Ong Bak 3 Teaser Trailer

[Guest Yi-Long]

If Jaa's movies were being compared to Bruce Lee clone movies, you would have an argument. But I've seen them compared to higher quality productions like MASTER KILLER which is laughable. ONG BAK: country bumpkin goes to big city to retrieve stolen statue from handicapped crime lord. TOM YUM GOONG: country bumpkin goes to Australia to retrieve elephant from tranny crime lord. No sir, no repetition here!

We're on a martial arts movie forum, so quite obviously I was talking about originality and ambition in the fight-scenes. I've already stated numerous times the movies themselfs are pretty poorly written, and TYG is a very very BAD movie, but with amazing and original and ambitious fightscenes..

The scene where Tony is attacked by thugs wielding harmless florescent bulbs? FEEL THE DANGER!!!

And this affects the great choreography how!?

In the 80s, Jackie was making two movies a year, including the two PROJECT As and the first two POLICE STORY movies, which Jaa hasn't come within light years of in terms of quality. Jaa takes 3-4 years to put out each "Tony Jaa" movie, and at the rate he's going, he'll be 50 by the time he makes his PROJECT A. Let's see how those flying knees and shin kicks feel at that age.

I agree Project A is a great movie, with lots of fun. However, the fights aren't as good as they could have been with a couple of months extra work.

Police Story is interesting just because of a few set-pieces, but other than that pretty much the rest of the movie isn't all that good. And only one memorable fight-scene at the very end in the mall.

and his fight scenes ARE repetitive. Any trained martial artist can see the constant repeat of his "library of motion and moves" if you will. He impresses people who've never studied martial arts, because the nasty stunt bumps and full contact face shots distract people from the fact they are seeing the same 8 moves, over and over.

His library of moves is certainly bigger than Jackie's or Yen's. Doesn't Donnie Yen repeat the same slow-mo triple side-kick in almost every movie? Or his slow-mo spinning back-kick? So why attack Jaa for it? His library of moves is bigger, his moves are higher, faster and better, etc. And Jackie doesn't even have specific stand-out martial arts abilities. He's not a fantastic kicker, he isn't amazing with his hands, he isn't a brilliant jumping kicker, etc. He's been in great on-screen fights and did very well in them, but his quality comes mostly from using his environment and comedy in a fight.

Not saying I don't like his work, and I think ONG BAK 2 was a huge improvement in many ways (and his least seen, go figure), but he ain't a legend. If he's a legend, then Billy Chong is a Demi-God. He is currently the best martial arts star and the best athlete, but that's like being the prettiest Kennedy girl. It's a DEAD genre. Gone the way of the Western. He's all we have and there is a strong tendency to overrate his work.

3 movies, 3 times he brings something new in the choreography department, he redefines the genre, he shows us new things, he doesn't stick with the old he invents and shows us the new. That's better than Jackie's first 3 movies, it's better than Donnie Yen's first 3 movies, it's better than Bruce's first free movies, etc etc. It's a goddamn hell of a good start to a movie-career in this genre!

He's already legendary. He redefined the genre. His skills are easily the best we've seen on-screen up till now, and he's only 3 movies in.

Let's see Jaa pull off a performance like Jackie's work in THE SHINJUKU INCIDENT. He can't, because he can't act...at all.

You're confusing good acting with performing in a well-written part. Even Kim Bassinger and Julia Roberts and Charleze Theron have won oscars because they happened to do well in a very good written part. That doesn't make them stand-out actresses, cause in most movies they bring the quality down with their acting.

Now, I think Jackie is a decent actor. From the 3 brothers (Jackie, Sammo and Yuen Biao), I do feel the other 2 are better actors, and especially Sammo (great in Painted Faces).

Yeah, Jackie has better acting-performances under his belt, but you don't think that has to do with a large number of movies he's been in? Give Tony Jaa a mature well-written role in a serious movie, and I'm sure he will also do well.

[daisho2004]

This debate seems like its never gonna end here? All I will say as far as Bruce Lee goes what he brought into the Martial Arts scene was unbelievable, it was like nothing we had seen before. And it is a shame that he died in the pinnacle of his career. I would have loved to have seen what movies he would've made had he lived on. So I do not think its fair to compare Tony Jaa to Bruce Lee or even his movies. As far as Donnie Yen goes he to me is like an MMA Fighter, very ruthless and brutal. Jet Li doesn't have that appeal but when you watch his Period films his Kung-Fu is totally awesome. Now Tony Jaa is bringing something new to the plate which it brutal and ruthless as well. I would like to see his ground fighting a little more if he makes films in the present time, but his style is awesome to watch. And his movies seem to get better & better.

[lillippa328]

its no gettin through to these Tony Jaa nut huggers man I swear....i like Tony Jaa and he is great....but damn yall some riders

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

I think Yi Long and Tony Jaa should get a room!

[BaronK]

"Let's see Jaa pull off a performance like Jackie's work in THE SHINJUKU INCIDENT"

Wow. Who said that? It took Jack about 38 years(and no power trip) to pull off that performance. Had he done it 3 movies in, ok. Did you think before you wrote that?

[lillippa328]

lol @ whitecrane

Wu Jing/Early Donnie Yen/battle creek brawl english speaking jackie >> Tony Jaa acting wise.... lol

[Tosh]

its no gettin through to these Tony Jaa nut huggers man I swear....i like Tony Jaa and he is great....but damn yall some riders

So just what are trying to prove here? You do realize this is a thread about Ong Bak 3, you've said Chan's name so many times I think the "ball" is in your court:neutral:

Can't I like Jaa, Yen, and anyone elses movies? News flash, we don't get that many kung fu movies nowadays, unless you want all your movies with shiny golden armour and pretty pop stars.

And I like the elephants, it is Thailand, they have elephants there.

[BaronK]

"Can't I like Jaa, Yen, and anyone elses movies? "

Answer, yes. Whatever genre, era, star(s), type of action, location, or setting that you bloody like.

[daisho2004]

And I like the elephants, it is Thailand, they have elephants there.

Tosh: I like the Elephants also but not to be in every movie, add something different. OB3 has an Elephant fight scene in that one also. Looks good but something different, that's all I'm saying.

And I have to agree this thread was suppose to be about OB3 how did it turn into a debate about who is the Best Martial Artist Alive or Dead?

[dionbrother]

And this affects the great choreography how!?

If you've seen the Judd Apatow movie THE 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN, you know that being hit with those bulbs is less dangerous than a wet noodle. If I can't believe the hero is in danger, it's a bad scene. I showed that scene to people who laughed at it, thanks to Steve Carell and Paul Rudd. Maybe they should have chased Jaa with Nerf bats.

I agree Project A is a great movie, with lots of fun. However, the fights aren't as good as they could have been with a couple of months extra work.

Police Story is interesting just because of a few set-pieces, but other than that pretty much the rest of the movie isn't all that good. And only one memorable fight-scene at the very end in the mall.

How would the fights in PROJECT A be improved? The movie was an overlong shoot and finished by Sammo Hung. The fights were considered outstanding in their time and are still stunning today.

His library of moves is certainly bigger than Jackie's or Yen's.

Nope. Maybe Yen...I'll give you that. I always thought Donnie was overpraised in the 90s because he was, like Jaa, the only consistent star in a dead genre.

And Jackie doesn't even have specific stand-out martial arts abilities. He's not a fantastic kicker, he isn't amazing with his hands, he isn't a brilliant jumping kicker, etc. He's been in great on-screen fights and did very well in them, but his quality comes mostly from using his environment and comedy in a fight.

He's fantastic with weapons in his 1970s films. His acrobatics were second to none in the 70s and early 80s. He has a distinctive Chinese fighting style, which is more diverse than Muay Thai. His kicking skills aren't all that, but he was never promoted as the next great leg fighter. And his using his environment and comedy are exactly what made him unique. Probably why Jaa idolized Chan growing up.

3 movies, 3 times he brings something new in the choreography department, he redefines the genre, he shows us new things, he doesn't stick with the old he invents and shows us the new. That's better than Jackie's first 3 movies, it's better than Donnie Yen's first 3 movies, it's better than Bruce's first free movies, etc etc. It's a goddamn hell of a good start to a movie-career in this genre!

Bruce Lee's first three movies are still legendary in Asia and watched and re-watched around the world. If anybody cares about Jaa's movies in 40 years, let me know when I'm retired in New Mexico. Jackie's first three starring roles were filmed before he was allowed creative input. Not a valid comparison. I'd rewatch SNAKE IN THE EAGLE'S SHADOW, PROECT A or even CITY HUNTER before I'd rewatch ONG BAK. Because they are fun all-around movies.

He's already legendary. He redefined the genre. His skills are easily the best we've seen on-screen up till now, and he's only 3 movies in.

Not the best I've seen.

You're confusing good acting with performing in a well-written part. Even Kim Bassinger and Julia Roberts and Charleze Theron have won oscars because they happened to do well in a very good written part. That doesn't make them stand-out actresses, cause in most movies they bring the quality down with their acting.

Jackie displays better acting skills in DRUNKEN MASTER than Jaa does. Jaa has no acting skills whatsoever. His only two expressions are mouth-open and mouth-close.

Yeah, Jackie has better acting-performances under his belt, but you don't think that has to do with a large number of movies he's been in? Give Tony Jaa a mature well-written role in a serious movie, and I'm sure he will also do well.

Jackie's been trained for acting since he was a kid. Jaa needs acting lessons and the Thai film industry needs screewriting lessons.

[lillippa328]

So just what are trying to prove here? You do realize this is a thread about Ong Bak 3, you've said Chan's name so many times I think the "ball" is in your court:neutral:

Can't I like Jaa, Yen, and anyone elses movies? News flash, we don't get that many kung fu movies nowadays, unless you want all your movies with shiny golden armour and pretty pop stars.

And I like the elephants, it is Thailand, they have elephants there.

It all started with VenomsFan bashing Yen, then it was debated...then for no reason my high ass said Jackie > Jaa lol and then I elaborated a fair point, that Ong Bak 2 was his best film and a HUGE step up from his over-rated predecessors....then that guy got all self defensive over his love buddy Jaa, claiming that Ong Bak and TYG revolutionized the MA movie industry and has surpassed Jackie Chan already, and keep in mind, without watching Ong Bak 2, his greatest film 2 date....

I apologize, but I fight for Jackie on this primarily anti-jackie board...

[dionbrother]

Wow. Who said that? It took Jack about 38 years(and no power trip) to pull off that performance. Had he done it 3 movies in, ok. Did you think before you wrote that?

Jackie's performance in SHAOLIN WOODEN MEN is superior to Jaa in the acting department. Jackie's career path never demanded he do a film like SHINJUKU INCIDENT, although CRIME STORY was close. I repeat: Jaa cannot act and has no charisma. To compare him to Bruce Lee, who even non-MA fans like the late Gene Siskel believe to be the most charismatic movie star since James Dean, is a joke. Most of the Shaw stock company were better actors. Yuen Biao was a better all around screen performer.

The Thai industry is still very primitive. They've got the action and stunts down, now they need to learn how to make movies.

[Dragon Ma]

All debating is pretty pointless.

Dion's right in that the Thai film industry is rough around the edges, Tony's doing the best with what he has to work with, they don't have the budget's that HK does. OB2 at least felt like an attempt at a real film, there was some fine cinematography in there, it's definite step up from his first 2 films.

Donnie found a willing collaborator in Wilson Yip and it resulted in some of Yen's best work in recent years, I think if Tony can find someone like Wilson Yip then he'll be able to really show what he can do.

[VenomsFan]

No way Jaa can compete with Yen's handwork. And when I want to see a good one on one fight, I'll always take Yen. I'm not trying to knock Jaa, but I think Yen is far superior in some areas.

Ahem - The IP Man scene vs karate guys holds no light to Jaa's Tom Yum Goong (Protector) scene vs guys in black.

Interesting in that scene, Yen rips off Jaa's idea of the leg split.

Honestly, Jaa hasn't hadd too many one on one fights filmed yet. But when he does...

[VenomsFan]

Why all the pointless comparisions between Jaa, Yen & Li? Can't we appreciate each for his own skills? It's not like we have a dozen guys to replace them. Wu Jing has had two decent films, he's never gonna achieve his potential. Let's just enjoy what we have without all the stupid comparisions. It's like arguing over who is better: Batman or Spiderman, DUMB.

The problem is that for decades (thanks Bruce Lee) the martial arts have directly linked to the Chinese Culture.

People need to find the cause of their own ignorance. It is very hard to admit that there are other cultures and people that have something else to offer. Dare we say better in some respects.

This is why you will see people holding onto Yen and Ip Man films.

You have martial arts movies coming from a 3rd world country?! That not be better than China Japan Korea! It must be worse! It must be a copy and not original.

The piper will be paid soon enough. Just a denial stage right now.

[VenomsFan]

It all started with VenomsFan bashing Yen, then it was debated...then for no reason my high ass said Jackie > Jaa lol and then I elaborated a fair point, that Ong Bak 2 was his best film and a HUGE step up from his over-rated predecessors....then that guy got all self defensive over his love buddy Jaa, claiming that Ong Bak and TYG revolutionized the MA movie industry and has surpassed Jackie Chan already, and keep in mind, without watching Ong Bak 2, his greatest film 2 date....

I apologize, but I fight for Jackie on this primarily anti-jackie board...

So you LOVED Spy Next Door then. And thought the Rush Hour Series was Jackie's best work since he entered the US in the 90s?

Be honest

[DiP]

The problem is that for decades (thanks Bruce Lee) the martial arts have directly linked to the Chinese Culture.

That's because Hong Kong/China was the FIRST country to break new grounds, to introduce the martial arts genre onto the forefront, and have a global impact on the world. The only other country that was around at that time (and as long as China) was Japan but their influence was different and their impact was not as great. What did Thailand, Korea, Indonesia, and Malaysia do when that happened?

We should all be thankful Bruce Lee for giving us what we all love, without him there wouldn't have been this kind of big drive in pushing back the genre and its' stars the way they have made the genre for what it is now. Yes, including Tony Jaa. You just have to face it.

People need to find the cause of their own ignorance.

Haha, like yourself.

[Guest Yi-Long]

If you've seen the Judd Apatow movie THE 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN, you know that being hit with those bulbs is less dangerous than a wet noodle. If I can't believe the hero is in danger, it's a bad scene. I showed that scene to people who laughed at it, thanks to Steve Carell and Paul Rudd. Maybe they should have chased Jaa with Nerf bats.

That doesn't make the choreography of the scene less exciting, and the sequence of Jaa doing a slowmo backflip against the glass right before a dude on a quad drives through it, is fantastic.

How would the fights in PROJECT A be improved? The movie was an overlong shoot and finished by Sammo Hung. The fights were considered outstanding in their time and are still stunning today.

Maybe in their time, but I was never all that impressed by them. I liked the fights in other Jackie movies better. Especially the endfight just wasn't all that impressive when it came to physical performances. Compare it to the fights in Wheels on Meals, especially the end-fight, which are way more intense and energetic and faster, with a much better rythm.

Nope. Maybe Yen...I'll give you that. I always thought Donnie was overpraised in the 90s because he was, like Jaa, the only consistent star in a dead genre.

Just like with Jaa, Yen's talent was never really in question. However, his choice for movies were regularly quite poor. I'm glad to see that Yen right now is making stuff like SPL, Flashpoint and Ip Man, which are good movies with great action, but it sure took a while.

He's fantastic with weapons in his 1970s films. His acrobatics were second to none in the 70s and early 80s. He has a distinctive Chinese fighting style, which is more diverse than Muay Thai. His kicking skills aren't all that, but he was never promoted as the next great leg fighter. And his using his environment and comedy are exactly what made him unique. Probably why Jaa idolized Chan growing up.

I never said Jackie is worthless. I said I feel Jaa is physically way more impressive as an on-screen fighter, and has way more (and more interesting) moves. And I feel both Sammo and Yuen Biao are more talented than Jackie was, when it comes to acting as well as martial arts performance. I don't think I'm alone in this opinion.

Bruce Lee's first three movies are still legendary in Asia and watched and re-watched around the world. If anybody cares about Jaa's movies in 40 years, let me know when I'm retired in New Mexico. Jackie's first three starring roles were filmed before he was allowed creative input. Not a valid comparison. I'd rewatch SNAKE IN THE EAGLE'S SHADOW, PROECT A or even CITY HUNTER before I'd rewatch ONG BAK. Because they are fun all-around movies.

Like I said, Jaa's movies are pretty poor, story-wise. Action-wise, they set a new level, were fresh and original, and raised the bar.

Bruce Lee's movies are classics indeed, but apart from maybe Fist of Fury, not great movies. They're classics purely because of Bruce's presence. And at the time, they too, brought something new, authentic, fresh to the martial artse genre, as far as the fight-scenes were concerned. More than that, they had a bit of national pride thrown in, that the small guy can succeed, that the chinese are not weak and cowardly, etc.

they're nice movies, and obviously at the time they were great for what they were. Just like Tony Jaa's movies now are great for what they are: mediocre/bad movies, but outstanding action.

Not the best I've seen.

So which leading martial arts actor is better?

Jackie displays better acting skills in DRUNKEN MASTER than Jaa does. Jaa has no acting skills whatsoever. His only two expressions are mouth-open and mouth-close.

Ok buddy.

Jackie's been trained for acting since he was a kid. Jaa needs acting lessons and the Thai film industry needs screewriting lessons.

The plots for these thai flicks aren't much worse than the stories of 95% of those old kung fu movies. Hell, even today, Hong Kong seems to strugle to bring out great movies.

Jaa needs actinglessons? Sure he does. He's not a great actor by any stretch of the imagination, and I never said he was. However, I don't think he's much worse than Jackie, especially not in his early roles. Jackie, even today, is hardly impressive as an actor in most of his movies. And action-wise Jackie has now been shite for years.

[VenomsFan]

That's because Hong Kong/China was the FIRST country to break new grounds, to introduce the martial arts genre onto the forefront, and have a global impact on the world. The only other country that was around at that time (and as long as China) was Japan but their influence was different and their impact was not as great. What did Thailand, Korea, Indonesia, and Malaysia do when that happened?

We should all be thankful Bruce Lee for giving us what we all love, without him there wouldn't have been this kind of big drive in pushing back the genre and its' stars the way they have made the genre for what it is now. Yes, including Tony Jaa. You just have to face it.

Haha, like yourself.

DiP -

My point is China isn't the only country that has a developed historical and powerful martial art. If you judge the world by movies alone, then your understanding of this issue is severely limited.

The world didn't need China to globally impact them on Martial Arts. They had their own form of martial arts since the dawn of civilization. For movies, yes even Jaa mentions his

The world has changed now, it's not only the Chinese who will displaying to the world their form of martial arts.

[VenomsFan]

Yi Long -

You are arguing with someone who stood in line for Spy Next Door! lol. Seriously if Ja's acting was so bad he would have b rate movies. Not breaking box office records and travelling the world.

I suggest "The Brave" thai movie for those who say Jaa can't act. You will see the difference between Jaa and other ma actors.

I personally don't care for Yen's stone face expressions.

On OB2 when he drops that tear...

[DiP]

My point is China isn't the only country that has a developed historical and powerful martial art. If you judge the world by movies alone, then your understanding of this issue is severely limited.

Haha, limited understanding? I got the impression that all this was strictly movie-related. First you talk about movies, now you're bringing up MA in general. Wow. Make your point(s) clearer next time then.

[VenomsFan]

Jackie on Tony Jaa, for those still confused

[lillippa328]

So you LOVED Spy Next Door then. And thought the Rush Hour Series was Jackie's best work since he entered the US in the 90s?

Be honest

yea if somebody offered me millions and millions of dollars to do a cheesy kids movie...best believe im doing it!!its called....making money....

and yes...I enjoyed the Rush Hours....even 3....Rush Hour gets way to much hate here aswell....they are good movies, funny and have nice fight scenes....even though the stories are always kidnapping (**Cough**TONY JAAS MOVIES **COUGH**) they have enough comedy and fighting to make them very replayable....

Shanghi Noon and Shanghi Knights are both fantastic aswell....I loved New Police Story and Rob B Hood was a very good film also....

so yea I liked those films waaaaaaay more than I enjoyed TYG and the LIFE THREATINING BULBS OF DEATH

dude was completly right those things are harmless....kids play with shit in their back yard

dude swears up and down that Jaa's films are not repetitive but hes only had 3 films, 4 including Ong Bak 3.,....and he hasnt even seen Ong Bak 2 or 3...so hes going off Ong Bak and TYG...claiming theyre not repetitive films...I would hope you wouldnt be repetitive in 2 or 3 films, but sadly, a lot of it is already repetitive...the elephant thing as pointed out...is already played out to me...we get it! You can run on elephants! you can swing from elephants! You can do a back flip and kick someone or backflip off an elephant or wall or anything!!

Thats why I loved Ong Bak 2 so much is because it shows Tony Jaa being diverse...he had the styles, the weapons, the good shit other than the boring knee elbow combo with that same Thai sound effect...

[dionbrother]

Another element you guys are forgetting is that Bruce Lee's movies were huge hits in theaters for decades. ALL of Tony Jaa's movies were theatrical flops. They've found an audience on dvd but the guy hasn't made a fraction of the impact that Bruce Lee made. ONG BAK 2 was barely released in theaters. Bruce also inspired a collector's market. Have you ever met a collector of Tony Jaa tie-ins? I've met Jackie and Jet collectors, but never a Jaa collector. Sorry, his impact will be short term, flavor of the year until some other athletic freak comes along. Unless he lines himself up with better filmmakers, it won't happen. Jaa's hasn't transcended the genre the way Jackie, Jet and Bruce have. He's only loved by a shrinking audience of fight genre fans. Is the potential there? Yes, but he's got some work to do. I honestly don't know if that's his ambition anyway. What was up with the disappearing act after ONG BAK 2?

Better screen performers? Off the top of my mind, Hsiao Ho, Yuen Biao, Billy Chong and even Hwang Jang Lee (who made Hapkido look like the most dangerous art in existence). As I said before, ONG BAK 2 is proof that he is willing to improve and expand, and I'm anxious to watch the Blu Ray I just bought (my previous copy was a artifiacting bootleg with bizarre subtitles), but best since Bruce and better than Jackie and Jet? Ain't seen it yet. Personally, I think the fights in EASTERN CONDORS are superior to anything from Thailand. And I think CONDORS is the dvd that the Thai guys are studying the most.

[daisho2004]

GREAT INTERVIEW BY JACKIE CHAN! He really hit the nail on the head speaking about Tony Jaa.