I've seen both versions...
...and I have to say, the Cut, international version, while still a good film, is weaker than the untainted Thai OV. Changes Luc Besson made are small, but they are annoying. Music has been changed, some of it works ok, some feels like it should be in a different, more commercial movie. Scenes are shortened, even fight scenes. and a major plotline about Muay's sister has been completely removed. Those scenes are good, and serve to give the film a needed extra layer of dramatic plot. We don't understand the family bonds between Muay, her sister, and older brother, thus some of the heart of the picture has been cut away. and there was no reason to do this. In the Besson version we never learn that Ting (Jaa's character) was actually an orphan, abandoned under the statue of Ong Bak, and raised by the people of the small village. Thus we don't really understand fully, Ting's absolute devotion and loyalty to these people, or his personal connection to the statue. Plus the fact that he was an orphan makes his character someone to sympathize with. Again, a bit more of the soul of this film is chipped away. The final battle scene is shortened (!) Why? that scene is amazingly tense, and pretty much perfect in every way. The final insult though, comes when the credits roll; the international version does away with a great, fast-paced rock song about Muay Thai boxing, sung in the Thai language. It is replaced with a completely stupid and innapropriately placed French rap song about *beep* in da hood.." What does this crap have to do with Thai culture? IMO that song kills the magic of everything that came before it, and reduces it to something trite, and cheap. The Thai song brings home the fact that we have been watching something from another culture, and not just some random action flick. Thankfully Australia has seen fit to release the only Thai uncut version with English titles, for the western World. Thank you 'Eastern Eye' dvd, for that courtesy!
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