A young boy from a small village sees everyone he knows slaughtered in front of him as he is thrown into a crocodile pit to try and fight for his life. He survives just as a rescue mission is launched and is taken into the care of a warrior tribe who train him to become the ultimate fighting machine. Tiang (Jaa) soon becomes the leader of this group and he launches attacks with violent glee whilst still haunted by images of his past. Soon his desire for revenge becomes too great and he leaves to deliver justice on those who destroyed his childhood, but he returns a broken man to a home which itself is now under threat.

 

The plot is incredibly confusing whilst remaining entirely simplistic. It is a revenge/survival film set in the medieval Thai jungle, but the narrative is so cluttered it makes most of the non-action scenes incomprehensible. we see two childhoods from Tiangs early years at various stages throughout the film, and i couldn't really tell you which is which. I know films like this don't rely on intricate story lines, but they should at least be clear and allow the action to flow from one broken neck to the next.

 

The reason for this confusion is actually quite obvious. Following his last two films including the original Ong-Bak, Jaa decided to go it alone and direct this film as well as star in it. Having secured funding based on a fantastic promo reel shown at Cannes in 2007 when production was well under way the pressure got too much for the filmmaker. He 'went native' and stepped off set and into the wild jungle and disappeared for several weeks as panic and confusion set in. In desperation Jaa's longtime collaborator and mentor Panna Rittikrai stepped in to complete filming as the star eventually returned. The film reflects this troubled production as strands either die out with no explanation or crop up without any reasoning. In a perverse way though it is strangely comforting to know that despite his success Jaa is still the wild man he portrays on the screen, i'd like to see how Danny Dyer would survive in untamed Epping Forest.

 

A film like this depends on it's action, and on that front it is almost flawless. Jaa has picked up developed several styles including flamboyant and uncompromising swordplay. He shows of his skills with various weapons as well as giving us some of the best hand-to-hand fights put on film. Again the mantra of 'no wires, no CGI, no stunt doubles' is on display and Jaa thrusts himself fearlessly into the middle of the action. Unlike other action stars, when Tony Jaa hits you it is going to hurt, a lot.

 

If anything the medieval setting harms some of the film's action as we have become accustomed to it thanks to films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero. This might be a gritter version of those films, but there was more fun to be had in watching Jaa smash someones head into a kitchen sink (as in the standout Spiral staircase sequence from Tom Yum Goong) rather than the open play areas here.

 

Ong Bak: The Beginning aims to be 'epic' on across the board, but has only a limited success. The action is up to the task but the story falls flat which is the only thing holding it back from matching the original. It's still a superb visual exercise boasting more excitement and energy than a hundred Hollywood genre films combined. Hopefully the next Ong Bak will be perfect where as this one is very good.