

" The big gun? A new promo for Ong Bak 2. I’ll happily confess to being skeptical about this one since it was announced that Tony Jaa would be stepping into the directors chair himself for it and the length of the production has not inspired confidence but on a purely technical and martial arts level - the promo shows nothing of the story at all, so I can’t comment there - I am quite happy to say that Jaa has proven me wrong. Production values are fantastic, both in terms of set design and cinematography, and Jaa has obviously been paying attention when it comes to where the camera needs to be to shoot action. Heck, I’ll go as far as to say that the footage from this looks better by far than the latest efforts from original Ong Bak director Prachya Pinkaew. This one’s a period piece featuring a long haired Jaa scrapping it out in a remote village and the attention to detail is excellent. Also excellent? The martial arts, which are surprisingly bloody and feature a HUGE range of styles. If Tom Yum Goong was all about Jaa preaching the value of Thai culture - which it was - then this one is all about Jaa beating the crap out of all comers and proving that he can take you down in any style there is and not just muay thai. The weapons work - there are spears, poles, a three part staff, ball and chain, and swords in the promo - is particularly good. Yum."
...Now where's that promo reel from the Cannes film festival!!!








