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Ong Bak 3 review

Ben here. Ed the Thai Pirate (or is that Piracy Advocate? I can't keep these nicknames straight) came through as promised with his Ong Bak 3 reviews. If you missed Ed's expectations for part 3 and thoughts on part 2, you can find that post here. I wish he had better news, but it sounds like Jaa's latest is more Ong Bak 2 than Ong Bak...

Most likely, if you are reading this, I reckon Ong Bak Sam is in your future. If I were reading your words via the ether, I would see it, no matter what you prattled on about. All I ask is that your expectations are not the highest. I will not deny there is some knock-your-fisherman-pants-off Tony Jaa action here — but not near enough for my taste.

Perhaps to enjoy the previous installment, one has to look past the convoluted plot and just enjoy the physical poetry. This time, director Jaa takes too much of his time tying up these plot points — quite forgettably. Maybe I feel that way because I do not give a damn. All I need to know is that Tony is the good guy and almost everyone else is either an incarnation of evil or at the very least corruptible—excepting, of course, Petchtai Wongkamlao, as the comic relief. He played a bigger part this installment, but he did not add as much as he did the first time. Here in Thailand, all he has to do is come on screen and everybody laughs. I suppose I feel that way about Bill Murray, come to think about it.

Don't worry; you will shout or grunt or squeal or whatever it is you do to express enthusiasm at a good elbow to the head. The thing that is missing is the glorious moment or two from Jaa’s previous films: the Bangkok foot-chase through the alleyways, the tossing of a baby elephant, the homage to martial arts legends, the ultra-long take round and round the mall or, my personal favorite, the room full of broken bone sound effects. The part that you think looks cool in the preview is downright badass, though.

I will go see it again — maybe even tomorrow — because I really wanted to be blown away by this. Hopefully, the second viewing will prove that the first time I had one too many or too few Sang Som and Sprites, and I will be able to write back with some good news.

The Magic Moments are found in the life lessons offered: good henchmen are hard to find, and, in a fair fight, an elephant always beats a crow.

-Ed