The Protector (2005)

From the creators of Ong-bak comes another adrenaline-fuelled, action-packed & bone-cracking delight that finds Tony Jaa upping the ante when compared to his breakout feature, for Tom-Yum-Goong features several upgrades in camerawork & stunt choreography yet relies on its action segments to overcome the obvious shortcomings in script & narration.The story of Tom-Yum-Goong (also known as The Protector in addition to a dozen other names) follows a young fighter whose life is turned upside down when two of his beloved elephants are stolen and smuggled to Sydney by a mafia syndicate. The plot covers his journey as he travels to Australia and unleashes hell on those responsible and finds unlikely allies in the process.Directed by Prachya Pinkaew, the film at first tries to establish the close bonding between our protagonist & his elephants and it's carried out with care & affection. But the plot goes haywire after that as inconsistent jump cuts, choppy editing & jarring subtitles take over, thus resulting in a narrative structure so incongruent & confusing that the whole experience is severely affected.The action set pieces are more refined than they were in the duo's previous effort but their existence isn't in tune with the story requirements as many of the action scenes exist only for Tony Jaa to showcase his martial arts talents instead of being led there by the unfolding events. It's no doubt impressive to watch but it could've been integrated in a way that appeared seamless & not forced.Still, there is also a lot to admire about the film, for the action & stunts employ no stunt doubles like last time and majority of scenes feature no CGI either. There is one particular long take that follows Jaa as he fights his way up floor after floor, and it is no less than a highlight. Also, the amount of bones Jaa breaks in the end is thrilling to watch and though that scene goes on for long, it is never tiring.Just like Ong-bak, Tom-Yum-Goong rides heavily on Jaa's raw agility & precision combat skills and the renowned martial artist leaves no stone unturned this time, even managing to earn some points on acting scale. The slow-mo technique is a bit overdone yet it is definitely an improvement over their previous venture. The other actors provide serviceable inputs but it's Jaa who holds this film together.On an overall scale, Tom-Yum-Goong is another treat for action aficionados but it could have been so much better had it handled the narrative flow with a tad more finesse. It is a downright thrilling & rip-roaring delight that scores high in action & violence yet is marred by avoidable issues in the storytelling department. Still, for what it is, Tom-Yum-Goong ranks amongst the finest exhibitions of martial arts in cinema and is definitely worth a shot.

This review is for the uncut International version Forget the plot, seriously. Who in their right mind is looking for a good plot when they decide to watch this anyway? Chances are, you've come here for the action and boy do you ever get it. I have seen tons of action movies, I guess you can call me an adrenaline junkie. I can honestly say that nobody can compare to Tony Jaa when it comes to fight scenes. You think you can define intensity? think again! When you think you've seen it all, trust me; you haven't. There is always something new when it comes to Tony Jaa. Ever seen bones being broken in rapid succession? You will in this movie. If that doesn't entice you, how about Tony Jaa literally leaping up in the air to kick a guy in the face, off a helicopter? The scariest thing is, those scenes pale in comparison to some of the other things in this movie. The warehouse fight scene and the restaurant fight scene are both incredible, but the end fights blew me away. Wait until you see Tony Jaa take on gargantuan human beings. I don't wanna spoil anymore, but let me just say the groundbreaking action won't disappoint you. I didn't mind the "Elephant kidnapping" storyline. It is obvious Tony Jaa is passionate about it, others may not feel as impassioned as Jaa does, but I felt it was beautiful at times. Tony Jaa isn't great acting wise, but he does have a good emotional scene at the end. He is riveting with his intensity, it knows bounds. He comes across like a man possessed to get back something he admires. Jaa must be privy to being tired because his conditioning is ridiculously good. He is a freak of nature and makes Jackie Chan look tame at times. Ironically enough, there is a cameo from Jackie Chan in the beginning. Sadly, it's a Jackie Chan lookalike. How's that for a dream team? Somebody should make it happen.Final Thoughts: I know I am praising the action like it is groundbreaking, but it really did blow me away with how exhilarating it was. The plot is nothing special, but with the non-stop action, you won't have time to think about that. The Protector features some of the most incredible fight scenes that have ever been filmed. If you're craving action, give Tony Jaa a call. Buckle up and hang on!9/10

WARRIOR KINGBloody hell... this guys really doesn't hold back!This film is about a kid growing up in a family that respects elephants. He has two elephants that he loves, but when his father gets killed and the elephants stolen and deported to Australia. He goes on a mission to find them and bring them back.This is a moving story and very nice. The elephants look so nice and the relationship they have with the boy is amazing. They are very protective.The action is also very brutal. He is an amazing fighter, and when he is fighting it reminds me of a more brutal, serious Jackie Chan. He is jumping, flipping and kicking all over the place. It all looks so real too... there are scenes where I was thinking he actually was hitting the other actors... it looked so painful and realistic. There is also a fantastic fighting scene which was all shot from one camera and didn't cut away... it was a long scene and the fighting was amazing... it was very well put together.There is also another scene that I loved where so many people got their legs and arms broken. It was just snap snap snap... It made me cringe a bit, but it was just a great scene.The acting was alright... Tony Jaa plays the main character. He does a great job. You can see the emotion in his role towards these elephants.There were a couple of funny moments in the film. I quite like the fact that this film had a few different elements in it. Comedy, action, drama and thriller.The film is mostly spoken in Thai, so if you don't like movies with subtitles, then you won't really enjoy this. Subtitles never really bothered me. In fact some of my favourite movies are Japanese horrors.I will give this film 7 out of 10.Very entertaining and a lot of ass kicking! The other actors must have woken up either very sore or in hospital the day after shooting this movie.For more reviews, please like my Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ordinary-Person-Movie- Reviews/456572047728204?ref=hl

Tom Yum Goong (The Protector) is that kind of film that will make you an admirer of Tony Jaa from the word go!Its the kind of film where story is just an excuse to show off the brilliant action skills of the lead actor.It belongs to the genre of all those Bruce Lee and Chan films. Tony Jaa himself is like an updated version of both combined together.A legend in his own right. There is nothing that he doesn't seem to know - Muay Thai, Taekwondo, Kick boxing, Gymnastics, Parkour .... you name it and he has got it! The perfect fully loaded action hero.My personal favorite scenes are one in the warehouse where he beats a gang of 20-25 people and it looks believable yet spectacular. His fight with the Capoeira fighter Lateef Crowder and finally, that bone-breaking spree scene which in my opinion,is the greatest action scene in cinema history.Highly recommended!