Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior
Encyclopedia
Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior ( oŋbaːk), also known in the United States as Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is a 2003 Thai action film. It was directed by Prachya Pinkaew
Prachya Pinkaew
Prachya Pinkaew is a Thai film director, film producer and screenwriter. His films include Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior and Tom-Yum-Goong, both martial arts films starring Tony Jaa.-Biography:...

, featured stunt choreography
Stage combat
Stage combat is a specialized technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet productions. The term is also used informally to describe fight choreography for other...

 by Panna Rittikrai
Panna Rittikrai
Panna Rittikrai is a Thai martial arts action choreographer, film director, screenwriter and actor...

 and starred Tony Jaa
Tony Jaa
Tatchakorn Yeerum , formerly Panom Yeerum , better known in the West as Tony Jaa, in Thailand as Jaa Panom, is a Thai martial artist, actor, choreographer, stuntman, director, and monk...

. Ong-Bak proved to be Jaa's breakout film, with the actor hailed internationally as the next major martial-arts
Martial arts film
Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...

 star. Jaa went on to star in Tom-Yum-Goong
Tom-Yum-Goong
Tom-Yum-Goong Tom-Yum-Goong Tom-Yum-Goong (Thai: ต้มยำกุ้ง, is a 2005 Thai Martial arts Action film starring Tony Jaa. The film was directed by Prachya Pinkaew, who also directed Jaa's prior breakout film Ong-Bak. As with Ong-Bak, the fights were choreographed by Jaa and his mentor, Panna Rittikrai...

(called The Protector in the US and Warrior King in the UK) and directed a sequel to Ong-Bak, Ong-Bak 2
Ong Bak 2
Ong Bak 2: The Beginning is a 2008 Thai martial arts film co-directed by and starring Tony Jaa. It is a follow-up to Jaa's 2003 breakout film Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior. Initially claimed to be a sequel to Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, Ong Bak 2 was then announced to be a prequel to its predecessor...

.

Plot

In Ban Nong Pradu
Ban Nong Pradu
Ban Nong Pradu is a city in the Chai Nat province in central Thailand. It is a relatively small city and is mainly noteworthy due to it being the setting of the popular Thai martial arts film Ong-Bak starting Tony Jaa. It is also the location of inspiration of a variation of Thai Boxing known as...

, a rural village in northeastern Thailand, villagers covered in mud climb a tree. Ting, the village's best athlete, grabs the flag at the top and descends, deftly avoiding the other climbers. A few days before a local celebration, a group arrive from Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...

 and ask the caretaker to sell his vintage Buddha amulet to them. They are refused.

Ting is appointed by the local monk. Though extremely skilled in muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...

, as he demonstrates for Mao ("Uncle Drunk" in Thai
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...

), he has vowed he will not use it for personal gain. It is a poor village - The village's most prized possession is an ancient Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...

 image, named Ong-Bak. During the night, Ting's Uncle stumbles into the temple
Thai Temple Art and Architecture
This article on Thai temple art and architecture discusses Buddhist temples in Thailand. A typical Thai Wat, which is loosely translated as monastery or temple, has an enclosing wall that divides it from the secular world.-Wat architecture :The architecture of a Wat has seen many changes in...

. He witnesses and yells at intruders but is knocked out with a piece of wood. He awakes to find the statue's head missing. The villagers are worried. Ting promises to recover it. The villagers help pay for his trip to Bangkok, where he is to meet his scumbag cousin Humlae and get help in tracking down the thieves.

In the city, Humlae has dyed his hair blond and calls himself George. He and his friend, Muay Lek, are street-bike racing hustlers who have fallen in with a bad crowd of yaba
Yaba (drug)
Ya ba are tablets containing a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine.-Alternative names:...

 dealers. They find that they speak the same Isaan dialect.

Humlae is at first reluctant to help Ting, but when he sees the small fortune in coins that Ting has collected from his village, Humlae takes an immediate interest. And, when Ting is in the bathroom, Humlae grabs the sack and heads for a bar on Khaosan Road
Khaosan Road
Khaosan Road or Khao Sarn Road is a short street in central Bangkok, Thailand. It is located in the Banglamphu area of about 1 km north of the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew....

 where an illegal boxing match is going on. Ting tracks Humlae down, but instead of getting his money back, he ends up fighting and being named the new champion - Ting PADIU PIU after one high knee smash waylays the old champ.

This makes Ting an enemy of Komtuan, a gray-haired, wheelchair-bound crimelord who needs an electrolarynx to speak. He's been watching the fight from his private room, and losing money because Ting keeps beating his fighters. It is discovered that Ong-Bak was actually stolen by one of his henchmen, Don.

Meanwhile, back in Ting's village, there is bad luck indeed. The ground is dusty and full of cracks and all that's left in the village well is muddy water. They need the Buddha's head back for the drought to end and good luck to return to the village.

George keeps working shady deals, with he and Muay Lek working a scam at a baccarat
Baccarat
Baccarat is a card game, played at casinos and by gamblers. It is believed to have been introduced into France from Italy during the reign of King Charles VIII , and it is similar to Faro and Basset...

 game in an illegal casino. Eventually, the scams catch up with him, and the drug dealer shows up to give George a beating. Ting ignores George's cries for help, but when the drug dealer starts smacking Muay Lek around, Ting takes care of things. But then the drug dealer's friends and the cheated casino boss show up and a footchase through the alleys ensues. Ting helps George escape in exchange for his assistance in helping to find Don.

That night, there is another fight at the bar. Ting is egged on by Big Bear, a vulgar Australian fighter. At first, Big Bear attempts to provoke a fight with Ting by insulting Thai people. But after Big Bear beats another Thai man and assaults a waitress, Ting takes up the fight and easily beats the hulking man. He then must fight Toshiro, a very fast and flexible Japanese fighter. His final opponent is Mad Dog, another farang
Farang
Farang , also spelled falang, is the generic Thai word for a Westerner. A general term for foreigners is khon tang prathet . There is no expressly negative or positive implication in the word itself. However when it is used along with other words, it can bring a negative meaning depending on...

, who favors the use of such objects as chairs and tables to fight with. The fight takes them up to Komtuan's private booth. Komtuan hands Mad Dog a knife, but Ting quickly disarms him and then throws Mad Dog out of the viewing booth's glass right back onto the battle area. An African man steps into the ring to throw a coin at Ting's feet and at the same time, he gives Ting a thumbs up. This starts loud cheering from everyone who's just seen the fight go on. They also throw coins at Ting, much to the delight of George and Muay Lek.

Muay Lek, meanwhile, has been struggling to keep her older sister Ngek from using drugs. Ngek has fallen in with Don. On the bed, Ngek, following her sister's advice, says she wants to quit drugs. Don, in his anger violently suffocates her and stuffs her mouth with drugs. Muay Lek shows up at Don's apartment with George and Ting to find her struggling sister overdosed and near death. George and Ting take off and chase the boyfriend in tuk-tuks, with several of Don's men joining in. The tuk-tuks take to an elevated expressway, and the scene climaxes with many tuk-tuks driving off the edge of an unfinished portion of the highway.

Ting follows the bad guys and ends up at the port and in the Chao Phraya River
Chao Phraya River
The Chao Phraya is a major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It runs through Bangkok, the capital city, and then empties into the Gulf of Thailand.-Etymology:...

, where he discovers a cache of stolen Buddha images. This leads back to the gangster Komtuan, who makes Ting fight one of his bodyguards who is a Burmese boxer and has been treating himself with drugs, making him full of rage and impervious to pain. Ting painfully loses the fight to meet Komtuan's demand for him to throw the fight in exchange for Ong-Bak's head. The following day, George, Ting and Muay Lek are kidnapped by Komtuan's henchmen. After Komtuan leaves and orders the henchmen to kill the three, Ting attacks the men with the assistance of George.

Ting and George follow the gangsters into a cave in a mountain, where the head of a giant Buddha image is being chiseled away. There is a final showdown, with Ting fighting off all of Komtuan's henchmen with George, who tries his hardest to fight them, but is still beaten badly. Komtuan's bodyguard injects himself with several shots of drugs at one time and attacks Ting. The bodyguard is defeated and seemingly killed by Ting. Komtuan then shoots Ting and attempts to crush Ong-Bak's head with a sledgehammer. George covers Ong-Bak's head with his body, taking the beatings from the sledgehammer to save Ong-Bak's head. At that moment, the giant Buddha head falls over, crushing Komtuan to death while George almost rolls away from its path, but he is crushed underneath. Although crushed from the head, Ting and Muay hear his last wish, for Muay Lek to graduate school and for Ting to look after her.

The head of the Ong-Bak Buddha statue is restored in the temple of Ting's village. Ting, now ordained as a monk with shaven head and white robes, arrives into the village in a procession on an elephant's back while the villagers and Muay Lek celebrate his ordination.

Cast

  • Tony Jaa
    Tony Jaa
    Tatchakorn Yeerum , formerly Panom Yeerum , better known in the West as Tony Jaa, in Thailand as Jaa Panom, is a Thai martial artist, actor, choreographer, stuntman, director, and monk...

     as Ting
  • Petchtai Wongkamlao
    Petchtai Wongkamlao
    Petchtai Wongkamlao, , is a Thai comedian, actor and film director. He is best known in Thailand by his stage name, Mum Jokmok ; and is a popular Thai television personality...

     as Humlae/George (as Mum Jokmok in ending credits)
  • Pumwaree Yodkamol
    Pumwaree Yodkamol
    Pumwaree Yodkamol is a Thai film and television actress. She co-starred in Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, portraying Muay Lek alongside Tony Jaa...

     as Muay Lek
  • Chattapong Pantana-Angkul
    Chattapong Pantana-Angkul
    Chattaphong Pantana-Angkul is a Thai actor and martial artist. His films include Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior and Born to Fight.- Filmography :* 999-9999 * Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior * Club zaa: Pit tamraa saep...

     as Saming
  • Suchao Pongwilai as Komtuan
  • Wannakit Sirioput as Don
  • Chumphorn Thepphithak as Uncle Mao
  • Rungrawee Barijindakul as Ngek
  • Cheathavuth Watcharakhun as Peng
  • Dan Chupong
    Dan Chupong
    Chupong Changprung is a Thai martial arts film actor. He is also known by his Westernized name, Dan Chupong...

     as Bodyguard (as Chupong Changprung)
  • Panna Rittikrai
    Panna Rittikrai
    Panna Rittikrai is a Thai martial arts action choreographer, film director, screenwriter and actor...

     as Nong Pradu Villager (uncredited)


Club fighters:
  • David Ismalone as Mad Dog
  • Hans Eric as Pearl Harbour
  • Paul Gaius as Lee
  • Nick Kara as Big Bear
  • Nudhapol Asavabhakin as Toshiro

Production

The film introduced international audiences to a traditional form of muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...

 (or Muay Boran
Muay Boran
Muay boran is an umbrella term for the unarmed martial arts of Thailand prior to the introduction of modern equipment and rules in the 1930s.It is thus the direct ancestor of modern Muay Thai....

, an ancient muay Thai style), a kickboxing
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....

 style that is known for violent strikes with fist, feet, shins, elbows and knees. The fights were choreographed by Panna Rittikrai
Panna Rittikrai
Panna Rittikrai is a Thai martial arts action choreographer, film director, screenwriter and actor...

, who is also Tony Jaa's mentor and a veteran director of B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....

 action film
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...

s.
Jaa, trained in Muay Thai since childhood, wanted to bring Muay Thai to mainstream so he decided to make this movie. Jaa and Panna struggled to raise money to produce a demo reel to drum up interest for the making of the film. Their first reel was made on expired film stock, so they had to raise more money and start over.

Stunts

  • During the foot chase through the alleys, there is writing on a shop house door that reads "Hi Speilberg [sic], let do it together." This refers to the director's desire to someday work with Steven Spielberg
    Steven Spielberg
    Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...

    .
  • During the tuk-tuk chase, when a tuk-tuk falls off the elevated highway and hits a building, the following message is written on a pillar on the left side of the screen: "Hi, Luc Besson
    Luc Besson
    Luc Besson is a French film director, writer, and producer. He is the creator of EuropaCorp film company. He has been involved with over 50 films, spanning 26 years, as writer, director, and/or producer.-Early life:...

    , we are waiting for you." The French producer-director's company, EuropaCorp, would go on to purchase the international selling rights to Ong-Bak outside Asia.
  • One of Tony Jaa's favorite scenes is at the gas station. With his pants on fire, Ting kicked one of the villains in the face. The flames spread upwards very fast and burned Tony's eyebrows, eyelashes and nose. He then had to do a couple of more takes to make sure it was right.

Alternate versions

After Ong-Bak became a hit in Thailand, sales rights for outside Asia were purchased by Luc Besson's
Luc Besson
Luc Besson is a French film director, writer, and producer. He is the creator of EuropaCorp film company. He has been involved with over 50 films, spanning 26 years, as writer, director, and/or producer.-Early life:...

 EuropaCorp, which in turn re-edited the film.

Most of the subplot involving Muay Lek's sister, Ngek, was removed, and the final showdown between Ting and Komtuan's bodyguard was shortened. The French company also rescored the soundtrack with some hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...

 sounds, replacing the Thai rock score, and it's this version that has been made available in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and most of the Western world.

For the United Kingdom release, the soundtrack was scored yet again, this time with an orchestral score, but the film was left uncut with the subplot of Ngek.

The Hong Kong cut of the film's theatrical release omits a "bone breaking" sequence toward the end, where George's arm is snapped and Ting in turn snaps the leg of a bad guy. DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

 releases in Hong Kong have the scene restored.

An alternative ending offered on the Thai, Australian, and UK DVD releases has George surviving. He is seen at the end bandaged up, limping, with his arm broken, supported by his parents. Prachya Pinkaew stated in an interview that although there was debate, they ultimately decided it would be appropriate for him to make a meaningful sacrifice for the village.

Alternate titles

  • In Thailand, Germany and in France, it was simply called Ong-Bak. This name was also preserved in Premier Asia's
    Premier Asia
    Premier Asia was a UK DVD distribution company, operating between the years 2003 - 2008. It was owned by Contender Entertainment Group until the summer of 2007 when Contender was purchased by Entertainment One...

    UK release.
  • For the release in Singapore, Australia and other territories, as well as film festivals, the movie was released as Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior.
  • In the United States, Canada and other areas, the movie was released as Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior.
  • The Hong Kong English
    English language
    English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

     title was Thai Fist.
  • In Japan, the film was released as Mahha! (the Japanese word for "Mach
    Mach
    Mach may refer to:* Mach , a lunar crater* Mach disk, diamond pattern seen in rocket exhaust* Mach number, a measure of speed* Gillette Mach3, a manual razor with three blades* Mach bands, an optical illusion...

    ").
  • In Italy the title was Ong-Bak: Nato per Combattere, which translates as Ong-Bak: Born to Fight.
  • In India the title was Enter the New Dragon in reference to Bruce Lee
    Bruce Lee
    Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...

    .
  • In Mexico the title was Ong-Bak: El Nuevo Dragón, which translates as Ong-Bak: The New Dragon, in reference to Bruce Lee.
  • The peoples release featured the title "Enter the New Dragon" also in reference to Bruce Lee.

Subtitle issues, DVD releases

English subtitles were absent from early DVD releases of Ong-Bak. The Thai release omitted the subtitles, as did the versions released in Hong Kong, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

.

For a time, the only legal home-video version of Ong-Bak with English subtitles was a Hong Kong VCD
VCD
VCD is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below:* VCD Athletic, semi-professional football team* Video CD* Voice command device* Value change dump * Vocal cord dysfunction* Visual Communication and Design...

, but the translations were generally poor.

With the UK and US DVD releases, Ong Bak became officially available with English subtitles, but those are versions that have been re-edited. There is also an Australian-issued DVD which is a two-disc package featuring both the original Thai cut and Luc Besson's version.

Box office

Ong-Bak premiered as the closing film of the 2003 Bangkok International Film Festival
2003 Bangkok International Film Festival
The 2003 Bangkok International Film Festival was held from January 10 to 21, 2003 in Bangkok, Thailand.-Festival program:A Bangkok International Film Festival was held in 2002, organized by Nation Multimedia Group in cooperation with the Tourism Authority of Thailand...

, and then opened in a wide release in Thailand cinemas in February 2003. On February 11, 2005, the film was released in North America in 387 theatres under the title Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior. In its opening weekend, it grossed US$1,334,869 ($3,449 per screen), on its way to a US total of $4,563,167.

Critical reception

According to some critics, Ong-Bak is an unabashed "Hey, look at what I can do!" action movie starring the main character's martial arts abilities. Its onrush of chase scenes, hand-to-hand combat and acrobatics, sometimes shown multiple times from different angles, drew notice for its quality, inventive moves and lack of CGI and wire-fu. The film currently holds a 85% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...

.

Prequels

After Ong-Bak became a huge worldwide hit, Jaa's name was attached to many projects. He went on to act in a small role in the Petchtai Wongkamlao
Petchtai Wongkamlao
Petchtai Wongkamlao, , is a Thai comedian, actor and film director. He is best known in Thailand by his stage name, Mum Jokmok ; and is a popular Thai television personality...

 vehicle, The Bodyguard
The Bodyguard (2004 film)
The Bodyguard is a 2004 wire fu action-comedy written and directed by Thai comedian and actor Petchtai Wongkamlao and featuring martial-arts choreography by Panna Ritikrai...

(co-directed by Panna Rittikrai
Panna Rittikrai
Panna Rittikrai is a Thai martial arts action choreographer, film director, screenwriter and actor...

), and then starred in the much-anticipated Tom-Yum-Goong
Tom-Yum-Goong
Tom-Yum-Goong Tom-Yum-Goong Tom-Yum-Goong (Thai: ต้มยำกุ้ง, is a 2005 Thai Martial arts Action film starring Tony Jaa. The film was directed by Prachya Pinkaew, who also directed Jaa's prior breakout film Ong-Bak. As with Ong-Bak, the fights were choreographed by Jaa and his mentor, Panna Rittikrai...

in 2005
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...

. In March 2006, it was announced that filming for Ong Bak 2
Ong Bak 2
Ong Bak 2: The Beginning is a 2008 Thai martial arts film co-directed by and starring Tony Jaa. It is a follow-up to Jaa's 2003 breakout film Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior. Initially claimed to be a sequel to Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, Ong Bak 2 was then announced to be a prequel to its predecessor...

would start that fall and the film would be a prequel to the original. The film was eventually released in December 2008
2008 in film
This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...

, with Jaa debuting as director.

A second prequel, Ong Bak 3
Ong Bak 3
Ong-Bak 3 is a 2010 Thai martial arts film directed, produced and written by Tony Jaa and Panna Rittikrai. The film's story is a follow-up to Ong Bak 2, where Tien is brutally beaten before being put to death by Lord Rajasena 's men. His body is recovered by his Master Bua who revives him...

, will follow where the second film left off. This means that Ong Bak takes place chronologically after Ong Bak 2 and Ong Bak 3.

External links

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