We get so few ‘Holy shit’ moments in movies these days. There are too many CGI stunt men and too much camera trickery in your standard action films these days to really make you sit up and be amazed. Which is the beauty of Tony Jaa’s films – you watch this guy (and his stunt teams) engaged in breath-taking, real life action. It helps that his films are made in Thailand, where human life is worth less than my iPhone, but still, it’s fucking awesome.
And it might be getting awesomer with Ong Bak 2. Twitchfilm has the Cannes show reel for Jaa’s directorial debut (only his third leading role), and from what’s on display we’re going to see some serious ass-savaging in this movie. It’s not a story continuation, and it takes place in the past (I’m unclear if there’s an effort to make it even seem like a prequel or if the title is just a way to sell the film). What’s most notable, Twitch tells me, is that it features Jaa’s first on-screen weapons work, and it has a mixture of martial arts styles. All I can tell is that bones are getting fucking cracked.
Here’s the reel. I look forward to finally getting a chance to see this one on the big screen – Ong Bak in theaters remains one of my favorite moviegoing experiences. Even in a room full of critics!