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Plot:
Kham's life is turned upside down when an international mafia syndicate, based in Australia, captures his two beloved elephants and smuggles them thousands of kilometers away to Sydney. The two elepha...( read more 
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:June 30, 2008When 'Ong Bak' was released back in 2003, the film was internationally acclaimed for introducing a new action movie messiah in the form of Tony Jaa. This young Thai actor showed a spark that many had thought to be extinct within the action movie hemisphere as he demonstrated an impressive onscreen presence combined with an extraordinary ability in the Martial Arts (not to mention a willingness to suffer a few cuts and bruises for the sake of his art). The huge buzz surrounding Jaa and 'Ong Bak' naturally meant that a follow up film would be on the cards and it wasn't long before 'Tom Yum Goong' came to fruition, but would it live up to all the hype or was 'Ong Bak' a one hit wonder?
Kham (Jaa) and his father live the simple life in the heart of Thailand, raising two beloved elephants who they hope will eventually be offered up as a token of their love for the majesty of Thailand. However, before they are able to fulfil their destiny, the elephants are stolen by an international mafia syndicate who smuggle them out of the country. Kham is furious and decides to follow the gang to their native land of Australia in an effort to bring the missing members of his family home. Once there, Kham finds himself being chased by both sides of the law despite doing nothing wrong and it doesn't help that he has no grasp of the English language. Luckily for him, he manages to beat the information out of members of the gang and it isn't long before he is hot on the trail of his elephants. Now Kham must go head to head with some of the most powerful fighters around in an effort to reunite his family!
As far as the story goes for 'Tom Yum Goong', its highly likely that this outing will suffer slightly more during the translation process than it's predecessor did. This is not to say that it possesses an overly complicated scenario but rather that it relies heavily on the spiritual significance that elephants hold in Thailand, a concept that will undoubtedly be considered outlandish by an often blinkered mainstream Western audience. Unfortunately, this isn't aided by the fact that the plot often fails to go beyond the extremely basic "man searches for elephant" boundaries and is regularly used as nothing more than groundwork for the next fight sequence. That said though, what this film does offer is a lack of typical Western action movie clich?as it maintains its own distinctly Thai roots for points of reference. This gives the film a refreshing approach and style that, although lacking in the slick production values of it's Hollywood counterparts, is attractive in a raw sense and brings back a little of that magic that once dominated Hong Kong cinema in its early stages. What worries me though is that Jaa's films (much like a lot of the kung fu films of the 1970s) have already built up a small following that may never experience the film's distinctively Thai elements as these are the same people that have the tendency to fast forward through all the so-called "boring bits" just to see the action.
Assessing 'Tom Yum Goong' on acting merits is another hefty challenge considering there is very little room for any of it's stars to prove anything beyond their adeptness at on-screen fighting. It is obvious to anyone though that Jaa is a talent who is very capable of holding down a leading role as he employs all the heroic mannerisms where necessary and clearly grasps your attention with ease (although I would say his voice is occasionally weaker than it should be). Alongside him, Wongkamlao pops up once again as the comic relief although quite where his humour lies is often beyond me but it is fair to say that I may be missing out on some superior wordplay thanks to the language barrier. However, he can't really use that excuse too regularly here as he attempts to speak English for the majority of the film (which is sometimes very difficult to understand) and his lines are basic and more often that not unwelcome ones. The western cast however easily win the award for worst performers as their line delivery is truly atrocious, making one wonder whether the casting directors just waited outside the 'Neighbours' studios looking for any possible cast offs that would work for free.
In all honesty though, all of the above can perhaps be considered secondary as a huge majority of people watching this film will approach it with high expectations on the action and little regard for the surrounding cinematic fundamentals. On this basis alone, I'm happy to report that 'Tom Yum Goong' will not fail to entertain and delivers on almost every account. Tony Jaa is once again absolutely outstanding in his displays of physical dexterity and stuntwork, making the fights here invigorating and exhausting to watch. Rittikrai also does him proud by choreographing each sequence with a refreshing originality and inventiveness that has rarely been seen in action cinema throughout recent years. One sequence that perhaps highlights this fact sees Jaa fighting a group of bad guys as he ascends numerous flights of stairs but what makes this standout is that the entire scene is all shot in one single take! This type of action does come at a price though and even though it is amazing to watch, one can't help but feel that a lot of the sequences are centred around showcasing Jaa's obvious talents and often appear transparently staged. In my opinion, viewers need to feel a sense of urgency and danger within these scenes (an element of action cinema that Jackie Chan has down to a fine art) to allow you to become fully immersed in the film and without this, we could just be watching any fighter's showreel.
Let's face it though, no matter what reviewers like myself report on this film it is still going to be a huge success because the action alone makes it standout from the crowd. However, I am happy to say that 'Tom Yum Goong' is definitely a worthy follow up to 'Ong Bak', maintaining it's uniquely Thai flavour and serving up some action that is truly out of this world but just don't expect a storyline to match. -
MCT:June 29, 2008Many incredible fight sequences surrounded by a weak story. But who watches these movies for their storyline anyway?
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MCT:June 27, 2008I can't find the english version of this movie. All the sound in the one I got and subtitles are in MANDARIN. HELP! never mind it wasn't any better in English, lol.
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MCT:June 21, 2008
The plot is predictably typical, but the action and fight scenes are absolutely crazy!! The stunts this guy can do is amazing and well worth the watch. And it's always nice to see Nathan Jones pop up in these movies too....
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MCT:June 11, 2008
Do NOT watch the American version. They cut out the story. Tony Jaa is absolutely fantastic in this somewhat bizarre, yet engaging and exciting action flick.
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Comments
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aznpride937posted 345 days ago -
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Yea it looked a whole lot like jakie chan,everyone was like Hey its Jakie Chan..I was like, is it really? Tony Jaa even looks a little like Jakie. It would be cool to see them both in the same movie, and go head to head.Although Jakie's movies always have comedy and this movie was very serious. Tony Jaa's martial art skill is excellent,but to become a movie star he needs more acting experience.Time will tell.
posted 652 days ago -
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Woo Jackie Chan Cameo, Best Bit In The Whole Film Is The Bone Breaking Bit At The End, Just Watch For That, Its Pure Amazing
posted 657 days ago -
Yes return of Nathan Jones,the large Australian Man from World Wrestling Entertainment in 2003. He was also in the movie Troy,in the very beginning scene. He looks like a younger, stronger Kevin Nash. He plays the guy that comes out when the building is on fire, and then has an extended scene near the end of the film.His presence is awesome.
posted 659 days ago -
anybody dat watched wrestling ? remember nathan jones ? he's in this movie somewher
posted 666 days ago -
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i hav seen it half a year ago, it's not as good as the first ong bak thou, story kinda doesnt make sense
posted 667 days ago -
