Bak is not present in the village, no rain comes....for how long? A few weeks? Maybe a few months? I don't know. The story doesn't explain that to me. The bad guy is flat and not in the least threatening. Ting, is one dimensional, and doesn't grow or develop. In the beginning of the movie, his teacher tells him not to use Muay Thai to fight, but he ends up using it to fight. At least have him try to avoid conflicts peacefully before kneeing the baddies in the gut! Ting does the opposite of what his master and uncle tell him to, so maybe Ting's a rebel? Sticking it to the man? I don't know. There should have been more character development for Ting. And the ending is confusing. I can't tell if everyone's happy that the head's back or if there some sort of funeral parade going on.

Conclusion:
Overall, Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior is a fun movie. If you don't care much for a compelling story, this movie takes the cake. If you're into different types of martial arts, Ong Bak provides. Chances are, I'll keep watching this movie, just because it's fun to watch.

3.5 drunken boxers out of 5.


Ong Bak 2:

So, now we move onto the second movie of the trilogy. In this movie, we're sent back in time to the 15th century and watch the previous incarnate of Ting, Tien. Tien is the son of a noble. His parents are murdered by the power-craving Lord Rajasena. Tien barely escapes and is captured by slavers. His anger and power attract the attention of a thief who raises the boy into the ultimate warrior. Tien seeks his revenge on Rajasena, but due to his bad karma, he fails and his fate is unknown. This movie's story is much better than the first one. The action fits with the story and the characters are written better. Tony Jaa does a much better job as Tien, and no not this Tien.

Hahaha, anyways. Jaa does a better job in this role than his previous one. He's a bit more realistic and you can relate to him better. For the action, Jaa shows the audience a wider variety of martial arts than just Thai boxing. The variety includes: Silat, Kungfu, and kenjustu. He even uses a numerous amount of different weapons such as: the 3 section staff, ninjato, spear, and staff. The variety of different styles and weapons is astounding. There are bits of the movie that leave you confused, and asking questions, and if there are mystical elements to it. Let's talk about the good and bad.

The Good:
Parts of the story are decent and these parts explain the motives for Tien. You understand why he seeks revenge on Rajasena. The action is just stunning and fits in with the story, unlike the first film. The bad guy is actually a -bad- guy, not some meh dude. I also like the variety of styles incorporated into this movie as well. It gives the movie more fluidity and life into the story.

The Bad:
 There's not a whole lot of bad things I can say about this movie. I guess, I'd call this nitpicking. The parts of the movie that leave you with questions instead of answers sort of bothered me. For example, Tien fails at his revenge because of his bad karma. What bad karma? From what the movie shows me, he saved a bunch of slaves, and raided some guys. Of course, those guys he raided might have been good, but I don't know that. Next up, is the final fight scene. The movie can't decide what kind of assassins need to kill Tien. First it's random baddies, then ninjas, more ninjas, a few ronin, a ring wraith (yes, I'm not kidding, I saw a honest to God ring wraith as an assassin.) and an evil samurai. Don't get me wrong, this scene is awesome, but where did all these ninja and samurai come from? The plot "twist". Now, I'll be honest, I didn't see this coming from a mile away, but when the "twist" was revealed, I wasn't surprised.  It left me with more questions instead of answers.

Conclusion:

Ong Bak 2 is by far a better movie than Ong Bak. Story's good, action's still stunning, and I was left satisfied for the most part. However, this movie left me with more questions than answers. Hopefully, Ong Bak 3 will answer them.

4.5 drunken boxers out 5

Jackie Chan's Police Story Review

Today, I'll be reviewing Jackie Chan's Police Story. I love watching Jackie Chan movies, because they're usually fun to watch and full of amazing stunts and fight scenes. For those who haven't seen this movie, I'll give you a brief synopsis. Jackie Chan plays as Chan Ka Kui, a Hong Kong police officer. He and an uncover team attempt to capture a drug lord in a bust, but fail. During the bust, they manage to capture the drug lord's assistant, Selina Fong (played by Brigitte Lin) in hopes of accusing him of foul play. Selina has other plans however, and embarrasses Chan in front of his superiors and the court accusing the drug lord. When a dirty cop is hired to kill Chan and fails, Chan is blamed for the murder and must protect his dignity and clearing his name.

So, that's the skinny. Let's talk about the movie now. This movie was so good and so popular, several American movies stole scenes from Police Story. One movie, Bad Boys II, pretty much stole the beginning of Police Story. Another movie, that starred Sylvester Stallone (sorry, I couldn't find the name of the movie) also stole a scene. But enough about who stole what and all that. Let's get on with the movie. Overall, Police Story is one of the best Jackie Chan movies in my opinion. There are a ton of crazy stunts in that movie and the fight scenes are fun to watch. The story is riveting and keeps you on the edge of your seat, and rooting for Officer Chan the whole time. And the end scene of the movie...well, probably one of my all time favorite kung fu movie scenes. Even the craziest of stunts is in the scene and, I'll show you.  It's a long scene, and contains spoilers, (Don't watch this if you dont' want to see spoilers!) but it's awesome and fun all at once!

Pros and Cons:
Sadly, every movie, yes even kung fu movies have good and bad parts to them. No movie is perfect and this movie has it's flaws as well. Let's go over the good first. Overall, the story is well written and keeps the pace going, so there's no boring in between scenes. Even the scenes without action are entertaining and have several laughs. The stunts are well, freaking awesome! Jackie Chan knows how to please the audience and this movie is no exception. The fight scenes, pretty much the same as the stunts, vicious at times, but makes you wish you be along side Officer Chan trading blows with the baddies. Some of the characters are believable, while others are meh. You feel bad for Chan when he's betrayed and cheer him on when he's taking on the bad guys. The drug lord however, is a bit too over dramatic and you don't see how he could get away with some of the stuff that he does. Even Chan's girl friend is over the top at times, and you wonder why Chan even bothers dating her, or heck, trying to save his relationship with her. (At times, I'd would have said "Screw it, I'll get a more mature girlfriend.) The funny parts are mostly funny and the serious parts can be serious most of the time.

Now, let's go over the bad stuff. As mentioned before, Chan's girlfriend is flat out annoying. She's immature and stupid. She doesn't even support her boyfriend or listen to what he has to say. I don't like her. Now for Chan. Overall, he's a pretty cool dude. He kicks ass when needed and don't piss him off. That being said, he's an immature jerk as well. He treats his girlfriend like a little girl (and at times she is.) and doesn't bother sucking up and apologizing to her. He lies and acts like he's the bigger, more important guy, which makes him come off like an ass at times. The drug lord. Whew, he's over the top. His lawyer is even over the top. But, this drug lord comes off as a cheesy Bond villain at best. He could have been written better, or the actor could have toned him down at bit. I don't understand his motivation at times and I definitely thought his outcome was well deserved.

Closing thoughts:
Police Story is one of the best, if not best Jackie Chan movie. I consider this movie to be Chan's masterpiece, I could watch it a thousand times and never get sick of it. As I mentioned before, the stunts and fight scenes are simply stunning to watch. And you can't help but sing along to the ending credits with Jackie. Police Story is a kung fu masterpiece and everyone should at least watch it once.

Comments? Criticism? Feel free to post 'em. Just stay civilized and keep the cursing to a minimum. I don't want to turn off the comments just because someone couldn't be nice. Just remember, treat those the way you want to be treated and everyone will be happy. Thanks for reading!  

Intro

Hey all,
 This blog is a dedication to all things Kung Fu. Well, mostly Kung fu movies. In this blog, I'll pick a movie, review it, and let you know if it's good, bad, or so bad it's actually good. I'll try to update this blog as much as I can. Hopefully, those who read this will enjoy it and hopefully like some of the movies I've reviewed or at least watch them.