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Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior

Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior

2003
Suspense/Thriller
Crime
1h 45m
One dark night, a former native of a rural Thai village, has his men steal the head of the town's Ong Bak (Buddha statue) to win favor with a ruthless crime boss. The locals regard the theft as a catastrophe, and seek a champion to retrieve their lost treasure. They find their man in Ting (Tony Jaa), an orphaned youngster raised at the local temple in an ancient system of Muay Thai: 'Nine Body Weapons'. (Magnolia Pictures)
Your probable score
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Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior

2003
Suspense/Thriller
Crime
1h 45m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 51.5% from 2874 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(2873)
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Compact view
Rated 12 Dec 2009
80
72nd
Tony Jaa knees people in the face. Why does he do it? I don't know, nor do I really care.
Rated 31 Aug 2019
68
30th
If you know much about the technicalities of martial arts, then you might be able to see past the poor production and directing decisions. But my taste for martial arts movies only goes skin deep, and I need to see some flashy moves or inventive violence/gore to be impressed, "Ong-Bak" doesn't really have a whole lot of that, but I can't say anything bad about the fighting. The rest, though, there are plenty of things I could say.
Rated 26 Apr 2011
81
84th
I watched it in Thai without subtitles. I don't understand a word of Thai. It doesn't matter. Some head is stolen, fights ensue. Boy are the fights AWESOME. If only it was made in the late 80s with a JCVD-style music score with shakuhachi and visions of an eagle.
Rated 03 Jan 2019
70
53rd
It's ugly and the music is awful, but it's earnest, effective, and surprisingly funny. And the main event … Tony Jaa is superhuman. The slow-motion replays are extraordinarily cheesy and cheap, but the filmmakers weren't wrong; I wanted to see his incredible athleticism from every angle. For the combat alone, this film is eminently worth watching.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
85
73rd
The action is pure excitemet, the story holding it together less so, but pacing is rapid, so no need to fast forward.
Rated 02 Jul 2016
93
93rd
Hard to score this properly. If we evaluate it as a movie -- even as an action movie -- this is pretty much garbage. As a martial arts flick, however, this is the greatest of all time. I think Tony Jaa might be better than Bruce Lee, and he gets bonus points for doing some acrobatic spin kicks while his pants are on fire. That sounds like a turn of phrase, but it's not: His pants are actually on fire, and it's not CGI or anything.
Rated 29 Dec 2013
48
21st
You can say this has heart & it does, but it relies on too many tried and tested plot devices to get it through. The Thai setting is unique & there are some warm sequences that dive into the local setting - See the Tuk Tuk chase. Still, the drama is under-mined by weak development & the village scenes really are the definition of kitsch. It is an honest film with some safe directing but doesn't stray into anything too daring, minus throwing the lead through a ring of barbed wire.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
7
84th
Vastly entertaining. Thanks to Tony Jaa's fucking insane martial arts and stunt work, the fight and chase scenes are instantly the stuff of legend. Anyone who complains about the lack of plot in this movie is hilarious.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
45th
At first I felt annoyed with the bland storyline, but that isn't what this film is about at all. It's about how awesome Tony Jaa is at martial arts. He's like Jackie Chan on speed at times during the film. Certainly a must see for martial art fans.
Rated 09 Sep 2017
83
43rd
The directing and lighting and fight scenes seem like a David Fincher movie, albeit less crazy and not as dark. All of the performances are good as well as the writing and directing, even if it does seem to get a little cheesy and reach the mindless action territory. However it's very entertaining and never. Gets boring. I enjoyed it.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
83
51st
The plot doesn't really mater: It's all about Tony Jaa doing some of the craziest stuff I've ever seen put on film.
Rated 01 Feb 2016
90
35th
Amazing martial arts movie. Not to mention the lead actor does all his own stunts.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
50
17th
OK, the martial arts were mildly impressive, I guess, but the rest sucked balls.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
95th
The best old school martial arts movie since Fist of Legend in 1994. Tony Jaa is the real deal.
Rated 26 Oct 2008
45
31st
Awful plot but great looking action.
Rated 15 Dec 2010
68
32nd
I swear this film would've been half as short as it is if it didn't insist on replaying certain stunts from different angles over and over again. Not that I'm complaining, as it's doing the rewinding for me. There's nothing particularly special about this film (especially the truly horrid cinematography), but the scenes of parkour-inspired chasing and martial arts fighting are incredible and thankfully not too far and few between.
Rated 26 Feb 2012
82
74th
Everything was going well till the taxi chase scene. That seemed kinda forced and then everything was good again till the shit song over the credits. Aside from that it was pretty sweet. I did enjoy the philosophy of if you have multiple angles on a sweet shot, why only use one.
Rated 19 Aug 2010
77
51st
Crazy fights and exciting chases. The plot's good enough to string the events together and that's all it really has to be.
Rated 06 Jan 2019
63
40th
I think it's the music that makes this too '2000s'. Part of the charm of other films is the rapid fire acrobats of kung fu, but the replays and slow-mos make this grating
Rated 05 Dec 2013
75
70th
Actually quite a simple story (I mean there isn't much of a story) and still this film grabs my attention and never lets it go. It's quite a beautiful story, simple brought, fast-paced, well-directed and (however badly acted) full of action and overwhelming fighting scenes. Nice!
Rated 14 Aug 2007
86
67th
Amazing action scenes. Tony Jaa's martial art skills will keep you thoroughly entertained through the whole movie.
Rated 19 Mar 2007
79
57th
Totally unbelievable choreography. Tony Jaa is a master at what he does and is without a doubt the greatest martial artist on the silver screen since Bruce Lee. Too bad the actual movie itself is pretty dumb!!!
Rated 11 Mar 2011
40
54th
Great fight scenes. The sequence in the underground boxing arena gave me the first non-tits related boner of my life.
Rated 24 Feb 2010
69
58th
The fight scenes are ridiculously amazing, and I really wonder if they decided "we're paying you to take a flying knee to the face". The story is good enough, but the characters are cliche and mostly annoying, but the pure amount of ass-kickery carries everything. I could've lived without the instant replay scenes.
Rated 02 May 2007
80
61st
They should have called it "Elbow or Knee to the FACE!" Ha ha yes!!
Rated 08 Jun 2009
82
80th
Very enjoyable. A proper bastard villain always makes these things go better. Good fun.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
72nd
One of the most intense action movies I've seen in years. You can see some obvious camera trickery in some fight scenes (such as speeding up the film to make the fights appear faster) but it's honestly not a big deal. The action is raw and brutal. Any martial arts movie fan should check this out for sure.
Rated 01 Mar 2007
82
88th
FLYING MUAY THAI KNEE. Plot is not worth mentioning at all, but the action sequences and martial arts are likely to top most everything you've seen. No wirse, no stunt doubles, just Tony Jaa kicking more ass than you ever thought possible.
Rated 30 Sep 2013
68
40th
Unremarkable plot but that is not really the point of this film, the fighting scenes are entertaining enough. I like films with a little bit more substance but this wasn't a pain to sit through.
Rated 27 Feb 2007
7
32nd
Shallow and awfully written, but watchable.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
65
15th
SLOW MOTION
Rated 24 Apr 2009
90
78th
a dynamic, character-driven tale of redemption, vengeance, love and sorrow that raises new questions about who we are as people. naw, just kidding. it's just badass fight scenes!
Rated 26 Jun 2015
75
56th
That tuk-tuk chase scene is way better than it ought to be
Rated 05 Nov 2013
38
8th
wow,martial arts make any film so instantly brilliant.This has to be one of the greatest films ever.The plot is fantastic and the script is so tight I feel like I want to scream with joy. Kick kick bang
Rated 14 Aug 2007
88
74th
Watch this movie, and you just may walk out calling it "the only good movie ever". With no wires or stunt doubles, Tony Jaa flips and contorts and kicks and punches like some kind of messiah. A messiah who elbows people in the skull.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
73rd
The story here is nearly non-existant, but it is still the most fun I have had watching a movie in a very long time.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
73rd
Tony Jaa is a physical marvel- it's impossible to take your eyes off his aerial display. The rest of the film is skimpy but doesn't matter in relation to Jaa's flights of fancy.
Rated 21 Feb 2013
76
33rd
Plot non-existent. Action was decent, but started to get boring when the main character easily wins every fight...like playing a video game on god-mode. Straight forward movie with some decent muay thai
Rated 08 Oct 2017
10
5th
Terrible action-hero fare glorifying violent Buddhist extremism, with lame fights riddled by slow-motion replays. It's a shame because I was curious to see what a Muay-Thai feature would look like.
Rated 14 Feb 2007
50
39th
Amazing action, but the story is so ham-fisted you could serve it as an Easter dinner.
Rated 21 Mar 2018
86
66th
While Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior may be no great shakes as a movie, critics are hailing the emergence of a new star in Tony Jaa, whose athletic performance is drawing comparisons with Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li.
Rated 14 Jun 2007
90
86th
Some of the most brutal fight scenes I've seen strung together by a pretty hokey plot.
Rated 06 Apr 2013
75
46th
Very much like a modern Bruce Lee flick. Some real eye-popping stuntwork. A silly smuggling ring plot that's solved like all problems in martial arts movies: by kicking it enough times.
Rated 19 Feb 2014
65
51st
Tony Jaa's martial arts talents are exceptional, and the stunts and fight scenes, all performed without wires and effects, are astounding. The comic accompaniment from his chubby sidekick feels somewhat out of place however, and the tuk-tuk chase doesn't fit well at all. Still, despite an unfocused story, the film works well purely as a showcase for the art of Muay Thai.
Rated 19 May 2008
74
58th
I watched this in Thai with no subtitles so I have no idea what the plot was, but I really don't care.
Rated 16 Apr 2013
40
14th
Great acrobatics and fighting scenes but every other aspect of the movie was crap. Will not be watching the sequels!
Rated 24 Jul 2010
75
39th
Hey, wanna see someone knee somebody through a glass window from 2 floors up and then knee him again while in the air and on the way down? You're welcome.
Rated 14 Sep 2012
55
40th
Forget the conventional story. This is martial arts at its best.
Rated 04 Jul 2009
78
63rd
Some intense action scenes and great physicality in evidence with Ong-Bak.
Rated 16 Feb 2007
67
47th
Man that Tony Jaa should be in the Olympics innit?
Rated 17 Aug 2009
80
44th
Who cares about the story? Tony Jaa can do some amazing stunts!
Rated 20 Nov 2012
80
84th
The fight scenes in this movie are really awesome. Forget the rest.
Rated 24 Mar 2011
2
16th
instant replay is a horrible, horrible thing.
Rated 31 Aug 2007
70
58th
If Jackie Chan were young again he will be doing this kind of movie. Praise Tony Jaa
Rated 18 Jul 2009
80
54th
Solid martial arts film. Nothing more.
Rated 12 Oct 2007
75
50th
Bad story and pacing issues... but who care? AMAZING fight/stunt sequences and a hilarious villain make this one of the best martial arts films in recent memory.
Rated 07 Jul 2020
71
39th
Pales in comparison to more technically accomplished martial arts vehicles (particularly Jackie Chan's who Jaa clearly wants to emulate) but as an excuse to display Jaa's freaky athleticism (those chase scenes are nail-bitingly stunning), this remains engaging and watchable - it's just a shame that the plotty moments are labored and ultimately a bit confusing, despite the relatively straight forward (and familiar) narrative.
Rated 22 Jul 2009
60
29th
I haven't seen worse acting, well ever. But one the other hand, this story of a young man looking for his village's deity in all the wrong, but still right, places packs a mean punch in the form of wild fight scenes.
Rated 21 Apr 2007
50
35th
Great acrobats.
Rated 02 Dec 2010
40
15th
Pretyy sure I've seen it, good fighting otherwise boring and only really for martial arts afficionados sound about right?
Rated 12 Aug 2008
91
96th
Tony Jaa has the most amazing fighting skills I have ever seen. This movie is so intense, but when the words are dubbed in english it takes away from the film because it makes the acting look horrible. Overall, the action scenes make up for it.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
88th
A great martial arts flick with a plot secondary to Jaa's flying Muay Thai ass-kicking. He's got the personality of driftwood, but his physical skills are top-notch, so Jaa might never hit as big as the Hong Kong stars. Unintentional laughter: the Thai language can seem mighty funny for the uninitiated.
Rated 12 Jul 2008
67
45th
An absolutely ridiculous plot saved by some death-defying action sequences. Also, a guy who's on fire kicks someone and sets them on fire.
Rated 25 Sep 2010
69
73rd
Some really interesting fight scenes.
Rated 31 Aug 2007
90
73rd
This film is incredible. Good plot, and all the effects are real. Fightingis real, there are no stunt doubles or anything. Everything you see actually happened.
Rated 26 May 2012
80
95th
WOW great movie unexpected.
Rated 13 Dec 2008
60
77th
Fun.
Rated 21 Jul 2009
3
74th
Jaa may lack charisma and screen presence, but he kicks all kinds of asses--the goofiness of this works in its favor, much like The Protector.
Rated 26 Oct 2008
51
25th
The action isn't quite as good as in Tom yum goong and the plot is even more silly if possible.
Rated 23 Nov 2012
65
45th
Crazy awesome action. Story and acting is poor, but this movie has amazing stunts and is fun to watch
Rated 14 Aug 2007
95
91st
best fighting in a movie.
Rated 29 Apr 2012
90
90th
A pure martial arts movie, built around the not inconsiderable joy of admiring Tony Jaa's fifty different ways of kicking a man in the face.
Rated 08 Feb 2009
70
66th
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Rated 15 Jul 2011
65
67th
Decent fights. And about the quality of plot, acting, script etc. It is not disturbing. And it is irrelevant really. Fights are decent.
Rated 06 Oct 2011
50
10th
It's genuinely fun and exciting to watch Jaa utterly brutalise the entire stunt team. Every other moment is awful, just awful. Some of the most flatly staged and stiffly delivered exposition I've ever seen outside of MST3K. Whenever Tony Jaa isn't killing motherfuckers with his kneecaps, the director has no idea what to do, and it's painful to watch. It's not even funny.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
81st
As enjoyable as movies come. The combat is pure, the story is loveabley corny, and it has a number of great chase scenes. Fantastic.
Rated 23 Aug 2011
5
0th
This is the most ridiculous and unnecessary movie I've ever been able to see. Someone shall crucify those who are responsible for this!
Rated 22 Apr 2008
50
34th
Terrible plot, awesome choreography.
Rated 27 Jul 2008
90
82nd
Mind blowing action.
Rated 17 Sep 2011
81
90th
In most ways it's a better film than Warrior King but the action sequences, which are what really count, just aren't quite as impressive or hard hitting.
Rated 30 Sep 2011
69
36th
Kick their collective asses Tony Jaa!
Rated 04 Sep 2007
75
8th
Ong-Bak is the story of one man, a martial artist of a small town, who is tasked with finding and returning a stolen Idol of his small rural town. Fighting and action is above average, but the story is somewhat shallow and cliche.
Rated 03 Aug 2007
85
75th
Any movie where more than 10 people get hit in the face with an elbow can't be bad.
Rated 19 Dec 2008
83
77th
the story gets 40/100 but it has the best fight scenes and coolest stunts iv ever scene in a movie
Rated 09 Apr 2007
68
59th
A fresh take on martial-arts films; the music is intense, the action fast and the plot actually makes a bit of sense. What's most important, techniques used in fighting scenes are often quite different from what we got used to by the industry monopolized by China, and even though very effective, done mostly without special effects of any sorts.
Rated 19 Aug 2009
90
66th
No wires. No computers. All real. This is what happens when stunt men decide to make a movie: awesomeness.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
40
2nd
I didn't go into this movie expecting a great story, but I need something! The great fights were separated by porn level acting and story, and the movie was more similar to an acrobatic event on TV, than to a movie. Tony Jaa will not be an amazing action star, simply because he can't act. Unless you consider Steven Seagal an action star...
Rated 01 May 2007
80
69th
The action scenes are simply spectacular and when plots are this threadbare and performances not exactly necessary that is more than enough.
Rated 26 Jun 2007
90
79th
One of the best martial arts movies ever. Tony Jaa is amazing.
Rated 27 Aug 2022
62
32nd
Pushingeachotherouttreelol+ilikehisbrutaloftenrealstyle+lolmonsterguyishardlybigger+lolflaminglegs+dopeweaponsfight+floppysaw
Rated 27 Dec 2008
80
81st
Decent movie. Dislike only the following mui thai and Tony Jaa cult and those thai warriors wannabes...
Rated 30 May 2011
65
27th
Good fights, terrible movie. A lot of rickshaws were harmed in the making of this movie.
Rated 05 Mar 2008
90
76th
It doesn't pretend to be anything other than a kick ass action movie
Rated 25 Mar 2007
72
57th
One of the greatest martial arts films of all time. Modern Classic. Only loses value because the sequels were shit.
Rated 08 Mar 2012
83
93rd
Some of the best martial arts you'll ever see in a movie. There's some very basic story going on, but the real story is how many faces get rocked by Tony Jaa's knees.
Rated 04 Mar 2009
60
72nd
Amazing action, my jaw dropped many times.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
65
31st
A simple but entertaining flick with some great action sequences. Very 'foreign' in some of its techniques - like showing the same stunt from multiple angles.
Rated 06 Jan 2018
90
77th
The world needs more action movies with instant replay.
Rated 26 May 2007
70
70th
Refreshing martial arts movie.
Rated 06 Jan 2013
79
61st
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