MovieChat Forums > Ong-Bak (2005) Discussion > OVER_RATED (DETAILS INSIDE)

OVER_RATED (DETAILS INSIDE)

posted 19 years ago by t-owens81
258 replies | jump to latest

First I am going to start this off by saying that I am an active competitor and 3rd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and have studied enough to consider myself fairly knowledgeable in the feild of Martial Arts.

This movie is for one, over-rated. Like a psoter in another thread stated, Tony Jaa has no charisma. If you see Jackie Chan or Jet Li fight, they tell a story. They have physcology (sp?) and presence, Jaa has none of that. He does his moves which are ncie indeed, but get repetitive and boring.

On the back of the DVD case this takes a cheap shot on Jackie Chan, I know it is for promototional purposes but please. Jackie Chan and Jet Li are gods of the Martial Arts movie world, and have the experience and charisma to execute well in a film like this. The chase scene was good and Jaa showed amazing agility but hell the barrel scene in SHanghia Knights leaves that in the dust, and that is saying something. Like earlier stated, Li and Chan have physcology, they can make it comedic or show fear etc.

Jaa is skilled at Muy Tae, but his ksills dont overlap into this area. His style is more for real life fighting, not demonstration and coordinated fighting. Three reasons why the fight scenes weren't good...

1)Crappy Partners.
All of the people Jaa fought were bad. Each guy in the bar was horrifically slow and showed no skill, the main henchmen was good but not something better than on a weekly Texas Walker show.

2) Repetition.
Ok we know Jaa can jump and knee someone in the face, or elbow them in head. Ok it is good the first time, but c'mon. He does the same moves over and over and over, showing no diversity in his style. You never see him adapt to knew opponents, he jsut sticks to his basic moves and does them.

3) No storytelling.
They were just fights... that is it.

I will go to admit Jaa has some skill. He can do flips and spin kicks like nothing but he needs to do that rather than his repitive moves. Li and Chan are so great because of there fast hand to hand combat. Do we see any of that? NO.
-

Overall not a bad movie, but shouldn't be regarded as something special.

[–] nocturnalninja 19 years ago

hey Contempris dumb ass he said he has a black belt 3rd dan there is a very big diference between a 1st dan and a 3rd dan takes usually 9 years to get a 3rd dan a 1st dan u can get in 2 years if ur good uaually 3-4

[–] nocturnalninja 19 years ago

this movie was mostly Tae Kwon do read his profile it even says he studies tae kwon do

Panom Worawit
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Height
5' 8" (1.73 m)
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Mini biography
Panom Yeerum was born on February 5, 1976 in the northeastern province of Surin, Thailand. His parents were elephant herders. Panom watched martial arts films as a young kid and began to emulate some of his idols, from Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan to Jet Li. After seeing the Thai action film "Born to Fight", Panom met and studied martial arts and stuntwork as a teen under the director of that film, Panna Rittikrai. Panom went to university where he studied a variety of martial arts, from taekwondo to judo. It was not long before Panom would get work, doubling for Robin Shou and James Remar in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997) and when his demo reel was seen by director Prachya Pinkaew, the film Ong-bak (2003) was created for Panom, who is now going by the name of "Tony Jaa" in hopes to bring his style of action to international audiences.

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IMDb mini-biography by
Ninja01
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Trivia
Stunt-man turned actor that does not use any wirework or CG effects in his stunts

Highly Skilled in Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, swordplay and gymnastics.

Watching Jackie Chan movies and a Thai movie called "Kerd Ma Lui" or "Born to Fight" influenced him to do stuntwork and eventually become a action star, but he says his biggest influence is Bruce Lee.

Born in a northeastern province of Thailand called Surin.

Robin Shou's stunt double in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997).

Does 8 hours of gymnastics, Muay Thai and other sports training a day

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Personal quotes
"Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Bruce Lee are my masters; they're the inspiration for my work. Bruce Lee was a heavy fighter who threw hard punches. Jackie moves very fast and uses a lot of comedy, and Jet Li is very fluid. I've tried to combine all of their styles and added some things of my own".

"I want a strong foundation in Thailand. Hollywood? Maybe in the future".

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Where are they now
(September 2003) In training for the sequal to Ong-Bak.

[–] nosferatu517 19 years ago

Haha...that's pretty much all I can say.

1. It's spelled Muay Thai
2. Tae Kwon Do is an afterschool art for children
3. I've never seen Jackie Chan or Jet Li do most of the stuff Tony Jaa does.
4. All martial arts are are repetitive techniques.
5. He's a Muay Thai fighter, he know MUAY THAI, so that's what he uses in the fights.

I doubt you'll actually read that, but if you want to email me about it, my email is [email protected]

---
www.myspace.com/inverteddeath

[–] phillyX 19 years ago

i regret bothering to read that but just have to say that was the biggest piece of crap ive read in a long while.

[–] deavenger 18 years ago

Okay, I agree that olympic tae Kwon do is boring. But (no offense) can beat down other martial arts like Karate most of the time and if the person is really good, then any other martial arts. Don't say tae Kwon do sucks if you don't take it.

[–] dws100 18 years ago

Man, you sure didnt understood the movie.

Have you realized why this guy was compared to Bruce Lee? Because this movie is exacly like all Bruce Lee movies.

First, the fights are realistic, not fancy looking like Jackie Chan. I´m not saying that is bad, I´m just saying its two diferent styles, and I love Jackie Chan. But, in this movie, the moves were used in a realistical way. So, if a move works, why shouldnt he use it again? And the punches actually look like they land, not slip on the guys surface.

And I disagree on the overusing of the same moves. YOu have arena fighting, the running away scene where he uses some parkour moves, the fights in the streets, the part where he scapes the imprisinoment, the part where he goes into the cave and uses weapons... There are hundreds of fighting shots, and yes, he does use elbows and knees a lot of times, but its his style, and he also uses a *beep* more stuff.

Movies like these are like porn. Everyone knows that. The plot is there just to offer some background on why those guys are doing the action.

The main character is plain? Yes, he is. He doesnt has the charisma of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan or Jet Lee. But, come *beep* on, its one of his first works. Bruce Lee worked on television before going to make movies. Jackie Chan was a Bruce Lee wannabe when he started doing his stuff. It takes time for an actor to mature, and this guy will take some time too.

And his character was just that, plain. A guy who has a mission, and only cares about it. That is it.

The characters who have personality are the side ones. The main character is there to kick ass.

And, come on, this movie was not made in the US, Japan, China or India. It was made in a country with very few famous movies. So, that is another reason why I think this movie deserves so much atention. The direction may not be that original (double and triple shots are used all the time), but its there mainly for you to apreciate the work these guys have done.

[–] Unfinish3d 18 years ago

I liked it for the sheer brutality of the fight scenes. Movies with Jackie Chan or Jet Li are entertaining, but watching Tony Jaa kick the everloving crap out of everyone was just satisfying.

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] yorozuya_tsundelea 18 years ago

I don't think so.
I think TOM YAM GOONG was more overated than Onk Bak.I felt surprised why TYG was
a bit succesful.I used to saw that,I always remembered that quote
" WHERE'S MY ELEPHANT???"

LOL

My life always changes because SEASONS CHANGE.

[–] Cryonaut 18 years ago

Do you even know what psychology is?

PS: Tae Kwon Do, from what I've heard from REAL martial arts experts, is not an effective fighting style. Learn Muay Thai if you want to talk.

[–] WinAMPlify 18 years ago

i definitely agree with this thread. tony jaa has no emotions, his acting is lifeless, his fighting style is repetitive ( he repeatedly uses his elbow and knee again and again ), he is definitely more athletic than jackie chan but in terms of humour..boringgg.

this movie is good in its own way but its not worthy of much more. tony jaa should have studied more acting instead of 4 years learning martial arts. his face is as rigid as the muscles on his body, there are no facial expressions and his dialogue does not focus on portraying emotions.

conclusion? worth renting once thats it

-Say what you have to say, for when its too late, its just too late-

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] spzero 18 years ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcHKIUuDbCI

Its a vid of Muay Thai vs Taekwondo

[–] skrus4 18 years ago

doesnt anybody else find it funny how everyone here appears to be either martial art experts or professional martial artists? and that before each argument they say "HA!".

well "HA! my epeen is bigger than all of yours!"

i thought the movie played out quite well. different from other martial arts films ive seen in that it wasn't really about a character showing off his skills, killing wave after wave of enemies using zero gravity moves all whilst drinking a cup of tea.
it showed off what muay thai can do, albeit, a little exaggerated. but, alot more realistic than other movies promoting martial arts. i get sick of seeing those heroes in other films where they can pick up a random weapon in a random country, and suddenly know how to use it, and use it exceptionally well.

what we see in this film is the main character using the same abilities over and over again - sure from a movie standpoint that can be boring... we want to see variety! but its just not realistic. if something works, theres no reason to change it. why do you think so many movies these days are all the same? there is no variety left in the world because humans choose the option that works.
thats exactly what would be going through the main characters head (forget the name). he can either try something different, and risk getting his head smacked in... or, he can do whats worked best for him in the past and do it again.

you can learn all the martial arts in the world, but you wouldnt live long enough to learn each of them to there full potential. the main character focused on some key moves. theres no problem with that. its easier to remember, and inturn can utilize the strength of the move even more as he gets better at it.

this and fearless are probably my favourite martial arts films. fearless for its better story, higher climax and relation to history. And Ong-bak for its rawness, and introducing me to an art of fighting that i hadnt heard much about.

[–] Dantès 18 years ago

This board must have BY FAR the most internet tough-guys, know-it-alls and blowhards of any on the IMDb, which is saying a lot.

Well, let me weigh in:

I have a 47th dan black belt in Tae kwon do and a black belt in Ninjitsu. In Kung Fu, I have a platinum belt with gold inlay, something most people don't even know exists. I can swat mosquitoes out of mid-air with a kendo stick and I could kill a man with a Peking Duck. I have three black belts in Jiu-Jitsu, and my Karate belt is made out of Bruce Lee's skin.

I'm the person who killed Bruce Lee, and I did it with a devastating mixture of Muy Thai, Judo, wit and excellent spelling skills. Tony Jaa is my butler and if he gives my any lip, I kick his ass without breaking a sweat.

Now, having established my credentials as the biggest martial arts bad-ASS on this board, let me say this:

You're all annoying. Shut up.

[–] oznoz 18 years ago

you should _so_ be in a movie
I would pay good money to see someone so talented eat cornflakes, let alone actually kick some. Let's face it, you could dress most MA stars - heroes or villains - in crash-test dummy outfits and we'd still go see the movies.
Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Tony Jaa, Yu Rong Guang, Donnie Yuen, Sonny Chiba, Sammo Hung, even Chuck Norris - none of these guys are good looking, nor great actors, unless you consider how hard it is to do the things they do. Ballet, wrestling, and pro football are just as reliant on 'acting' skills as making a MA movie - we want to see you do stuff we can't and we'll pay for it. If we have to put up with lame stories, stiff characters, terrible dialogue and cheap sets, we'll do it. If we get a few laughs along the way - intentional or otherwise - so much the better. If someone can actually speak their lines with a little emotion, so much the better. If there's a gag / blooper reel afterwards, and we can see how much this stuff really hurts, so much the better.
Now all you little my-style-is-better-than-your-style fanboys, sit down and shut up so the rest of us can watch the damn movie.