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Capone interrogates the coolest martial arts actor alive today, Tony Jaa - THE PROTECTOR!!!

Published at:  Sep 05, 2006 4:17:54 PM CDT

Hey folks, Harry here - very jealous. Seething with jealousy. Capone has met Tony Jaa. Tony Jaa is a mythical person in the world to me. He moves as though he were ink and paint... the creation of pixels - to meet him in person means, I have to accept that he can actually do the incredible things he can do on screen. Which he apparently performs in person. Just astonishing. Here's Capone with the interview I'm most jealous of. He met Tony Jaa, holy fuck, that's cool!






Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here with the man whose last film ONG-BAK blew everyone away at BNAT a couple years ago, and whose latest film THE PROTECTOR (better known to some of you as the Americanized version of TOM YUM GOONG) is even better. Tony was working with a very nice translator for this interview, and I’ve tried as best I could to put his responses in Tony’s voice. I’m actually going to see the new version of THE PROTECTOR tonight, but I did this interview a couple weeks back, having only seen the original Thai version. Enjoy...




Capone: I have not seen this version, THE PROTECTOR, yet.




Tony Jaa: Have you seen the Thai one?




C: I’ve seen the original again, yes, but I don’t know what the differences are between the two.




TJ: I have seen some…other than the soundtrack [from The RZA], there are quite a few scenes which have been cut out, just to tighten up the movie.




C: Okay. So similar to what was done to ONG-BAK, that sort of just pulling scenes to tighten it up a little?




TJ: Yeah.




C: Got it. Why is it so important that the characters you play are basically ordinary men defending the honor of their people and village?




TJ: It’s a character close to my heart--just a very simple man, and it’s something about being Thai, about being simple.




C: And, you grew up in a smaller rural setting?




TJ: Yes, a very rural setting.




C: With that in mind, would you ever consider at any point playing a character less like yourself, the villain in a movie, or would that not be something you’d be interested in?




TJ: It depends on the opportunity, so I may like to play a bad guy one of these days. It depends on how bad the person, on what bad things he does, and it depends on the script.




C: In your life, how important is it for you to inject your Buddhist beliefs and themes into your films? Certainly in your films, there’s more of a spiritual connection and interaction between the hero and the situation than I’ve seen in other action films. Literally, in ONG-BAK, you’re going after a Buddha’s head, and then even more so in the new one.




TJ: There has to be a spiritual aspect to my movies. In any film that I am making myself, I hope that there will be at least some sort of spiritual aspect of my beliefs that can be pertinent to the theme. I believe that this will improve the quality or, at least, add to the quality of the film and help to spread the belief.




C: In Thailand, has that been the case? Has it been applauded for having the spiritual quality when so many other action films don’t?




TJ: It definitely has, I mean, Thailand being a Buddhist country and very spiritual in what we do. I think the audience feels a sense of good when we have this spiritual or religious thing added into my films.




C: Both of your most recent films also have very strong social messages, primarily about the big city versus the smaller community. Are there any issues, maybe unique to Thailand, that you’d like to include and address in future films? Are there ideas that you have?




TJ: I would like to focus more on he idea of karma. In any film, hopefully, I would like to have it a bit obvious, like learning, You’re good, you get good; you’re bad, you’re going to get bad. So, it’s a bit of karma that is very important. This is something that will be quite obvious in my films.




C: There are also characters in the films who, because of drugs or just bad influences around them, are good people leading lives they’re not happy with, and sometimes they don’t survive. Other times they are pulled out of that lifestyle. I think that’s really unique to your films. Is that something you’re always looking for--redemption--in your characters?




TJ: I do that on purpose. I feel that…like I said about karma, whenever there is good, you get good, but you do bad…sometimes you even do good, you get bad, because of the karma that you did in your past lives or something like that. But, in my films, I hope to show that if you do good, you get your good, and if you do bad, but you realize your mistake, you still can come back and get your good things. These people see and realize that even if you do bad, there is hope.




C: We’ve talked about spiritual things, let’s talk about action a little bit. Why is it important to you that your fight sequences are all the things that you’re know for--no special effects, no wires, no doubles?




TJ: I feel that this is part of the advertising that the company does, but for myself, I want to instill realism and a realistic aspect of filming. Nowadays, if you see a lot of martial arts films or action films, there are a lot of slings, wires, there’s a lot of CGI involved in filming it. I want my movie to be a Tony Jaa movie. It has to…it is different in that, firstly, it incorporates more Muay Thai, which is, I think, hardly ever seen anywhere else. This is the first time that anybody has done Muay Thai in film.



Secondly, being a Tony Jaa film means it’s a realistic film in which there is no stunt man. I do the stunts myself. I do all the action scenes myself, as much as I can do, that my ability is able to do. And, I want to show that on film. I think it creates a different and much more interesting work, such that when the audience watches the film they will be amazed--and not because of some CGI or special effects person who does it.




C: It really does make a difference. I was just in New York movie theatre last weekend, and they showed a trailer of THE PROTECTOR before the movie I was there to see. And, people instantly remembered you from ONG-BAK. This was in Times Square, so that means a very vocal crowd. And, they all clapped, they all knew who you were. And, they all clapped when the trailer was over. The scene that really got them was where you jump off the building onto the helicopter.



You mentioned Muay Thai before, but I’ve also read where you have said that you actually borrow from several different martial art styles and then inject something of your own into it. How do you describe what you’re adding to it? Do have a name for that?




TJ: It’s more of an inspiration thing. I get my inspiration from the different martial arts of Bruce Lee, Jet Li, or Jackie Chan. I take those inspirations and add Muay Thai into it, changing it a bit. In many ways, it’s also about using gymnastics, using different forms of sports, and putting it in and seeing whether it incorporates with the Muay Thai. Muay Thai itself is a martial art. It isn’t as gymnastic as it is in the film. To make it more interesting, that’s what I add. I put these inspirations into my action scenes.




C: I’ve often read that Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, and Jet Li are your main influences and were part of the reason that you wanted to get into filmmaking. But, I also read that BORN TO FIGHT was a big influence. And, I actually saw that after right after I saw ONG-BAK just because I…




TJ: The original or the…




C: I assume it was the original.




TJ: There was a remake.




C: I’m pretty sure it was something that came before ONG-BAK, though.




TJ: There was also a BORN TO FIGHT remake. It was done by the same director, my mentor Panna Rittikrai. That was done actually after ONG-BAK. Were there a lot of gymnastics, or was there, like, a group of kids going into this town, and then the town is terrorized by somebody? And, the kids use all their gymnastic and sports abilities?




C: The part I remember was at the end, when the hero is going down that hill with all the homes and...




TJ: Yes! That’s the remake.




C: Okay, then I’ve been fooled! But, what was it about the original that was so influential. Was there an aspect to it that you liked and made you want to meet the people that made that film?




TJ: When I saw the film…during the period when they were doing BORN TO FIGHT, it was still very Hong Kong-influenced sort of action. To me, when I saw the film, it was like, Wow, at least Thais can also do that, and I was very inspired by that. Because by then, I had known my master Panna Rittikrai for quite some time, and had been in that team for quite some time, and seen how the stunt team worked--that they were willing to risk their lives for the film. And, that sort of inspired me.




C: In THE PROTECTOR, you get to do a lot more acting. What was it like to cry on camera for the first time?




TJ: That was something I really enjoyed a lot. I believe that the drama drives the action. It’s not the action that drives the drama. I feel that with the right story, the right drama, it actually makes the action scenes even better. So, I’m very much into it.




C: Is it important to you to work as much on your ability as an actor as it is to develop the physical parts of your work, to get better as an athlete?




TJ: It’s something that goes hand in hand. I haven’t really taken any professional acting classes, but basically I try to improve myself acting-wise, and physically as well. It’s equally important. You can’t have one without the other. If it was just action, it would be almost like an action show--it’s just acting and demonstration. But, with the right acting skills and with the right drama and the right story, it only will make the film a lot better. And, make me a much better actor.



It’s really difficult to get the right balance. It’s like, you know, getting into the mood of a character, especially when he’s angry and crying when he loses the elephant. If I put too much of my emotion into my acting, I could actually act out the character’s frustration during the fight scenes. So, I could actually injure somebody if I were too much into it. It’s very, very hard for me to find the balance.



To fight with the realism and the feelings that you should feel as an actor but to also always bear in mind that you have to be very careful what you’re doing with your fellow actors.




C: I was going to ask if during some of those more dramatic fight scenes, like the one where you’re breaking everyone’s arms and legs, if it is difficult to keep those emotions in check--in a scene like that that’s very passionate and it’s not just about defending yourself. It’s about raw emotion.




TJ: It’s really difficult, I mean, it’s about you’re having the emotional aspect as well as the knowing that you are going to be fighting with opponents and trying to get the realistic feel of the role and yet knowing very, very clearly that you have to control your emotions such that you do not overdo your fight scenes, because you could actually seriously hurt others.




C: You said earlier that the drama and the action need to go hand in hand. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always happen in some films. Do you laugh at martial arts films that rely so heavily on wires and CGI and stunt doubles. Do you look down on films like that?




TJ: No, certainly not. I don’t feel like that. I actually enjoy a lot of the modern-day things with wires and the stunt doubles. That’s where I get my inspiration. A lot of the films that I watch, I really and truly enjoy the modern films with their over-the-top action. I feel I take inspiration from them. I look at some of them and take inspiration, in which I will sometimes think maybe I’ll be able to that particular stunt without the wire. Would it be possible to do that? If I am able to do that, I will take more pride in it, but I don’t feel that it’s a bad thing. I think it’s actually a different means of expression. I want to do a film which is small, realistic, I want to do my own stunts. But, for the other films, I think it’s okay, it’s fine. I enjoy them.




C: I noticed that Luc Besson, who helped edit and distribute ONG-BAK internationally, has started using a lot more martial arts in his films. How would you rate that? The one he produced called DISTRICT B13 that I saw the year after ONG-BAK had another actor who did all his own stunts with no tricks.




TJ: I think it’s fine. I think it’s great that everybody is able to do something that’s very much their own style. That being their own style. I’m sure that Luc Besson’s film has its own style, which is maybe very different from what mine is. And, I have my own style. So, to me, it’s absolutely fine.




C: One thing I did want to address, some Western audiences may not understand the cultural significance of elephants in Thai culture. And, I want to get the word out, so people will understand. Can you explain that.




TJ: Elephants are a very, very important part of Thai culture. To many Thais, they are taken as very important animals of high level, almost to the point of being gods to some people. In ancient times, the elephants were used for war, and the kings would ride on their backs and then fight against the opponents during war times. In present times, a lot of the elephants are used for religious ceremonial purposes, for parades and things like that. So, it’s really something that is very in tune with the Thai culture.



My family has been raising elephants for many, many generations. My ancestors were elephant ‘mahuts’ [trainers], looking after elephants for a long time. And, I myself have two elephants called Flower and Leaf. And, they are like a part of my family. One is 60, and the other is 50 years old. I have bought this really large piece of land, like a jungle, and I sort of let them run free and live the rest of their lives there.




C: What is next for you. I’ve been reading two things: One is that you’re preparing for ONG-BAK II, and then there’s another film called SWORD?




TJ: SWORD is on the back burner for the time being. We will be doing it later.



In the next film, ONG-BAK II, this really comes from my heart and from my spirit. I have already many scenes, action scenes in my head. I’ve already filled up my head. I will be directing the film as well. It will be a period piece. You will see a lot of Muay Thai that you have never seen before. It will be a very interesting new Muay Thai movie, but there will also be ancient Thai weaponry used. There will be elephants involved in the movie as well, and they will be part of the action.




C: Will you be playing the same character, or will it be a completely different story?




TJ: I will be a different character and a different story.




C: I have to ask: In THE PROTECTOR, I’m sure lots of people are going to focus on the scene where you’re going up the many flights of stairs. I had to watch that a couple times, just because I didn’t believe my eyes that it was all done in one take. How long did it take you, and how many times did you have to shoot that before you got it right?




TJ: Basically, this particular scene took a month to prepare and two weeks to shoot it. It took eight takes altogether, and with the eight takes, you could only do two a day, because with each take, you just had to prepare everything. I start from the bottom and I start fighting from the bottom to the fourth floor, so every scene, lighting, camera has to be at the right spot at the right time. For the film, it’s a Steadicam, so basically, the film roll is only about four minutes long. So, it has to finish that four stories within that four minutes of film. So, that was a really difficult aspect to it. Originally, it was supposed to be a white guy who was going to be the cinematographer for that scene, but he just wasn’t fit enough to coordinate everything, so in the end, we took an Asian Thai guy who actually became the cinematographer for that particular scene.



So, in this film, there were eight takes. In one of the takes I was doing everything perfectly, and the camera is following me, and I am doing it, and then…when you watch the sequence, there was one scene in which I threw the bad guy over the third-floor balcony, and the guy fell to the ground floor. So, in that scene, as you start from the beginning, it’s just an empty ground floor, and I start going up. So, as I got to the second and third floor, they’re supposed to push in the safety thing with the net and the boxes, so that when the stunt men fall into it there’s not a problem, you know? As I was going to throw the stunt man off the balcony, that safety thing wasn’t in place. So, I had to pull the stunt man back, the whole scene was destroyed, and we had to restart.



Another scene, I was doing everything perfectly, right to the fourth floor, where I was supposed to say something--I can’t remember what the line is--and the film ran out, just as I was about to say it. Everything was perfect, and we had to do it again. So, it was only on the eighth take that everything was perfect. And, that was my dream sequence.




Capone


Send Your Fists of Fury Here!










    + Expand All

    Readers Talkback

  • Sep 05, 2006 4:23:33 PM CDT

    Ong-Bak was cool

    by sickboy_ukuk

    That is all

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 05, 2006 4:58:15 PM CDT

    "martial arts actor"

    by godoffireinhell

    He's not an actor because he can't act. A great martial artist? Absolutely!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 05, 2006 5:05:37 PM CDT

    he should inteview zombies more often

    by kidjingo

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Azo8heDmNoQ

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 05, 2006 5:06:35 PM CDT

    Excellent interview...

    by studioplant69

    Capone,
    Great stuff, as a Chicago boy myself and a martial artist I really enjoyed the interview. Tony Jaa sounds like he's very grounded and intelligent. I look forward to many films from him.
    Keep up the good work!

    gfy

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 05, 2006 5:18:52 PM CDT

    Is anyone else deliberately NOT ....

    by raw_bean

    following kidjingo's link, just because the annoying bastard posts it everywhere? ---------- Was blown away by Jaa's stunts and athleticism in Ong Bak, even though the film was less than fantastic to say the least. Dieing to see TOM YUM GOONG (can't remember the dodgy UK title, The Warrior King or some shit like that) and antyhing else the guy does.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 05, 2006 5:21:11 PM CDT

    Is the new cuts tightening scenes or just butchering?

    by crayotic

    I can't really think of anything that needed chopping out of TYG, but I do remember Ong Bak's plot sequences dragging on (although they seemed pretty bare bones already). I'm not even that sure if we need a Rza soundtrack actually

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 05, 2006 6:01:38 PM CDT

    New SNDTRK?

    by djspoonfed

    Wasn't necessary... What's with this butchering of foreign films before they're allowed to be watched here? Why not just slap some good subtitles on the film and call it a done day?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 05, 2006 6:09:00 PM CDT

    white guy vs. asian guy cinematographer?

    by jonesey1111

  • Sep 05, 2006 6:15:18 PM CDT

    Hehe, my country, Australia...

    by womb2doom

    ... just finished stealing a few Thai elephants to put in our zoo in Sydney! There were protests in Thailand but we snuck em out at night. Somebody loan me a gun for I need to fire it in the air in celebration that we rescued these poor elephants from the harsh jungles of Thailand and all her thorns.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 05, 2006 6:56:06 PM CDT

    hits like mike tyson, sounds like...

    by judgenxcutioner

    mike tyson

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 05, 2006 7:27:27 PM CDT

    BADASS

    by messi

    this guy is one tough motherfucker

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 05, 2006 8:15:17 PM CDT

    TOO SOON!!!

    by rainesmaker

    Does this Protector have Danny Aiello in it too?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 05, 2006 8:27:00 PM CDT

    ONG BAK and TOM YUM GOONG

    by jar jar 4 prez

    are both totally kickass. Jaa haters can all pucker up and suck a fart straight out of an elephant's asshole.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 05, 2006 8:46:56 PM CDT

    Great interview

    by darth_valinorean

    Capone, this is a great interview and I have to give full credit to the questions, the tone of the interview and most of all, the underlying respect for the artist.

    Tony Jaa is very down-to-earth and definitely comes across as a some who is level headed and not 'starstruck' with his own successes.

    This is a movie to look forward to as will be any work from him in the future.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 05, 2006 8:59:10 PM CDT

    A Real Fucking Bad Ass

    by the ender

    Ong Bak II sounds Righteous. I hope they start work on it soon. I really enjoy Tony Jaa's stunt and martial arts work, the dudes amazing. I hope at some point in the future, he teams up with The Juggfuckler to fight "True" Evil

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 05, 2006 10:25:45 PM CDT

    womb2doom, for that kinda talk Jaa will knee your ass,

    by crayotic

    Jaa will knee your face, Jaa will knee your balls into ou-ter-space! (It's called karma)

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 05, 2006 11:09:19 PM CDT

    crayotic

    by womb2doom

    Is nice! We like to put elephant on hot plate and make him dance. Is funny!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 12:05:45 AM CDT

    This guy couldn't hold Jet Li's Nutsack!

    by ganymede2010

    Please, this guy is NO Jet Li. This guy is average at best.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 12:52:59 AM CDT

    NERDS should shut the fuck up

    by antonphd

    I actually read a couple of nerds above say shit about Tony Jaa?! What planet do you live on in that you can believe that opinion of any athlete matters?! Tony Jaa wouldn't even kick your ass. He would simply walk by and not notice that you exist. When you weight over 100 lbs and under 300, then you get to have an opinion of professional athletes. Someone actually compared him to Jet Li, as if he can even tell the difference?! WTF!?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 12:53:51 AM CDT

    correction to above post

    by antonphd

    your opinion of any athlete matters

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 1:50:51 AM CDT

    Is He The Reincarnation Of Bruce Lee???

    by metalwater

    Is Tony Jaa the reincarnation of Bruce Lee...or at least perhaps his logical successor??? I have seen other pretenders to the throne...yet, I have remained unimpressed...that is, until Jaa appeared. Having done martial arts myself, I have to say, this guy looks like the real deal...and no doubt is a great admirer of Lee. It's time for somebody to produce Jaa's Enter The Dragon...meaning, a break-out film that will make him a worldwide star. That said, I hear that Hollywood producers are making Bruce Lee's tv series
    Kung-Fu into a movie. For those of you who don't know...Bruce Lee created the series Kung-Fu and was set to star in the show...but the lead part was stollen from him at the last minute, simply because he was Asian. Seems execs at the network didn't want a strong and respected Asian American in the role for racist reasons, and nothing else. Tony Jaa is the only martial artist that I can think of, that could possibly come close to giving us Bruce Lee's intended version of Kung-Fu...Hence, I hope the folks in Hollywood are reading this post right now, and act on it, by giving Tony Jaa the lead role in the upcoming Kung-Fu movie!!!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 4:24:30 AM CDT

    Tony Jaa couldn't possibly star in a Kung-Fu movie...

    by killah_mate

    ...he's a Muay Thai fighter. Didn't you read the interview?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 4:50:10 AM CDT

    Tony Jaa

    by captain rawbeard

    ... better than Bruce Lee (and could his ass too)

    LET THE HATE BEGIN

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 5:02:51 AM CDT

    OOPS

    by captain rawbeard

    I meant that Tony Jaa could KICK Bruce Lees ass

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 6:11:10 AM CDT

    Killah_Mate, technically Muay Thai is Kung Fu

    by crayotic

    as is anything you put time and effort into.. y'know, if you wanna be literal about it

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 6:17:45 AM CDT

    and antonphd

    by crayotic

    did a nerd laugh at your gym workout, or put Deep Heat in your jockstraps, or some other zany college prank? You sound quite emotional about this

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 7:23:33 AM CDT

    RawBeard, You're Confused In Both Of Your Posts!!!

    by metalwater

    Yes Raw Beard, you are confused...And I'm sure you are not...and have never been a martial artist. Tony Jaa, nor any serious martial artist would ever speak ill of Bruce Lee...Simply the greatest fighter of all time!!!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 7:35:18 AM CDT

    Killah Mate...You're Killin' Yourself!!!

    by metalwater

    Jaa is a Buddhist...the same is true of Lee and the lead characters in the series Kung-Fu...BTW...The real name of Kung-Fu, the martial arts form, is Gong-Fu...The name was Americanized to make it an easier sell here!!! The point is...Jaa can play the lead character in Kung-Fu the movie as it does not conflict with his religious beliefs!!!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 7:43:15 AM CDT

    Kung Fu can equate to eating Bic Macs

    by tripp5

    Kung fu means putting in the time and dedication to something, and attempting to be a master of it. i can spend every day of the week eating Bic Macs all day, so i can be the best Big Mac eater ever, and in the end, Big Daddy Ronny McDonny can tell me, "You're kung fu is-a very gooood."

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 8:30:52 AM CDT

    Metal Water

    by captain rawbeard

    I said that because I wanted to see someone react but whilst we are on the subject. I am not a martial artist although I did used to do it a few back but gave up as I didnt have enough time or money to continue (damn debts). Anyway I LOVE martil art movies and have watched them since I was like 10 (I am 29 now) but whilst I know how everyone worships Bruce Lee, me I thought he was a great Martial Artist and the first to really introduce it to western audiences. But I do not hold him as the best there was. I understand his iconic status but personally if it came to a one on one between Bruce Lee and Tony Jaa. I would bet on Tony.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 8:53:59 AM CDT

    this movies good

    by blacklightning

  • Sep 06, 2006 9:00:47 AM CDT

    I got 1000 on Tony

    by mits777

    I agree Tony would probably win in a fight but Bruce had the whole charisma thing going for him. Brandon had it to but too bad his life was cut short. Anyone who's interested in a new cool martial arts movie check out this site and review and trailer for Death Trance from the action director of Versus. http://tinyurl.com/pv8do

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 9:27:45 AM CDT

    I saw the BORN TO FIGHT remake....

    by sakurai

    it sucked.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 11:14:03 AM CDT

    The Protector Edit

    by shigeru

    They better not have cut out that scene of the chick dancing in the mud. My penis was doing Muay Thai.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 11:48:36 AM CDT

    Saw it last night

    by joeyrusso1290

    And that mud scene is def in it still Shigeru. Check out my review @ http://www.movietack.net/r1080-protector-the-movie-review.html

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 1:39:44 PM CDT

    TOM YUM GOONG vs THE PROTECTOR

    by harry weinstein

    Though the new title is terrible (never mind that there's already a Jackie Chan movie with the same title... and it's not nearly as bad as their retitling of SPL as the idiotic KILL ZONE), and I'm the last person to defend Americans butchering Asian films - but TOM YUM GOONG was desperately in need of additional editing. A lot of the English language scenes (TOM YUM GOONG was filmed in a mixture of Thai, Mandarin, and English) were just awful and didn't work at all from the perspective of an English speaking audience. The action's better than ONG-BAK, but the movie itself, definitely not. But god damn, what action it is! Now, the new score by RZA - not needed. TYG's score was just fine. But this is the rare case where I agree with the Weinsteins that some additional editing to the film was definitely in order. Now, hopefully they did it right and didn't just randomly chop shit out as they are prone to do.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 3:35:55 PM CDT

    Tony Jaa's elbow, son....

    by greata'tuin

    ...that is all

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 3:38:08 PM CDT

    Stairway fight scene

    by dragulf

    was awesome. Cool movie.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 4:54:25 PM CDT

    asian cinematographers suck

    by exeter

    that is all.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 06, 2006 5:46:59 PM CDT

    I saw the original cut of Tom Yum Goong

    by womb2doom

    And whilst the fight scenes are awesome and bone crunching good fun, the "character" and "exposition" scenes were terrible total mood killers. I, for one, am looking forward to the US cut, so long as they don't soften the action scenes and take out the flying elephant shot!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 07, 2006 12:05:12 AM CDT

    When was the last time you watched some...

    by thatpeterguy

    and thought to yourself, "I wonder if I could do that without the wires." This guy is insanely talented. And I like the line,"Originally, it was supposed to be a white guy who was going to be the cinematographer for that scene, but he just wasn’t fit enough to coordinate everything, so in the end, we took an Asian Thai guy." That is so typical. But maybe he was just trying to master his Big Mac-fu as tripp5 so aptly explained.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 07, 2006 3:06:42 AM CDT

    DAMN YOU MICHAEL BAY

    by mcmlxxvi

  • Sep 07, 2006 8:17:24 AM CDT

    "Loses the elephant."

    by rbatty024

    That's a kick ass idiom. I have no clue what it means, but it still kicks ass. I'm using it from now on.

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  • Sep 07, 2006 10:58:09 AM CDT

    Tony Jaa

    by mrjonz72

    I love the guy. I have seen footage of some demostrations he has done and as far as movies. The only move I have seen is the American version of Ong Bak. I have been watching martial arts films since Kung Fu Theater in the late 70's. As far as martial arts skills he is one of my favorites, saying all of that though. I think this dude needs a little bit of charisma, actually alot. Thats my only gripe. Maybe it will get better once his acting gets better??

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  • Sep 07, 2006 12:20:31 PM CDT

    Ong Bak 2

    by chip butty

    Why the hell is it called "Ong Bak 2" if it has nothing to do with the first one?? Or is it just a working title? I must agree that the original cut of Tom Yum Goong sucked; editing, plot, etc. all over the place. Hopefully it will all be improved upon for the US release.

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  • Sep 07, 2006 12:22:54 PM CDT

    Exeter

    by jar jar 4 prez

    You're a racist asshole.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 07, 2006 4:09:12 PM CDT

    great movie

    by macgruder

    besides the plot and non-fight scene fillers.

    The fights were the best Ive seen though.

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  • Sep 07, 2006 4:18:19 PM CDT

    no Mongoloid 4 prez

    by exeter

    it seems the racist ones are the mongoloids who decided to swing in a monkey to photograph shit because the original guy couldn'nt "handle" it *cough*bullshit*cough*. and i surmise it this isn't new of the thai society, asia itself is very xenophobic, and the thais are kind of screwed up, i mmean a report once of a family killing their daughter for ritual aacrifice? fuccked up backwoods area.

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  • Sep 08, 2006 3:21:33 AM CDT

    Exeter

    by antonphd

    let me guess, you are Thai but you are ashamed of your family. you are like the guy in Ong Bak who sells drugs for a living but gets redeemed in the end. only, you aren't yet. why do you hate your family? friends are like the weather, they come and go, but family is forever.

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  • Sep 08, 2006 7:24:09 AM CDT

    Finally!

    by bubba gillman

    An action movie with a plot we all can relate to. Who hasn't lost a baby elephant?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 08, 2006 5:39:22 PM CDT

    antonnphd,you're asian?

    by exeter

    lawl. CHING CHONG FUKAZZZ LOLA

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  • Sep 15, 2006 4:02:16 PM CDT

    It's about time we got fresh energy back into the genre

    by nohubris

    I saw this last weekend with an audience that included people of all ages/ethnicities and everyone went crazy. They were constantly applauding during the action scenes...IMHO the Protector was far better than Ong-Bak because of the enormously creative athleticism, high energy and ingenuity in the fight scenes. This style is what has been missing in the post- Matrix action genre. Based on the Wow Factor of this movie, IMO it is evident that the formula Hollywood has been using regarding the trinity of character development/plot/dialogue needs to adapt so that films like this can be produced on our side of the globe. I enjoy good dialogue and so forth like the next person, but in a movie like this that is not the main event. Tony Jaa’s motivation at the beginning was enough to carry everything that he did throughout the movie.

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  • Sep 15, 2006 4:11:58 PM CDT

    Fresh, high-powered energy for the action genre...

    by nohubris

    ...and it's about time. I saw this last weekend with an audience that included people of all ages/ethnicities and everyone went crazy. Everyone constantly applauded during just about every the action scene (after the first one in Thailand)...IMHO the Protector was far better than Ong-Bak because of the enormously creative athleticism, high energy and ingenuity in the fight scenes. This style is what has been missing in the post- Matrix action genre. Based on the Wow Factor of this movie, IMO it is evident that the formula Hollywood has been using regarding the trinity of character development/plot/dialogue needs to adapt so that films like this can be produced on our side of the globe. I enjoy good dialogue and so forth like the next person, but in a movie like this that is not the main event. Tony Jaa’s motivation at the beginning was enough to carry everything that he did throughout the movie.

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  • Sep 15, 2006 5:52:30 PM CDT

    I thought my first post didn't take so I sent it again

    by nohubris

    ...after refreshing three times and not seeing it. Looks like I have to get used to the new AICN system.

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