posted on Mar, 8 2005 @ 11:05 AM
If you're a fan of kung fu films, there's a movie you need to see. If for nothing else then see this film for the star of the show, Panom Yeerum,
who - given the recent breaking of asian cinema to western audiences - should be a massive star in years to come.
The movie is called
Ong Bak (Mauy Tai Warrior), and was made in Thailand 2 years ago. I came across this film about 12 months ago, and was
absolutely blown away by the martial arts skills of Yeerum. They are literally jaw-dropping, incredibly skillful, and devastatingly brutal. Having
watched a 'making of' documentary, it is still mind-boggling to think that no strings are attached - all the stunts, impossible looking moves you
see are live footage.
The story of the film and the script are not much to rave about; a Muay Tai student volunteers to go to Bangkok to retrieve a Buddha head stolen from
his village, beating up prize fighters and gangsters along the way. But its the martial arts that are the draw here, and had me watching it over and
over.
Heres a
link to some reviews of the film, following its premier at the Torronto
Film Festival.
Has anyone else seen this movie? Am I right in being so enthuiastic about it? What do you reckon to it if you've seen it?
[edit on 8-3-2005 by Paul]