Ong-Bak

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Ong-Bak ★★★ 2003 (R)

Over-the-top action is the centerpiece of this breakthrough Thai martial arts film. Loose-cannon Thai kickboxer Ting (Jaa) travels to Bangkok in search of the stolen head to his tiny village's Buddha. Mayhem ensues. What little plot exists is just a vehicle for superb action sequences that are exceptionally violent yet highly inventive, especially when one considers that all the action was filmed without digital effects, wires, or other modern-day trickery. The result is a 70's-style martial-arts movie for the modern era, refreshingly real and a heck of a lot of fun. Thai with English subtitles. 107m/C DVD . TH Tony Jaa, Wannakit Siriput, Sukhaaw Phongwilai, Petchthai Wongkamlao, Pumwaree Yodkamol, Rungrawee Borrijindakul; D: Prachya Pinkaew; W: Suphachai Sithiamphian; C: Nattawut Kittihun; M: Atomix Clubbing.