Ong-bak 3

Can anyone tell me what is actually going on in this film??

Firstly, and this is key, the fight sequences are top notch and I come to expect nothing less from Tony Jaa. Having seen the prequels to this film (Ong Bak in particular is fantastic) and Warrior King this doesn't quite live up to first Ong Bak but it has a good go. There is no question that Jaa's physical prowess is phenomenal, a serious Jackie Chan if you will. Jaa's directorial style in places is snappy with some interesting tricks. Lots of long tracking shots in the fights really help to prove that there are no Wires, CGI and certainly no stunt men.

Secondly, and this is the problem, the film is a classic case of style over content. The storyline has more holes than a string vest and what bits you can understand are silly, out of context and flat out odd. I have watched this twice and I feel no more clued up. Can anyone explain the man with the wicker basket on his head?

To sum up - this is one of those films that you will want to fast forward until there is a fight which means it will take you about 20 minutes in total to watch this film. Great fighting but not much else.

If you want to watch a fantastic martial arts film in the last 5 years then when you have skipped to the fights in this, go out and get yourself RAID and RAID 2: Berandal, then you will have to opportunity to watch two modern classics of the martial arts era!!

Well, picking up where part 2 left you hanging, the 3rd installment of the "Ong Bak" movies was somewhat of a disappointment. Why? Well...

The storyline was almost non-existent, and whatever story was being told there was told in a really confusing and weird way, so it was difficult to make any sense of the movie.

It seemed like this was a showcase of how cool can we make Tony Jaa look? Let's put him in front of all these wonderful, beautiful scenic locations and have him work out his martial arts there. That was what most of the movie was about. Sure, the scenes were nice, and sure Tony Jaa sure knows how to fight and show it, but it is a very weak broth to make soup of.

The action and fight scenes were top of the line, as always with Tony Jaa movies. And there is something very dynamic and energetic to his movements and fighting style. So, if you like that, then this movie doesn't let you down in that department.

As for the acting? Well, not much of that actually going on here, to be honest. It is mostly just showing off Tony Jaa and have these really cool images of ancient Thai traditions shown off on the movie. Honestly, I liked seeing those cultural scenes, but again, not really something that can carry a movie.

I think "Ong Bak 3" is pretty much as weak as the 2nd part, except the story in this one is more confusing. They should have stopped after the original "Ong Bak" movie which was a blast of an action movie.

I was disappointed with this movie, and I was actually just sitting through it at the end to watch Tony Jaa fight and show what he can do. The movie lost me somewhere in the beginning already, because it was way too confusing and didn't really come together in a greater sense. Lots of action, but that is about it that this movie has to offer. Which is a shame.

Recently I was re-watching all of the Ong Bak trilogy and found it much better than a decade ago. Obviously part one is a milestone and true classic of martial arts movies. The 2nd installement was set in a different time and thus did not feature modern muay thai/muay boran. For part 2 I recommend, to try and get hold of the european cut, that runs about 20 minutes longer, than the theatrical version. Then we come to this here part three. Yes, it's the weakest of the trilogy, yes it cannot live up to what most of us fans hoped for. BUT, it's not half as bad, as some people want you to think. I am not Thai, so I need to watch it with subtitles, but it's still giving me joy, when I understand part of the conversation. And concerning the "lack of action" that some reviewers mentioned before me, the first part of the movie is really rather historic or telling the background, but the final twenty minutes, are outstanding. And to combine classical siamese dance moves with muay thai/muay boran is not an easy feat, the coreography is beautiful in my personal view.

Just take it for what it is and enjoy, don't try to find a deeper truth within.

The cursed Lord Rajasena orders his warriors to beat up on and break the bones of Tien (Tony Jaa). When Tien is ready to be decapitated, a messenger from King Ayothaya arrives bringing a pardon and Tien is released and transported almost dead to Kana Khone village. Master Bua heals Tien and teaches meditation to help him to resolve the issues of his Karma. While Tien recovers, the evil Bhuti Sangkha defeats Rajasena's soldiers and beheads the king to take his power and treasure. Bhuti self-proclaims king, initiating a kingdom of cruelties. When Tien returns to Kana Khone, he finds the village destroyed and the villagers abducted. Now Tien has to fight against a powerful enemy to release his friends and stop the kingdom of fear of Bhuti Sangkha.

"Ong Bak 3" is a boring, messy and unnecessary sequel of "Ong Bak 2". The plot is confused, brutal and more dramatic but shallow, disappointing fans of the action of the previous two films. The slow- paced story presents fights too long and excessively violent and it is really time to stop this franchise. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "Ong Bak 3"

With this third installment in the "Ong Bak" franchise, Tony Jaa has finally given closure and clarity to "Ong Bak 2", an in-name only sequel to the original and much superior first chapter. That sequel, which was in fact a prequel set in 15th century Thailand compared to its contemporary predecessor, saw Tony Jaa as the orphaned son Tien of a noble family whose parents were killed by the power-hungry Lord Rajasena. Brought up by a group of warriors, Tien grows up to become a fearsome fighting machine himself- which is really an excuse for Tony Jaa to show off his bone-crunching moves.

"Ong Bak 2" ended on a cliffhanger, with Tien overwhelmed by the sheer number of Rajasena?s soldiers and taken away to be tortured to death. Then came the enigmatic voice-over suggesting that Tien may find a way to cheat death once again and the final shot of him standing in front of a scarred Golden Buddha statue. Picking right up after the events of "Ong Bak 2", this installment begins with an unpleasant sequence where Tien is beaten and brutalized in ways apparently too disconcerting even for an NC16 rating (yes, it's cut). His bones completely broken, Tien is saved from execution by a palace order- though it?s not explained why- and subsequently nursed to health by a group of villagers.

There he begins a journey of meditation- one of both physical and spiritual healing- that draws heavily on Buddhist teachings of forgiveness versus revenge, aided by his mentor Phra Bua (played by veteran Thai actor Nirut Sirijanya) and his childhood sweetheart Pim (played by Primrata Det-Udom). Meanwhile, Rajasena is haunted by a curse set upon him by the Crow Demon (Dan Chupong), the mysterious agile fighter whom Tien had fought with briefly in "Ong Bak 2", who wants the throne for himself. His body covered with tattoos, the Crow Demon soon uses his supernatural powers to enslave the villagers, setting the stage for an epic confrontation with Tien.

True enough, like "Ong Bak 2", audiences will be treated to a no-holds-barred vicious climax with plenty of jaw-breaking, head-cracking and knee-crunching action. Like its predecessor too, Tony Jaa will go up against dozens of enemy warriors in the midst of an elephant herd. And once again, like its predecessor, you can be sure that you'll be left in awe at Tony Jaa's physical agility and martial arts prowess- which was the very reason his name was mentioned among the greats Jet Li and Jackie Chan when "Ong Bak" was first released.

Here, Tony Jaa also showcases the 'nattayuth' fighting technique, a combination of traditional khon dancing with mixed martial arts, as his character Tien goes up against the Crow Demon. That showdown is simply poetry in motion- Jaa's 'nattayuth' moves equally graceful and brutal- made even more impressive when one starts to see the parallel between that and the dancing movements Tien had earlier learnt from Pim.

But credit must also go to his co-star Dan Chupong, who proves his mettle as Jaa?s equal in not just the climax but in almost every fight sequence that he appears in. In fact, while Tien is off meditating, Dan Chupong gets to steal the show in a thrilling fight against Rajasena's men as his Crow Demon character goes about smashing their skulls through thick brick walls. (There is certainly a real-life parallel to be drawn here, as Tony Jaa's decision to join the monkhood in May shortly after this film was released can only mean that Dan Chupong may steal his thunder as Thailand's most famous action star.) Of course, there is a good reason for Tien's (or Tony Jaa's) departure, for "Ong Bak 3" tries- though rather clumsily- to be a film about the redemptive potential of forgiveness. Whereas Jaa's Tien was driven by revenge in "Ong Bak 2", here he is driven by something different, something less destructive and ultimately liberating.

In the hands of more experienced directors, this noble ambition might have translated better to the big screen- but co-directors Tony Jaa and Jaa's mentor Panna Pittikrai (who are also action choreographers and action directors in the film) are unfortunately out of their league here. And that is where "Ong Bak 3" falters, not just for taking itself too seriously, but for doing so too maladroitly. Indeed, it's especially telling when one of the best things about the film is the levity that Phettai Wongkumlao's village idiot Mhen brings, especially during Tien's fight when he first emerges from his self-imposed solitude.

Much has been said about the production troubles surrounding "Ong Bak 2" and "Ong Bak 3"- Tony Jaa disappearing from the set for two whole months during filming for "Ong Bak 2"; subsequent studio pressure leading to the rushed production of "Ong Bak 2" and the decision to make this film "Ong Bak 3" partly to complete the story and partly to recoup costs. For all its travails, "Ong Bak 3" isn't the unnecessary three-quel it may seem, bringing a befitting conclusion to the story that Tony Jaa began in "Ong Bak 2" and left off so abruptly. At the very least, it's an excuse to watch Tony Jaa fight on screen again and probably for the last time in a long while. That alone is worth the price of admission.