This Guy Can Kick Butt But Seriously Needs A Good Director To Move Up The Film Industry I was first exposed to this little unknown actor two years back when Ong Bak made its debut. Gossips and rave reviews were all over the place on this film, hailing the lead actor Tony Jaa to be the next Jackie Chan replacement. I knew I had to check this out with all the buzz around and was not disappointed with the outcome. The fight scenes in Ong Bak were great, and Tony displayed a unique fighting style that was not seen before in any action films, and he had done it with style and poise.
After 2 years, he moved on to do "The Protector", a film that was said to surpass Ong Bak with higher quality stunts and action. Once again, I had to check this out. And once again, Tony had not disappointed when it comes to the fight scenes. They were all very well done, brutal and exceptionally realistic. It did not come as a surprise as Tony was a former stuntman and was known to do his own stunts. All the fights in The Protector were particularly outstanding from the brawl in the multi-storey restaurant whereby he kicked asses all the way from the ground floor up to the top until he met his match in Johnny, to the finale whereby he takes on the Giant Nathan Jones and killing a couple of 'flies' on the way. I particularly liked the fight between Tony and the Brazilian maestro in capoiera, Lateef Crowder. Both are skilled in doing his own thing ie. Muay Thai and Capoiera, and the outcome was nothing short of breathtaking. The fights were as realistic as we can get as there is no CGI or stunt replacements involved because both Tony and Lateef are experts in their respective trades.
The only weakness in Tony Jaa's films is the directing. This guy seriously needs a good director with a better script-writer in order to move up the film industry. No doubt the action and fight choreography are first-rate, but the rest of the elements in the film are below par. The script and storyline often turn out to be poor and character development is definitely missing with the rest of the cast giving a lacklustre performance since most of them are relatively new. In other words, you basically go to watch a Tony Jaa's film ONLY for the action and fight scenes. The story and the rest of the cast will most likely turn out to be crap. No matter how awesome the fights are in a Tony Jaa's film, the movie on a whole will turn out to be mediocre at best due to the points as mentioned.
To reiterate, this guy seriously needs some help from experienced writers and directors if he were to star in a 'award-winning' film. Otherwise, all his effort will be somehow wasted. In order to appreciate a film as a whole, not only the action has to be good but the script and support from the rest of the cast are equally important as well to get the audience to fully involve or immerse in the movie itself.