The Impact of Tony Jaa | Video Essay
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Accented Cinema - Episode 111
I have so many things I want to say about Tony Jaa, but I can only fit 2 movies into one video.
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Hope you like the new art style!
(Due to a rendering error, this video was re-uploaded)
Gonna miss all the red
You need to make a video on Cynthia Rothrock
Looks fantastic
Og was better
I miss the red already ;). But this feels fresh in some ways, it's nice ✨ Maybe the style has to "evolve" some more, or maybe we have to get used to it. For now tho, let's see how this new style will feel
I will never forget my experience in a packed theatre the first time I saw that iconic kick in Ong Bak. The entire theatre collectively yelled WOAH unexpectedly. It was such a primal, and exciting communal response. Everyone had just collectively seen something they had truly never felt or experienced before in a cinema. It was special.
I still have a soft spot for that shot outside of the mountain cave where he runs up on the goons from the side of the screen. For some reason, no one in the theater was expecting the fight to start like that, so we all laughed in delight.
I think you and they haven seen Dragon Lord by Jackie Chan.
Ong Bak and Iron Monkey are some of the movies where I had an unforgettable time watching them in theaters. The crowd reacting to every kick and punches just enhanced the whole experience.
@@ricodenis8126
Iron Monkey... starring Donnie Yen ?
True
fun facts:
8:31 that jump was real. Tony Jaa thought actors in other martial arts movies did it themselves so he practiced to be able to do it. but then he found out that the movies he has watched all used wires.
8:43 his tiredness was not planned. they filmed this shot about 10 or more times because Tony Jaa was not satisfied with his performance towards the end. but then they decided to go with the 7th take
I feel like seeing something "real" or performed by actual people without any wires or editing is something sorely missing in today's media landscape. There is so much CGI and clever editing, and yes they deserve credit because they can enhance the experience. However, seeing people do amazing things is something I miss growing up watching martial arts movies as a kid vs today
@@Stlwartheart14 CGI as an enhancement is fine, CGI as the effect doesn't work so well. And editing to cover up the lack of well trained action is also too obvious.
Unfortunately there isn't a market for good action. That's why the best come out of poorer countries. What does Hollywood do when they hire Tony Jaa or Iko Uwais?
There's a cut in the middle, so not quite 4 mins. Still the most impressive thing I've ever seen though.
That seems like anyone young and fit could pull off. The very impressive part is pulling that jump while super tired from all the action on the scene!
@@Stlwartheart14 then you'll love skateboarding, they do some stunts and physical feats that are truly neglected in the athletic scene, plus the dedication to the craft is not easy despite it being something for kids but then again kids don't do the extreme stuff and even the kid stuff can be quite daunting for one's courage
I put martial arts and skateboarding in that same mind frame of an art with physicality , nothing comes close to one another in it's complexity and beauty of true primal science
Tony Jaa was a phenomenon in India too... Ong Bak was such a hit all sequels of the movie were released dubbed in cinema halls which was a first for thai movie... no thai movie was since then released in theatres sadly, in my whole 26 years of life I remember ong bak, Tom Yung goong, and train to busan were the only east asian movies to be officially released in theatres in India at a massive scale nationwide.
That's really interesting thanks for sharing
Yep , came here to say this , Tony Jaa is insanely popular India. I don't even think The Raid is as popular as the OngBak in India.
Remember Indian actors copy pasting his moves in their movies? Tony influenced the indian action choreography a lot
@@bibhuchhetri5421
Ong Bak even more popular than The Raid in Indonesia
So true, when i was a kid, Ong bak was so so so so popular! Most of my mates still get together once a year to watch the movies every year!
Tony Jaa jumping through the ring of barbed wire is one of the sickest shots ever. Absolute platinum.
The moment we saw that kick, me and my friends lost it! I’m glad you are finally giving Jaa his flowers since he’s so underrated.
Appreciate the attention on Thai action stunt, people pay too much attention to the tourism gray area if you catch my drift.
I would like to refer to an iconic line from Tom-Yam-goong for this moment
"ช้างกูอยู่ไหน (where the hell is my elephant?!)"
Tony Jaa is undeniably one of the martial art, action greats. Up there with Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Jet Li. Great Video man.
I think you forgot Steven Seagal the greatest of all time...... jk
@@mreatitall One of the greatest sleaze balls of all time, maybe.
@@AccentedCinema how you gonna say that when he can beat anyone while sitting on chair. SITTING ON A CHAIR.
@@AccentedCinema Nahh man Chuck Norris can beat 100 people up then stands up from sitting. Steven can beat 100 people up while sitting doing nothing.
Donnie Yen is a tough one to rate, since his career only took off after Jet Li, Jackie Chan, & even Michelle Yeoh mostly retired from action. And at that point, as this vid points out, a lot of his style can be seen as borrowed.
Of course this may be a situation like the NBA in the 90's - Clyde Drexler was great, but he played in an era where Jordan dominated and Charles Barkley was around too.
As a Thai person, thank you so much for shining the spotlight on Tony Jaa (or Jaa Panom as we call him). He really is underrated as an action star for the general moviegoers, but I think in part there really hadn't been good movie scripts that expand upon his talent since Ong Bak and Tom Yum Goong. I really, really hope he gets to be a big movie star one day. Can't wait for it.
Here in india he's considered as the greatest. I personally rank him above jackie chan. I love him to death as hes part of my nostalgic childhood
ชอบมากวิดีโอนี้
Tony Jaa is underrated. I don't see him held in high regard despute his physical abilities, incredible stunts, and fight choreography. I hope we can see more films from him or new talent he has inspired soon.
Why hasn't he been in a John Wick film yet? Okay, Common and Ruby Rose did much better than I thought, but the real martial arts actors don't get much time.
Even Tiger Chen, who Keaunu knows, didn't get much of a fight scene. Tony Jaa or Iko Uwais wouldn't be magnitudes better than Common? Julia Estelle or JeeJa Yanin wouldn't do an epic fight scene instead of Ruby Rose?
@@recoil53 In John Wick 4, he has to deal with Donnie Yen and Scott Adkins (the latter had a fat suit, but still does his own stunts).
@@jakey14344 And look how long it took to get to big names in action. It wasn't until 3 that Tiger Chen, Mad Dog Ruhian, and Cecep Rahman were used.
Ironically, all of the other martial arts action stars speak of him in the highest terms. They all respect his ability.
Tom yum goong was dubbed as "Hathi Mere Sathi" (my friend the elephant) in Hindi, which happens to be the title of a different Hindi classic from the 70s. I was 13 years old. I searched 3 different markets for a bootleg cd. Most people didn't know the original Thai title of the movie, so I had to use the Hindi one instead. Finally I found shop with one cd with hathi mere sathi written on it and bought it. Turned out to be the 70s Hindi one 😋
Childhood memories aside, please consider doing an essay on Thai or non hong kong asian action cinema as well. Mercury Man deserves some love
I went through the same thing! Here in the US, it's called The Protector... which is also the name of a Jackie Chan movie. I went from video store to video store for years, asking for "The Protector" and getting the Jackie Chan film & "The Defender" staring Jet Li 😒
@@TheHumanPurpleTape ❤️
My dad is a indochinese Laotian American immigrant who shares many cultures and ethnicities from Thailand, Vietnam, China. He somehow got a Thai only language version CD of Ong Bak in the states before it was even released for english audiences. At the time as a child i was severely bullied in school for my race .. but watching Ong Bak, even if I couldn't understand it linguistically really brought me tears in many parts of the movie and made me proud of my hertiage and being, the movie really saved my life at the time. Thank you, Tony Jaa
Ong Bak was one of the most surprising movies I've ever seen, it opened my eyes to martial arts movies outside of Kung Fu/Karate and it still stands up to this day
I still vividly remember watching a dubbed version of Ong Bak 1 in India and my jaw dropped several times at sheer audacity of those stunts. Tony Jaa is truly one of a kind in the martial arts world.
True
I used to sell bootleg DvDs. Since they were mostly from China, I was introduced to Tony Jaa very early. I was always a big martial arts fan and absolutely loved his movies. His 4 minute action sequence with no cut is the best ever.
I remember going to GenCon and there were stalls with those martial arts tapes & DVDs. Compilations, movies you couldn't really find even in catalogs.
I am relieved that someone actually pinpointed te importance of Ong Bak and The Protector film for the action genre. Just The Raid afterwards set the standard for gruesome realism in action we see a lot today, without Tony Jaa's first two main films we wouldn't dream of this wave of amazing films.
Also The Protector's oner is easily one of the best long takes in cinema, period. No cheap whip pan transition, no shaky movement, instead, just pure cinema of action. Raw and crispy.
Tony Jaa, Bruce Lee, and I guess to a lesser extent Luffy are all my fitness icons. They embody the “size isn’t everything” mantra that so many young men struggle with.
*Tony Jaa absolutely blew my mind!*
I watched Ong Bak without subtitles when i was a child. I had no idea what his name was & just called him Ong Bak, lol. He quickly became my favourite action star, overtaking Jackie Chan in my heart. As life changing as Ong Bak was, Tom Yum Goong(The Protector, internationally) is definitely more re-watchable to me. His acting improved a lot & his character is more fleshed out. And don't get me started on the action sequences. The Jackie Chan cameo was also cherry on top~👌
I absolutely agree that Action cinema owes a lot to Tony Jaa. I sincerely hope we'll get one last hit by Tony.. But not at the expense of his health, of course. And finally.. like you said, i can't wait for another future action star to be born! Thank you for making this video.
Me and my brothers were massive Martial Art fans growing up watching Bruce Lee/Jet Li/Jackie Chan films during our time living in Alaska in the early 2000s and after the Rise of Jet Li and Jackie Chan in Hollywood,
there wasn't a person who was interested in Martial art films who DIDNT know who Tony Jaa was after Ong Bak/The Protector.
This dude is honestly the biggest Martial Arts Superstar in between the eras of Jet/Jackie of the late 90s/early 2000s and The Raid/John Wick influenced Martial art movies of the 2010s.
Hell,i think his Influence in movies coincided with the rise of MMA/Anderson Silva and Muay Thai actually becoming a Martial Arts known in the Average american household next to Karate/Judo/Tae Kwon Do/Boxing/Wrestling.
So happy to see someone talking about Tony Jaa and the massive effect his early films had on the entertainment industry!
I didn’t see it in theaters, but I will never forget chilling with several friends at one of their houses watching Ong Bak for the first time. No parents around, just a bunch of adolescent boys carrying on every time something cool came on the screen likre “yoooooooooo, did y’all see that!?!?!?!!!!!” Tony Jaa is the greatest. First time watching Ong Bak is a core memory
I still remember the first time I watched Tom Yum Goong, it's so impeccable, explosive, and the choreography is unbelievable. I've never seen elbow and knee strike that brutal and beautiful, and the cinematography is very fresh too, instead of hiding action in zoomed-in shaky camera, they just put a wide frame and said "here's our performance".
I watched that 4 minute long take a couple time, and I'm mesmerized over and over. I can't believe Jackie Chan successor is from a country that's famous with horror instead of martial arts action movie.
In 2023, Tom Yum Goong is still the peak of martial arts movie, still unbeatable.
I remember watching it on a bus about 10 years ago, and that time I have to know the title of the movie (to be downloaded later)
Tony Jaa got me into viewing foreign cinema through martial arts. He is amazing! Thanks for doing this.
I'm not even Thai but I'm very proud of the Southeast Asian representation! Thank you for the video essay on such an impactful but severely underrated actor!
i still remember watching this when i was just a kid. so thats why i feel so nostalgic watching most action movies nowadays.
Dude Tony Jaa is my new hero. Basically he done two of the things I love more in this art:
01 - Make stunning and impressive movies on a limited budget (yes, I find this amazing and it sort of conects with the next point);
02 - Make with his work and entire cinema industry worldwide more visible.
Not to be unfair, I'm sure Thailand cinema industry is much older and hads dozens great movies before and after Ong Bak. But, dude, it gets popular in Brazil.
Not only brazil, here in Belém do Pará, a city in amazonia far from being a metropolis. How many Thai movies get here? Not many before not many after ... If any to be honest.
Thailand - like most cinema industries - probably can't play with the budgets of Hollywood so, making such powerful statements of movies with so little make us think "hey, maybe we can do something like this here too!" - and I say this for all countries of the world basically.
Tony, a brown asian from the inner portion of Thailand - you are our hero! You get there and you deserve it!
Tony Jaa is one of the greatest innovators of the genre, and it's hard to overstate just how jaw-dropping Ong Bak and The Protector were when they released.
Thai fan here. Thanks for this analysis! Like you, I always think Tony Jaa's early works' impact has been underrated. Ong Bak came out in 2003, 3-4 years years after The Matrix and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Ong Bak's style is totally different; gruesomeness is on another level. This paved the way for all later martial art films that underscore realisticness, including The Raid.
About Tony Jaa's career. I feel bad that his career seems not as successful as it should be in Hollywood. Perhaps it's because of his agency, his selection, or maybe his acting ability. I always compare him with Iko Uwais. Iko seems to develop greatly in his acting. His role is getting more serious and has more and more dialogues. This may take time, but I hope Tony will get more opportunities too.
Action films are almost dead in Thailand. I can't see if we will have any convincing action films soon, let along martial arts films.
There was some crazy drama over his contract with his agency, causing him to not work for years or smtg
Yeah man. Film production company in Thailand these days more happy to make a comedy movie, horror comedy movie, romantic comedy and drama movie instead make a action movie. These type of movie make the profit in box-office in local and international markets. Even Thailand don’t make a horror movie anymore. I know this because I live in Malaysia and many of Thai movie always showed in Malaysian cinemas.
@@lokmansahat6220 Thank you! Two things to add here. First, the film industry overall in Thailand has been in a downturn. Production houses are fearful of investing. So, they aim to make only low-budget movies; any action movies are out of the plan. I think they still do horror movies though. In 2021, they had 'The Medium', which turned out to be okay.
Second, I think they don't have a new generation yearning to make martial art films. Prachya Pinkaew stopped making movies a couple years now, and Panna Rittikrai sadly passed away a few years ago. They don't have new action experts.
@@lokmansahat6220Wow... in a way it looks like Brazil, whose attempts at movies that go beyond comedy or drama are poorly received by the home audience.
@@mjfilho33 Except these type of movies are well received and the audiences love it especially younger audience. Like Pee Mak, a comedy romance horror which is a highest grossing movies in Thai film industry. Another example is Bad Genius which become a hit in Asia and some of foreign markets.
Tom Yum Goong is still my all-time favorite action film. I saw it when I was 22 & it still rings in my head at almost 40. Por Yai's fate makes me tear up every time.
Ong Back was, and still remains one of the best movie franchise I have ever seen. Every movie has made a huge impact and it is always gonna be in my memories.
Ong Bak and the Protector felt like a revelation the first time I saw them. My mind was not prepared for the impressive physicality. I remember cheering out loud at several points, and I am normally a quiet movie watcher.
THANK YOU been wondering why no one else has been singing the praises of this man as revolutionary for the industry since Ong Bak. Takes like this are why I watch your stuff religiously, it really fills a void in the discourse that needed filling. Or at least manages to have good takes on things I almost always want to know more about.
I remember everyone in my class being obsessed with the Tony Jaa movies, it's still one of those standard films that all over martial arts films compare to me.
When Tony Jaa hit the scene with ong bak my jaw dropped. I grew up taking martial arts for years and I loved Kung Fu movies growing up. When I got older and started getting into scraps as a teen I quickly understood how a real fight is just chaos. So when I first saw ong bak I was like "this feels like a fight" Even with the over-the-top stunts and action sequence the action felt like it had the spontaneity and the weight that is carried in a real fight. I'm so happy to see movies follow in its footsteps. Just adds a level of visceral sense to the action that is always been missing. Still can't knock the beauty of a classically choreographed Kung Fu fight but man did Tony Jaa outclass them all.
Really dig the rebranding. Everthing looks slick and professional.
Dude. You have such an incredible understanding of cinema and what makes martial arts film great. You put the words things I maybe have always felt, but never knew in such specific and intuitive detail. You have a profound way. The Protector was my first martial arts love, and you gave me so many knew ways to appreciate it. Love your work so much.
Ps, I love the new look for the channel!
I found Ong Bak at my local library and watched it as a kid. I loved it so much, but could never fully appreciate why until I heard you point out all the great things about it
I remember when I first discovered Tony Jaa in The Protector, it was such a phenomenal film with scenes like the church water fights, the insane one take scene going up the stairs and that brutal final scene where he broke everyone's bones. I still think it's my favourite martial arts film of all time.
Tony Jaa holds a special place in my memory since my little brother and I loved watching his movies when we were little on the free movie channels.
Tony Jaa has been one of the most influential actors in my life. I don’t know how I discovered him, but feverishly watching clips on CZcams led me further down a martial arts rabbit hole that utterly defines the person I am today
The new art style is fantastic.
The way that the transitions cut in remind me of the cinema books I would read in the library. With their glossy photos from the various movies set in contrast to the pure black and white of the texts.
Those books always felt so authoritative and gave me a great love for film.
One thing I love about Ong Bak (2003) is its visual storytelling. You can watch the entire movie without subtitles if you don't know Thai language, yet you'll be able to understand almost the whole story and characters. The visual context created with each scene is so good; this is something I've rarely seen in films, let alone action films. Tom Yung Goong tries to copy this style, yet somehow feels inferior despite having some emotional connection between a man and an elephant.
Ong Bak was an event in Myanmar when it came out, around my hometown neighborhood and school at least. Every grandmas, uncles to young kids watched it on repeat.
So happy you did a video on Tony Jaa, I feel like he is criminally underrated, and seeing Ong Bak for the first time when it was released really changed my life I feel like. I can't believe it's already been 20 years.
I have a fond memory watching Tom Yum Goong airing on local tv when I was young with my grandmother, I don't remember much since it was a long time ago but the two of us was really invested on Kham finding and taking the cute elephants back. Looking back it might've been my first exposure to parkour, and it was really cool.
Amazing video!!! Videos like these always remind me why I love martial arts so much
Ooh, I am loving the new look of your channel! Its clean and elegant and really stands out from other essay channels.
Been waiting for this video for a long time, thank you
LOVING the new art style, keep up the good work!
Outstanding video! I'd heard OF Tony Jaa in the past but didn't really have an understanding of his impact. I learned a lot, thank you!
"Growing up, 'Ong bak' and 'Tom Yum Goong' had such a profound impact on me that they influenced my love for action films. Along with Tony, Jackie and Jet's movies, they laid the foundations that paved my way towards the love for the action genre. Nostalgia has a way of reminding us of the joy and excitement we experienced during our formative years, and it's heartwarming to reflect on those memories of watching movies with friends on TV using a DVD player. Embracing the evolution of action films with movies like 'John Wick,' 'Extraction,' and 'Shang-Chi,' these two films will forever hold a special place in my heart."
And a special thanks to Accented Cinema for this wonderful video essay! It evoked a strong sense of nostalgia, keeping a smile on my face throughout the entire video.
In the early 2000's my highschool soccer team would get together for group hangouts. At on of these one of the coaches brought Ong-Bak. We all pretty much lost our minds cheering for the awesome action on screen.
Man, this essay really hit the nostalgic feel, especially with the way you introduced The Kick. I remember thinking how brutal the action sequences were compared to all the other martial arts movies I'd seen up until then. Great video, as always.
As usual great video essay man, Tony Jaa impact really has change martial arts movie landscape. Cant wait for your next video man...
Rest in peace, Prachya Pinkaew. As an Indonesian who watched Ong Bak in Australia cinema, I remembered how this movie made me miss my country because Thai was so similar to Indonesia.
Yours is one the best film channels on youtube!! I love your work!
Another amazing video @AccentedCinema I was obsessed with martial arts cinema, ever since I saw Enter the Dragon as a 6 year old. I remember how much of an impact Ong Bak had on me at 16 years old. You could feel it was a game-changing moment, like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan before him. It seemed at the time like he was destined for crossover success just like them. It's such a shame that it didn't work out that way. Thank you for acknowledging him in this video essay.
that staircase scene is by far the one i remember most in recent action movies, unreal.. half was through is when i realized it still hasn't cut away and still going! amazing work, and great narrating!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I love your essays! And Tony Jaa sure deserved to be graced with an essay! You got me fangirling here, for you both!
I can always trust you to release a video I will enjoy and be fascinated by, even if I know nothing about the topic to start with. Love the fresh look, glad you do what you do.
My man, i dont know how you manage to make reviews of cinematic experiences feel like their cinematic experiences. Even the last about about Fast10 had me sad, happy, laughing. Yout channel is doing well but i whole heartedly belive it deserves to be so much better. Bravo!
I can't believe there are no essays on CZcams re Jaa. That's crazy. He's a legend, and deserves more. Thanks for the great work as always!
So glad you made this video. I can't remember how many times I watched Ong-Bak with my friends in middle/high school. The grittiness of fight scenes was something I had never seen before.
Ong Bok walked so The Raid could run, good reminder thank you. I hadn't realized how direct of an influence Tony Jaa has had on the industry but now that you point it out, definitely.
These gem essays are the reason I subbed
Thank you for making this! Love Tony Jaa. so underrated. great video my man, keep it up!
Great editing this time around! Keep it up brother
Thank you so much for this video! I really liked how you make the parallels between different movies, demonstrating the influence as you fluently describe it. Your videos makes me appreciate movies even more. Still need to see the classics of Tony Jaa and will definitely do so!
Also a very nice point at the end. Just because a star doesn't make a new breakthrough, the inspiration brought by him can and that is very exciting.
Love your videos, it's like you are going through my childhood movies.
Thank you, sir. I always enjoy your essays.
Thank you for sharing this well researched and thought out video spotlighting an under appreciated creator. As always, I learned a lot from your video. Great content as always!
Why aren’t we talking about the protector . The elephant bone scene was EPICCC
One of my favorite action stars and action movies of all time! Thanks for doing this video!
THANK YOU FOR THE ESSAY !! great work !!
Thank you for doing this. Been a huge fan of his for many years.
Love the new color scheme and transitions by the way. It is fantastic, clean and simple.
Cool video, maybe ill watch some of his movies some time later! Also cool style mix up with the channel.
Absolutely love Tony Jaa for bringing the lethality of muay thai on screen.
Maybe part of the reasons why he hasn’t gone back to his roots is how much pain and suffering he and his stunt men went through lmao, I like to think that he’s just on a career break waiting for his crew to get out of the hospital he put them in.
excellent video again man. really appreciate it when someone speaks my mind for me
i m learning video editing watching ur videos thank u Accented Cinema
Absolute living legend. Hope you do more of these!
Great video. also the new logo, color scheme, and graphic formatting is great. reminds me of old wuxia book covers
I’m a half Thai, living in germany. I still remember the first time I saw ong bak. my mom bought a copy in Thai language before the film came out in the West.
It was mind blowing! I was showing it to my only friend at that time and he was hooked even he didn’t understood a word. We were 13. No one understood us when we re-enacted the scenes. When ong bak came out in the west a few years later we were already hooked on Tom yam goong. We felt so cool back then, beeing ahead of the others 😂🙏🏾 good times man.
Thanks for tying all that together.
I did not realize than Tony Jaa's movies were the impetus behind the shift in the action style of those other movies, I just knew I liked it.
Great stuff. Hard to believe that it has been 20 years since Onk Bak was released as I still watch it every now and then and it still feels fresh to me (I also loved OB 2 and 3). On to the video itself, I do like the new style of your video.
Great video! I remember watching Ong Bak on a bootleg DVD at my friends house. That movie got us SO HYPE! We started watched it over and over! Good times! I look forward to the next action star.
New artstyle is looks sleek, great work!
Great video on an underappreciated master of action. Love the new design too!
These types of films have never been my particular jam (I don't seek them out, although they're often fun when I do), even less so growing up. And yet, even I knew the name Tony Jaa. Which is just to say I'm also blown away that no one else thought to do a video essay about him and his work and influence. Very well done correction of that wrong!
Giving Tony Jaa the respect he deserves. Great video.
Video hasn't started yet and I'm glad someone is giving this man his flowers
Incredible work as always
You are the real MVP! I love asian martial arts cinema. Excellent work from one of my favorite action actors
thanks for that. Watched ong bak as a kid and loved it. I'm going after his other works mentioned on the video. Great content as always!
I remember back when Ong Bak came out the fight scenes just seemed so much more brutal than anything else around because Hollywood was in the post Matrix flashy wire fu phase. I think it was more the one-two punch of Ong Bak and The Bourne Identity that changed the landscape of fight scenes. With The Raid being the culmination of the two styles. Also the trend of just casting the stuntmen because it's a lot easier teaching a fighter how to act than an actor how to fight.
The Bourne Identity fight scenes has lots of cuts.
Matrix has few fight scenes ... mostly gunfu.
Great work, love this essay on Tony! But... man 20 years since ong bak? I'm feeling that!
Thank you for making this! ❤ Tony Jaa is until now kinda underrated, and this makes me wanna watch Tony Jaa filma again ❤❤
I remember watching all his movies during the pandemic with my dad.
Felt like i struck gold when we had watching all of jackie chan, bruce lee, donnie yen and jet li movies, finding Tony Jaa was awesome.
Tom yum goong aka the protector will always be my favorite tony jaa film. Great video essay 👍
A truly great essay and great artist on display.
A friend of mine showed me the OngBak more than a decade ago. It was fun to see the pride of a Thai kid getting to have a martial arts export to be proud of.
Thanks for covering this, brought back some good memories.