Customer Reviews

Tom Yum Goong [IMPORT]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For those who've seen "Ong Bak" - Tony Jaa's previous film - I have to say that you know roughly what you're going to see, only this movie is even better. And those who haven't - well, what you are about to see you're not going to forget for a long time. The plot is practically the same as in "Ong Bak" - some villains kidnap a simple village guy's (who by the way practices Muay Thai) elephant. The guy leaves for big city to find those who did it and take his elephant back. Certainly he's going to do a lot of fighting.

Tony Jaa is something you've never seen before - a Jackie Chan kind of stuntman but tougher, can you imagine that? It's amazing what he does on screen (and everything is managed without any CG or wire as you probably heard already) - he jumps so high you wouldn't believe it, he fights dozens of enemies and wins while you don't have a slightest doubt he couldn't do it, he runs on walls and does all kinds of acrobatic and martial arts stuff that will blow your mind. All of his punches and kicks look real, and both in Tony Jaa's movies and in behind the scenes footage you can see he really delivers his punches, they are not just waving hands and legs in front of someone's face. I remember old Van Damme films where the major part of his kicks were not real and you could see he actually didn't kick anyone. But in "Tom Yum Goong" when Tony Jaa fights two guys who both are 7-feet tall and weighing more than 300 pounds it actually takes something and not just imitating kicks to persuade the audience he can really win this fight. And the fight looks ferocious because it's done on the verge of rationality and sense.

There's another scene which lasts about 5 or 7 minutes or maybe more when Tony goes in some casino that belongs to the bad guys, and he goes farther and farther fighting everyone who dares standing on his way. And this scene is done in 1(!) take. Where have you seen something like that? I haven't. And by the way all the fighting is shot beautifully with nice wide shots so that you can see everything in detail not wondering what it is glimpsing on screen.

There're many different stunts in "Tom Yum Goong", if you love martial arts cinema you'll appreciate it a lot, and even if you're not a fan you'll be extremely impressed. For you haven't seen anything like this neither in Jackie Chan movies nor in those of Jet Li. For me "Tom Yum Goong" was a kind of revelation. A cinematic one and also regarding the abilities of human body.

Tom-Yum-Goong (which is a popular Thai dish) comes two years after the success of Ong Bak: Thai Warrior and once more displays Tony Jaa's kinetic and concussive full-contact martial arts. Once again, just like in Ong Bak, the fight scenes do away with stunt doubles, wire-work or CGI. What the audience gets, instead, is a pure, unadulterated, very intense Tony Jaa doing his own eye-popping stunts.

When a bull and baby elephant are stolen from his family by the Asian Mafia and smuggled into Sydney, Australia, young Thai fighter Kham (Tony Jaa) follows to recover the sacred animals and exact [...]-kicking vengeance. In Sydney, he is befriended and aided by Sergeant Mark (Petchthai Wongkamlao), a Thai policeman toiling in Australia and by Pla (Bongkuch Kongmalai), a Thai girl and victim of a modern day slave ring. But, even with their help, can Kham beat the overwhelming odds as represented by syndicate boss Madame Rose and her numerous hencemen? I'm guessing... yeah.

The plot and actors aren't what you'd call top-notch (and the sub-title work is very shaky), although, in the midst of all the explosive fight scenes, you do have a rather sweet love story between a boy and his elephants. But, let's get real here; if you've come to this movie expecting quality exposition and Shakespearean emoting, boy, are you in the wrong part of town. Tom-Yum-Goong is a martial arts flick thru and thru, where a cohesive storyline and professional acting are eschewed for all-out, bone-crushing, head-bashing, nut-cracking Muay Thai mayhem.

Tony Jaa is the fresh face of martial arts and he's coming hard. It's a revelation to see him go up against and dispose of a hard crew of extreme sports thugs, Asian Mafia henchmen, several giants escaped from Wrestlemania, and a few practitioners of various martial arts (wushu, capoeira, etc.). The warehouse fight is typically high energy and shows off Tony Jaa's agile acrobatics. And, an hour into it, there's an extended fight sequence (about 4 minutes) which takes place inside a multi-floored restaurant - where a camera is continuously on Jaa for the whole length - that has to be seen to be believed. Kham rumbles his way up every level of the bordello, facing a host of baddies each time he ascends a floor (Game of Death, anyone?). The culminating fight sequence - where Jaa goes up against about 30 black-clad henchmen and uses various leg holds and arm locks to crackingly snap limbs and break body joints - is mind-boggling! As of right now, he's giving Jackie Chan and Jet Li a run for their money.

Tony Jaa, when not fracturing jaws or pulverizing clavicles with his vicious elbow strikes and knee thrusts, has an innocent, unaffectedly fresh persona he resorts to when he has to act. He made his loyalty and love for his elephants very genuine to the audience and realistically grounded the movie's main plot motivation. To his character Kham, these pachyderms were indeed treasured family members, members who he'll go thru hell and high water for. It's interesting to see if his acting evolves along with his martial arts moves. Petchthai Wongkamlao (also from Ong Bak, as George) as Sergeant Mark is decent as the unorthodox but upright cop. Johnny Nguyen as Johnny, to me, is the standout villain.

So, what more can I say? Tom-Yum-Goong will be released here in the States under the film title The Protector on September 8, 2006. So check it out and jump on the Tony Jaa bandwagon, while there's still room.

I have never seen such amazing martial arts stunt work as I saw in this movie. Tony Jaa is like some kind of superhuman killing machine as he goes after the gangsters who steal his beloved elephants. To think that he uses no wires or cgi, is remarkable. A must see for all martial arts fans. RUN don't walk, RUN to get this DVD! Run, even if it means running down the street in your underwear into oncoming traffic! If it is late at night and the stores are closed in your area, RUN THERE ANYWAY, and wait all night outside untill the store opens in the morning. If the police try to stop you, run away from them, into the woods where they won't be able to find you, and continue on your way to the store through wooded areas until you get there. DO IT!

I saw this film film in Hong Kong last year, I took a risk because the film was not available with english subtitles at the theater I went to... it didn't need them. Tony Jaa is amazing, if you like martial arts films with real action this is the film for you! Like Jackie no special effects that make it look fake just raw action.

Tom Yum Goong or "Warrior King" or " The Protector" is Tony JAA 2nd Famous (following Ong-Bak, The Thai Warrior)
first of all, I do like this movie. However Ong-Bak was more realistic, and very entertaining by his co-actor (the #1 Thai Comedian). It almost like "Rush Hour", by Chris Rock. The fighting scenes in Tom Yum Goong were better especially at the end when he broke the (HUGE) guys legs one by one by one!!!.It really show that Muey Thai or Thai boxing is very dangerous and CAN'T BE the Olympic type of sports.
The bad thing about this movie is that the story is so ....NOT that good. I thing the director tried to make this movie "International) But he just not there yet. He should watch all of the " Steven Seagal" or "Jean-Claude Van Damme" since they both LOVE Thailand SO MUCHH and had quite a few movies done there!! (Van Damme even had his Wedding there!!)
you don't care about the story line, which's of course FAR FAR FAR away from Oscar/Hollywood or even the dumpest movie by "Steven Seagal", Tom Yum Goong is the best of the best of the Martial Arts movie EVER....well Maybe ONG-BAK was...you just have to watch both and decide which one is the best!!.
By the way, I heard Tony Jaa might be Jackie chan co-actor soon...He's now learning English. Can't wait to see that!

So I decided to take someone who does not ever watch martial arts movies to see this and with Tony Jaa coming in with that flying double knee, this was insane for my friend to get up right away and start makign noises during the first seconds of action in the movie. It really sets the tone for the entire film.

I didn't time this movie, but it had to come in at like 70-80 minutes. Along with the fact that the story made absolutely no sense, I am sure I saw the cut version. Like when Jaa gets handled by the big guy and the next scene he is saved by a woman. Then by the time the end of the movie comes around, Jaa and the girl that saved him didn't even speak a word to each other! Also the directorial job left a lot to be desired, I don't know wtf happened at the end, But who cares, ACTION IS ALL THAT MATTERS!!!!!

We are talking fight after fight. They should have named this the Bone Cruncher. That was my favorite scene and you will see what I mean. Tony Jaa's moves are so complex and so outrageous, it would be a serious crime for him to not show off on screen. The action is SOOOO awesome Jaa actually makes Bruce Lee look like he was only average. Remember in Way of the Dragon where Bruce takes out everybody and he has on white guy left to deal with? The guy looks all scared and Bruce just kicks the light bulb out of the cieling and the guy runs away. Similiar moment in the Protector where Jaa does the same with with a light pole! He only had to jumop like twice as high as Bruce, that isn't too bad. I could really talk about the action for a few pages because EVERY move was so complex. This is truly one of the top 10 greatest action movies ever right up there with Fist of Legend, Gladiator, Iron Monkey, 7 Grandmasters, Braveheart... I would even put it ahead of Ong Bak. In Tom Yum Goong(the Protector) he faces actual opponents. After making himself the front runner in the Oscar's for best one man army(I wish), Jaa has to go up against a capoeira stylist. Capoeira is a brazilian style that looks like dancing and involves a lot of handstands for kicking. It is a perfect contrast for Jaa's thai style and makes for one of the best looking matches I have ever seen on screen. After fighting a wushu stylist with a sword he has to go up against a giant of a man. I really don't want to describe any of these fight scenes because they are all so original and could have been done any better. So the story blows but the movie is one of the greatest thrill rides that you will ever experience.

Hopefully when this movie gets released for American audiences we will get the uncut version. If it doesn't I know I won't buy it. Even with describing how good it was, I really need emotions involved with the fights so I can feel SOMETHING. The movie didn't seem like anythign more than one long fight scene, but with Tarantino's new company Dragon Dynasty cutting it down, I can't even make that decision for myself.

This movie is just as good as Ong Bak if not better. The major difference is that Ong Bak stayed more with traditional old school techniqe as far as strikes and blocks go. Rigid and practiced. This one is more like a Jackie chan movie where the action is spur of the moment, no hours spent perfecting an elbow strike, just whatever is at hand. There are 4 fantastic fight scenes all with Tony Jaa style (crazy stunts, mind boggling technique and skill). It is much better than Jackie Chan's new one (The Myth) it seems he is going more towards acting and less for stunts and action. It pains me to say as Jackie Chan is still one of my heroes but it is time for the U.S.A. to recognize Tony Jaa as Jackie Chan's replacement.
Buy this movie there is fights with Wu-Shu, Capoeira, street-fighting, and of course Muai Thai.
There are no words available in the English language to convey how great this movie is. BUY IT NOW!!!!!!!

No argument.. Tony Jaa is amazing. And the action in this, while over the top will make your jaw drop. He is the real deal and i think anyone with any interest in martial arts or martial art movies needs to see this. The only real problem i had was the English subtitles... there are none. I have played this DVD on nearly 10 different players and none of them have them. This wouldnt upset me if it didnt say they were on the disc on amazon as well as on the DVD case... then again, i kinda caught the highlights... Missing elephant, TOny Jaa beats up everyone involved. Long story short: watch this movie

When I saw Ong Bak the first time I was really surprised. It's really a great movie with moves never seen before in a movie. Okay, the story isn't a very special one, but I don't remember a Martial Art - Movie with a really good story (and there a lot of these movies without good story - Jackie Chan & Jet Li movies for example).
So I wanted to rate Ong Bak with 5 stars, but a few weeks later I could see Tom Yum Goong and I really had big expectations... and I'm happy that I don't have to be dissapointed. I really thought Ong Bak is unreachable, but I was wrong. Tom Yum Goong is even better!!! The moves are similiar to the Ong Bak's ones, but that is Muay Thai...and I hope after a few Ton Jaa - Movies the style will change a little bit, because if it doesn't change it's possible these movies will be boring and all the same.

Tom Yum Goong is one of the best Martial Art - Movies I've ever seen.

Five deserved stars !!!

i saw this movie this past spring when i was in ecuador. this movie is phenomenal i am looking forward to seeing it again this weekend...