For many, Thailand equals a dream vacation. For others notorious for drugs etc. The truth probably lies somewhere in between. There are many sides to Thailand: The beautiful exotic country in the far east with its amazing nature, its good food and nice, friendly and hospitable people. In any case, Ong Bak is a nice reel that offers a lot of action mixed with excitement and laughter.

The opening promises well: In the annual competition in the village, all the men who participate must try to get hold of a ribbon that is at the top of a tree. First man wins. It starts off well and pretty much keeps the same fast pace throughout the film. Already there you get to know Boonting, the winner with the extra features and the athletic qualities that get through most things, even the narrowest openings, over the really high obstacles and past the less friendly competitors. Despite his speed and strength, Boonting is also humble. He has trained in martial arts for many years but has to promise his master never to use his fighting skills. Every 24 years the village holds a special festival and sacrifices to the Gods for continued joy, happiness and good harvests. The village's own saint is a Buddha-like statue called Ong-Bak. It is of course sacred and it is the duty of all the villagers to protect it at all costs. Therefore, it is a big setback when, just before the festivities, they discover that the statue's head has been cut off and disappeared. Boonting then voluntarily steps forward as the one to recapture the head and bring it home to the village.

The hunt leads to Bangkok and an old clumsy acquaintance who will do anything for money. They have barely reacquainted themselves before Boonting, in search of his suitcase, follows his host to the local fighting and betting club. To get the money back, he has to box against a number of bigger and stronger shady types. He had promised not to use his skills but now he has no choice and stands up, and of course wins...

The hunt for the missing statue head leads to more shady acquaintances and more fights. Every time Boonting is forced to fight to move forward, he thinks about his previous promise, but to get the village's property back, he makes almost any sacrifice. There are so many who are waiting to see the statue head again and he cannot let them down!

The hunt goes higher and finally he meets the top boss who runs the betting and a lot of other shady and illegal business. Ong-Bak is a fun and watchable film. In Thailand it is a great success and it has also celebrated success in several other countries where it has been shown. The pace is high and there is a good mix of tension, comedy and drama. One of the most exciting and fun scenes is when he makes his way through several blocks, away from the gang who want their lost money. An armed gang of at least 20 people do everything to stop him but fail!

There is quite a lot of action and most of it is done for real without any stuntmen or other tricks! The main actor Tony Jaa is responsible for most of the scenes himself. Ong-Bak is also very reminiscent of Jackie Chan's films. Tony Jaa has admitted in interviews that one of his idols was the Hong Kong hero Jackie Chan. He could also be compared to Chinese born Jet Li.