Don't let the title fool you. Ong Bak 2 has about as much to do with 2003's Ong Bak as the Trix rabbit. Tony Jaa is still there, ofcourse, showing the same amazing, gracefully honed attacks that quickly catapulted him to action hero status. This is a sequel in name alone, but the action is just as intense and fluid as everything that came before it.
Tony Jaa leaps into the role of Tien, the son of a great and noble lord during the 15th century. Yes, Ong Bak 2 takes place in ancient times, further distancing itself from the original. Tien is a fierce and competitive youth, just like his father. However, when Tien watches his father murdered at the hands of the ambitious Lord Rajasena, Tien finds himself captured into slavery and fighting for his life at every turn. Tossed into an alligator pit after savagely wounding his captor, Tien's life appears to be at an end, until he is dramatically rescued by the Pha Beet Kruk clan. Realizing the strength Tien posesses, their leader Cher Nung takes Tien as his son, and trains him in the ways of numerous martial arts styles.
Years later and Tien has grown up to be quite the bad ass. He's mastered the arts of muay thai, kenjutsu, and numerous other styles. But he's never forgotten his past, and soon he goes out seeking vengeance against the man who destroyed his family, and discovers a secret that hits close to home.
The production of Ong Bak 2 seemed like it was cursed not too long ago. Plagued with political strife that coincided with a distinct lack of funding, for awhile it seemed like the film would never get made. Jaa himself disappeared from the set of the film for months, leaving many to speculate that he had given up on it. I don't know whether the delays had any effect on the direction of the story, but the plot is a jumbled mess. What should've been a straight forward and typical kung fu angle was mostly confusing thanks to a non-linear structure. I get what he was going for, trying to withhold the big reveal until the final action sequence, but it was an unnecessary touch. Simplicity would've served the film much better.
Not that anybody goes to a Tony Jaa movie expecting Shakespeare. Jaa knows exactly what his fans really want and that's jaw shattering bone crunching fight sequences. He structures all of his films around one central gauntlet. Think the tower sequence in The Protector where he battled from bottom floor all the way to the very top. Here, we're granted two such obstacles. The first is a video game-esque training session where Jaa channels all of his great acrobatic gifts and kung fu prowess in single combat against his brothers. This is the most fun sequence of the film, as it's little more than a Tony Jaa highlight reel, utilzing outlandish weapons and performing manuevers that would make Bruce Lee stand a bit straighter. My biggest gripe against Jaa has always been a minor one, in that his muay thai style isn't always the most beautiful for the screen. It's all hard corners and sharp edges. In Ong Bak 2 he varies his fighting styles perfectly, ensuring that no fight looks like the last.
The film's final action sequence is another Jaa showcase, this one of the Bruce Lee variety as he takes on seemingly thousands of foes who all of course attack him one at a time. It's so many foes that I was wondering if it was supposed to be comical, as they seem to literally be falling from the sky and running out of buildings that I swear weren't there a minute ago. The movie's ambiguous climax will leave most people gasping in bewilderment like Scooby-Doo, strongly hinting at a sequel to follow. Jaa's films are always a huge hit in Thailand, so that doesn't surprise me. I just hope that after what will be his third film in this series he finds a way to wrap up what feels like a terribly incomplete story. If not, I'll settle for another flying knee strike into a flying helicopter. They had those in the 15th century, right?
6.5/10
