Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

CinemaClown 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.

Comeuppance Reviews As part of a centuries-old tradition in Thailand, certain people take on the duties to protect their all-important - and perhaps even sacred - elephants. These special people are known, naturally, as Protectors. Raised in rural Thailand as a Protector, like his father before him, Kham (Jaa) takes his responsibilities seriously - VERY seriously. When an unscrupulous gangster named Johnny Yai (Nguyen) kidnaps Kham's two beloved elephants, Kohrn and Por-Yai (yes, the elephants have names), Kham travels to Sydney, Australia to find them and bring them back home. Teaming up with a Thai cop named Mark (Wongkamlao), Kham has to fight wave after wave of baddies who really take their elephant-napping to heart. It's all being controlled by whip-wielding gangstress Madame Rose (Xing). Will Kham battle his way through the meatheads and retrieve the elephants? Find out today! Tony Jaa is just the Man. When it comes to Martial Arts fights, stunts, and choreography, he is arguably the best of his generation. What this man can do is unbelievably great and highly impressive. He gets the utmost respect not just for his considerable natural talent, but for his refusal to use wires or stunt doubles during fight scenes. His penchant for long takes is hugely appreciated and stands as the 180-degree opposite to the annoying "quick-cut" trend of today. The word on the street is, unfortunately, he has bad management that force him to do a lot of stupid movies and he went kind of nuts. He's kind of like the action movie equivalent of Dave Chappelle. Of course, this doesn't diminish him in any way.The plot, simple as it is, shows a fascinating cultural difference that we really enjoyed. In most movies, a disc of some sort would be the sought-after item. In this case it's elephants. The fact that elephants are so central to the Thai culture, and thus such a driving, motivating factor for the characters, was fascinating. To us Americans, it doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but we had to get over that and delve into the Thai mindset as best we could. Add to that the highly-impressive fight scenes and a fruit-cart boat chase, and you get sucked in to the movie quickly and effectively. There's even a boat-induced exploding helicopter. We don't think we've ever seen that before.Of course, there are some time-honored action movie clichés we all know and love (besides the fruit-cart chase and the exploding heli), such as the wacky taxi driver, the warehouse fights, etc. Of course, to viewers of Ong-Bak (2003), the whole structure will seem very familiar: Tony Jaa goes to a new and unfamiliar city in search of something important to his culture, and has to fight a ton of people in the process. Rather than criticize this, we applaud it. So many action movies have overly-complicated plots that don't serve the movie well. The Protector and Ong-Bak have nice, simple plots that clear the way and leave enough room for Tony Jaa to do his thing. No fuss, no muss. Finally.Sure, there is some shooting and a few blow-ups, but, thankfully, the talent of Mr. Jaa is given an excellent platform here. He really shines as he fights not just the "cannon fodder" type of goon but also other fighters with various levels of expertise: some of his opponents are simply labeled "Capoeira Fighter" (Crowder) and "Wushu Fighter" (Foo). Of course, he also has to take on a small gang of meatheads, but he has a secret weapon up his sleeve… We can see all the countless hours of blood, sweat and tears that went into making this movie, and it certainly doesn't go unnoticed or unappreciated. For a top Martial Arts viewing experience, we heartily recommend The Protector.

callanvass 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

sukisukinow I have never commented on a film until today because I HAVE to tell people to watch this guy. Tony Jaa is THE martial arts stunt actor of our time. Period. And if you don't agree .. well, let's see YOU fight him, tough guy. ;) I look at a martial arts film for the martial arts. So while acting and editing are quite poor, this touching if somewhat trite story is more than made up for by unparalleled one-to-one combat/stunt sequences. Some group fight scenes suffer from "let's all attack this one guy by taking turns" syndrome. But hey, what martial arts actor hasn't suffered this cliché? It is a pure joy to watch Jaa take on people of varying fighting styles (and sadly, talent). He conquers it all -- people, weapons, glass, walls, vehicles even -- in real time speed without aid of wire work or other such special effects. You would swear the guy defies gravity. The power, skill and dexterity with which Jaa simultaneously executes complex stunt and Muay Thai choreography is breathtaking.Whether you grew up devoted to Bruce Lee, Meng Lo, Sho Kosugi, Jackie Chan or even Chuck "fist-in-his-beard" Norris, you will find none better today than Tony Jaa. Keep an eye on this guy.