kiliansabre

Unfortunately this review will be a bit incomplete as the version I saw didn't have subtitles and I don't speak Thai. That said, I have not seen the first movie, but when I heard Tony Jaa had a cameo I looked it up. The lead of the movie is played by Petchtai Wongkamlao who was George in Ong Bak. This is an action movie and there are fight scenes, but it's clear that Petchtai Wongkamlao's boxing ability is still in it's earlier stages. The plot as far as I can tell is about an agent trying to stop a threat to the nation, posing as a high profile singer in the mean time. The first action sequence is probably the best which is a nice gun battle in a gay club followed by some car action. The rest of the action scenes in the movie (with the exception of the one featuring Tony Jaa) seem to be more or less about introducing a skilled fighter and then killing him off in some silly way. Basically you never get to see any real martial arts displayed throughout. Tony Jaa's appearance seems to be about his character looking for an elephant figurine (an obvious reference to the Protector). The fight itself only lasts about a minute and takes place outside at a vendor stand, but it was still a treat to see Tony Jaa in action if just for a minute. The comedy seemed pretty good, a lot of it was visual with references to Ong Bak and probably other Thai movies as well. Hopefully someone will add a review who has seen the subtitled version, but I did want to give some heads up since there are no other reviews. Overall, probably not worth going out of your way to find, but if you come across it check it out.

Reading over the other reviews I honestly don't know what some people are expecting from a Jackie Chan movie. In the past complaints have ranged from poor acting to bad characters to no plot, yet his latest Hong Kong effort delivers in all three areas and people are still unsatisfied. If you are a Chan fan or if you aren't this movie will appeal to you. The main premise deals with a group of rich kids who rob banks for the thrill and to bring them their favorite canon fodder: cops. When Chan's character vows to find them in 3 hours time the kids make it personal, the results of which leave Chan in a state of drunken despair as his life falls apart. As the movie progresses different layers of the characters are revealed as Chan tries to take revenge. There are only a couple fight scenes but plenty of action and most importantly well delivered drama particularly from Chan. If you want a goofy martial arts movie wait for his next American effort, if you want a Chan film with some substance and heart, get a copy and enjoy.

A clever slacker bounty hunter cons other bounty hunters into helping him capture wanted criminals, but must learn kung fu when one bounty turns out to be more than anyone can handle. Mainly the movie is our lead walking around getting himself in trouble which often results in fights, many of which he is only a spectator during. The choreography is pretty decent and fun, though nothing to make it stand out as a classic. The most unique factor to this movie is that it introduces Eel Fist Kung Fu long before Chin Kar Lok did it in Operation Scorpio. This one doesn't take itself too serious at any point so if you're just looking for something fun for your brain to munch on, give this a watch.