SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Aysan D Tail Kazim I'll keep this short and sweet...Tony Jaa switches between...Muay Boran,Kung Fu,Wushu,Silat,MMA & Kali all too effortlessly...in the same damn fight scene...I wont give away to many plot details (its a revenge flick period drama) but what i will say is this...It has a 20 minute finale fight scene thats just too good for words..Ong Bak and TYG Are better movies but not for the fighting...the fighting is where Ong Bak 2 Really exceeds anything Jaa had made previously...Less acrobatics..More Brawling. Storys passable and the directing isn't bad..the overall tone of the film is a tad dull...And still miles ahead of TYG 2 And Ong Bak 3....Here's Hoping Skin Trade & SPL 2 will re spark some of that former glory that jaa once possessed.

Roland E. Zwick Set in 15th Century Thailand, the subtitled "Ong Bak: 2" brings little that is new to the martial-arts genre - but a barrel load of impressive fight scenes and an authentic look make it worthwhile viewing for the aficionado. It's the oldie about a young boy who is trained to become a righteous warrior, standing up for the innocent and the helpless against a cruelly oppressive regime.As noted, there isn't much in the way of storytelling, dialogue and characterization to distinguish "Ong Bak: 2" from the countless other films in this category, but the battle scenes are impressively staged and mounted, with a brutality that, while it makes them hard to watch at times, seems an accurate reflection of the era in which it's set. Moreover, directors Panna Rittikrai and Tony Jaa (who plays the lead role) never feel the need to prettify the setting, offering up a screen full of snaggle-toothed, matted-locked extras to go along with all the muck and mud.Tien, ace martial arts fighter and tamer of elephants, takes on a half-a-dozen opponents at a time, slicing-and-dicing and karate-chopping them into the dust, only to have them rise again to face a second, third, even fourth humiliating go-round at his punishing hands. It's 100% absurd and just about everything a die-hard martial arts fan could wish for from such a film.

tedg I was directed to this because I am interested in cinematic choreography. From a practical perspective, that usually means martial arts.Further, it means Asian films. But gee they sure get tedious after the first few unless there really is a master behind the camera. So I was sent to this. The idea was to skip the original because this one is directed by the performer himself. I am struck by a truth discovered by other means: actors do acting, not filmmaking. They are instruments. A few understand how to act in a way that truly supports the intentions of the filmmaker, but the reality is that they are in different businesses. Often, the last person to understand the dynamics at work are the actors. An example is Harrison Ford in "Blade Runner." It probably is his best work as an actor, and he still today has no idea how he was as manipulated as much as his replicant character.So when you put an actor in charge, you sometimes get interesting stuff, but rarely good films. And this guy is an acrobat, not an actor. What we end up with what you might expect if a brickmason decided he was an architect and made everything including the furniture out of bricks.I was briefly part of a startup which would have been able to extract things like the movements of the Thai martial arts in this film and compare them to the few Hong Kong- produced fight moves. But it all just seemed the same smacking around to me.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

brshill Seeing reviews online, I was slightly dissuaded by comments that this movie lacked any sort of plot, and that this detracted from the movie, even though the action was pretty good. Stupidly, I waited, wondering if my high hopes might be dashed after the excellence of Ong Bak and Tom Yum Goong. I should NOT have waited. This movie is different to the previous two, yes, but only in good ways.Let me suggest what elements the kung fu movie must generally have to be successful. First, a hero, with awesome fighting skills. Second, a bad guy, with either (a) awesome fighting skills or (b) lots of henchmen with awesome fighting skills. Third, something for them to fight over (be it a girl, a murder, theft, oppression...). An optional, but usually fun, fourth element is a training sequence where the protagonist learns all about kung fu (sometimes, in fact, this may be the basis for the movie, as in "36 Chambers of Shaolin", but we'll ignore that).The last element, which comes from incorporating all of the above elements, is excellent action. This is, I think, the most important aspect of an action movie. Sometimes, when the choreography is flawless and innovative, and the main fighters are very skilled, a good story is not even necessary.So, how does Ong Bak 2 stand up to these requirements? First, it has a hero, and he has AWESOME fighting skills - Tony Jaa joined the elite ranks of Jackie Chan and Jet Li with his first two movies, and he hasn't lost a step here. Second, it has a bad guy - in fact, a few bad guys - and lots of henchmen. Third, it has a plot based on oppression, kidnap, and murder, forming the basis for a seething revenge movie. Fourth, it has a training sequence, and this one in particular is something fans of martial arts cinema in general will all be able to appreciate.Lastly, it has great action. It seems that putting Tony Jaa and Panna Rittikrai together is like putting Jackie Chan and Yuen Woo Ping together (see Drunken Master) - the action is expertly choreographed, directed, and executed, always fast and acrobatic, and always innovative. The bonus in this movie is that, unlike the first Jaa movies, it features a lot of weapon-play and incorporates other martial arts, as well as the usual Muay Thai elbows and knees.Occasionally slightly hard to follow, but never entirely confusing, I would argue that, contrary to popular opinion, this movie actually has a decent plot. Most importantly, however, it has some of the best action ever committed to film.