michael p
Tony Jaa goes for "serious" moviemaking, usually a mistake in his cinematic line of work. This foray is not an exception. Petchtai Wongkamla again provides some comic relief, but it's small beer compared to the first two films. The narrative is largely incoherent. Fight scenes are mostly pedestrian, but Jaa brings his screen presence, as usual. Worth watching as a fan, but certainly not a good place to start.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
My wife loves this movie, I think it's quite decent, the moviegoing public hates it - that's how I've come to view this one. But in interest of a greater breakdown, this movie does have some amazing action in the second half of the movie, even when the setup for the action is REALLY, REALLY contrived. There are also some incredibly long and in-your-face spiritual elements, and honestly, I actually really like these bits - The crux of the movie, at least in terms of Jaa's part, is a man that is completely broken, physically and mentally, being completely repaired by undergoing a spiritual rebirth, the repairs to his body being a physical manifestation of the spiritual journey he makes. This is a bit out-there for general audiences as it's not actually clear if this movie tells this story as allegory for the Buddhist faith, if it's knowingly exaggerating what they believe to indeed be true, or if this is a Tony Jaa version of a Pureflix film (just for Buddhism); mind you, I'm not actually saying I'm against ANY of those three, but knowing which of these it's supposed to be would go a LONG way in appreciating this movie, as I don't know if this is supposed to be watched as a powerful historical story, or as a Thai epic fairytale. Along with that, the first 20 minutes of the movie is pretty much just a series of good-guys arguing about how to help Tony Jaa interspliced with moments of torture-porn. Then, he is ultimately rescued via a silly plot contrivance, and the ending... man, that ending..... a LOT of people hate the "Reset Button" ending, and I am one of them, as it takes a very dark and daring ending that isn't emotionally satisfying, but is narratively satisfying (well, except the very end), and then LITERALLY rewinds time and does a do-over!! I still can't really watch this part without getting mad that the movie simply didn't just take one ending and stick with it, or just give us a variation of the brutal ending, have it not be QUITE so dark, and then just followed it up with the ending they went with.. Oh, and how this is done is not at all explained, and by that I don't just mean it's given a spiritual explanation that nobody in the west would understand -- No, literally no explanation is given, at all! Oh, and salt in the wounds: The villain you grow to utterly despise because of what he did to Tony Jaa isn't even taken down by Jaa..he's taken down by another villain who because the primary antagonist........ Now, I really don't want to sound like I hate the movie, as I genuinely don't - There are moments of amazing action, there's moments of wonderful serenity, the musical score and cinematography are absolutely amazing, and Tony Jaa himself gives a shockingly poignant performance, showcasing how much better of an actor he became over a decade or so. If you can forgive its very deep-rooted flaws, I'd recommend this movie rather strongly, but these flaws are back-breaking, making this one of the few movies that I like, but I completely understand the perspective of everyone who hates it.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/23/23
Full Review
Liam D
It's not worth the hate it got but it's still a entertaining finale with some action and Tony Jaa doing what he does best
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
06/01/21
Full Review
matthew d
Wastes too much time for just a few killer fights.
Directors Tony Jaa and Panna Rittikrai's Thai martial arts epic Ong Bak 3 (2010) does deliver several neat displays of masterful Muay Thai. The writing is worse than Ong Bak or Ong Bak 2 with a very simplistic story and too much repetition. However, there's simply too much early drama to set-up up all the combat that you easily lose interest. Jaa and Rittikrai's tasteful Thai direction for all the prayer and healing scenes is as lovely as Pim's dancing from the gorgeous lead actress Primrata Dech-Udom. Her chemistry with Tony Jaa is really sweet and their dance together is quite cool. Tony Jaa's own dramatic acting as Tien isn't the most remarkable, but he clearly takes it seriously and I appreciate him giving Ong Bak 3 everything he has to offer.
Dan Chupong is pretty out there as The Crow character with his overacting and strange head nods reminiscent of crows. However, his fights are very cool. Sarunyu Wongkrachang is fun as the crazy evil king. Nirut Sirichanya is great and respectful as the reflective monk who saves Tony Jaa's Tien. Lastly, the ever entertaining Petchtai Wongkamlao is hilarious as the insane Mhen. He's actually a funny comedian that goes by Mum Jokmok.
Thankfully cinematographer and editor Nattawut Kittikhun shoots gorgeous natural Thai forest scenery and thoughtful wide shots of fights and prayers alike. His clever little cuts quickly slice their way through all the combat to hide any breaks, giving all the Muay Thai a seamless feel. Tony Jaa and Panna Rittikrai's direction is nice for what's on screen, but they really dove too far into the endless fantasy elements that come across as goofy instead of intimidating. The spiritual elements work for awhile, then lose their luster next to any of the combat.
Let's be honest, we are all just watching Ong Bak 3 for more of Tony Jaa elbowing men in the skull and flipping all over the place with his incredible athleticism. Jaa uses fists, feet, headbutts, elbows, ankles, polearms, chains, and even elephants to fight with a whimsical creativity to his moves and relentless speed. His jumps are as impressive as his punches. Tony Jaa has to be one of the best fighters who ever lived.
In short, if you really loved Ong Bak as I did and enjoyed most of Ong Bak 2, there is fun to be had in Ong Bak 3. But, it's not enough to save the entire film based off of Tony Jaa's hand to hand combat skills.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
james g
I've seen the first 2 in this series. At first, the fight scenes felt/looked awesome. In the 2nd, fight scenes up...probably a bigger budget. But here, in the 3rd outing, it's tough to up those fight scenes, and the 'lovin' part consist of a couple dancing nicely and closely, with a nutty side character telling us he "knows what they are up to." Okay, good grief, why not a hot, naked love scene! It's not like it's 1920. Then again, there is the Thailand culture, and we know how strict and religious areas like Bangkok really are, everyone shy and respectful, no sex shows, nothing like that. (I mean the opposite, Bangkok that I visited sleaziest place on Earth.). so, why not a hot sex scene to keep folks awake? Major disappointment for a finale of this series.
Rated 1/5 Stars •
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
More good martial arts action and good character development. Not as good a part 2, but, still enjoyable. Is part 4 coming?
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/13/23
Full Review
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