I'll keep this short and sweet...Tony Jaa switches between...Muay Boran,Kung Fu,Wushu,Silat,MMA & Kali all too effortlessly...in the same damn fight scene...I wont give away to many plot details (its a revenge flick period drama) but what i will say is this...It has a 20 minute finale fight scene thats just too good for words..Ong Bak and TYG Are better movies but not for the fighting...the fighting is where Ong Bak 2 Really exceeds anything Jaa had made previously...Less acrobatics..More Brawling. Storys passable and the directing isn't bad..the overall tone of the film is a tad dull...And still miles ahead of TYG 2 And Ong Bak 3....Here's Hoping Skin Trade & SPL 2 will re spark some of that former glory that jaa once possessed.

Set in 15th Century Thailand, the subtitled "Ong Bak: 2" brings little that is new to the martial-arts genre - but a barrel load of impressive fight scenes and an authentic look make it worthwhile viewing for the aficionado. It's the oldie about a young boy who is trained to become a righteous warrior, standing up for the innocent and the helpless against a cruelly oppressive regime.As noted, there isn't much in the way of storytelling, dialogue and characterization to distinguish "Ong Bak: 2" from the countless other films in this category, but the battle scenes are impressively staged and mounted, with a brutality that, while it makes them hard to watch at times, seems an accurate reflection of the era in which it's set. Moreover, directors Panna Rittikrai and Tony Jaa (who plays the lead role) never feel the need to prettify the setting, offering up a screen full of snaggle-toothed, matted-locked extras to go along with all the muck and mud.Tien, ace martial arts fighter and tamer of elephants, takes on a half-a-dozen opponents at a time, slicing-and-dicing and karate-chopping them into the dust, only to have them rise again to face a second, third, even fourth humiliating go-round at his punishing hands. It's 100% absurd and just about everything a die-hard martial arts fan could wish for from such a film.

Ong Bak 2: The Beginning is not a continuation of the first film, neither is it a prequel in the true sense; the story takes place several hundred years ago, and tells of Tien (played as an adult by Tony Jaa), the son of a murdered lord, who becomes a powerful warrior after a clan of outlaws adopt him and teach him their combat skills.This period setting allows for a far more epic feel than the first film, but the broader scope of the plot ultimately means less minutes devoted to pure, bone crunching action, a fact that has understandably disappointed those hoping for another relentless, adrenaline fuelled, juggernaut of a martial arts movie. Add the fact that Jaa's impressive Muay Thai skills are often overlooked in favour of weapons based action, and it's not surprising that this film hasn't been as overwhelmingly well received as its predecessor.On a more positive note, the film looks absolutely fantastic, with beautiful cinematography, sumptuous costumes, and some truly outlandish characters, and when the action does kick into top gear, it is utterly breath-taking, especially during the flawlessly executed, bone-crunching final battle between Tien and a host of enemy warriors, where we finally get to see the star delivering his trademark punishing blows with knee and elbow.In short, Ong Bak 2 is a very enjoyable slice of solid action entertainment—not quite as jaw-dropping as part one, but then what is?7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

This exciting, blood-drenched, historical revenge yarn about pugnacious Thai empires set in the 15th century qualifies as an in-name only sequel to Tony Jaa's "Ong Bak" (2003) with the acrobatic Jaa making his directorial debut. Action choreographer Panna Rittikrai of "Chocolate" lends Jaa a hand and the two of stage some incredible jaw-dropping, death-defying, gravity-flouting martial arts combat. In the war-torn kingdom of Ayudhaya, our hero Tien is the son of a slain nobleman Siha Decho, and he rarely has time to do anything but fight for his life during this exhilarating 98-minute epic. Most of this action-packed tale takes place in flashback and the narrative is often difficult to follow, but the action scenes compensate for this shortcoming. Initially, our agile, adolescent hero is captured by dastardly slavers and hurled into a murky mud pit with only his bare hands and his wits to battle a ferocious crocodile. This is a pretty terrifying scene but everything looks fairly realistic. While the young Tien is playing cat-and-mouse with the croc, another man, Chernang (Sorapong Chatree of "The Tsunami Warrior"), admires the urchin's audacity in the face of peril. Chernang is the chieftain of the Garuda Wing Cliff bandits. He intervenes to save Tien's life and slings the kid a sword to slash the croc. Afterward, a blind seer utters some mighty impressive declarations about the kid's future, and Tien finds himself learning how to become a champion. In the process, as he grows up, the long-haired Tien learns all kinds of arcane martial arts combat. Just watching the nimble choreography in the fighting scene will make you work up a sweat. In fact, Jarr created a new kind of fisticuffs that blends dancing with fighting and calls it 'Nataytuh.' Bangkok-born superstar Tony Jarr is truly the successor to Jet Li, Jackie Chan, and Bruce Lee. The elephant stampede scene with Jarr dashing across the backs of these lofty beasts as they trample the earth looks spectacular. Later, after our hero asserts himself over them, the entire herd bows down to him.