ONG BAK 2: THE BEGINNING

by Dr. Craig Reid

About three years ago I sat down with Tony Jaa for about an hour, and at that time we spoke about TOM YUM GOONG, his life with elephants, and a few things about ONG BAK 2 (OB-2). "I'm now working on OB-2 and we really need to come up with something new and better for the film," he shared. "It will use a lot more weapons and sword fights. As with all my films, the key to these movies is that I always want to show the world about Thai people, our culture, symbols, and to ultimately prove that we can make good films." At that time he also mentioned that he would have more control of the project, and that he looked forward to his debut as a director. After watching the film, I believe that - on the surface - Jaa accomplished and delivered what he said he would do. However, beneath the surface, something more was at stake and remains to be answered.

I am referring to the well-publicized hiatus Jaa took from the film set - disappearing for two months without telling anybody where he was or what he was doing. While all interviews with Jaa are currently skirting the topic due to OB-2's release in the United States this week, I feel - as a martial artist and an actor/stuntman - that it is something that should be addressed. Perhaps Jaa feels it is all water under the bridge, but a bridge over troubled waters does not go away merely because it is ignored. I will address this later on in the article. But for now let's get to the film.

Although the film is being touted as a prequel to ONG BAK (OB), with promises that the characters and storyline tie in logically with OB and will continue to do so in ONG BAK 3, you may find the movie more enjoyable if you treat it as a separate entity. If you have seen the film, then you know that this is not a bunch of croc or a con...I mean khon.

Set in Thailand in 1431, the film opens with young lad Tien, the son of the murdered Lord Sihadecho, caught by slave traders. Because Tien is such a troublemaker, he's tossed into a large, murky and muddy pit of water with a giant crocodile. Yet Tien's spirit and will to survive captures the attention of Chernung (Sorapong Chatree), leader of the Garuda's Wing guerilla fighters. Chernung, intent on driving out the traders and freeing the slaves, decides to take Tien under his wing and teach him how to become the ultimate warrior - with the long-term goal of making Tien the gang's future leader. Now grown up, Tien (Jaa) is a martial force to be reckoned with. But before he can take the reins of power, he must leave the nest and walk the road to hell, seeking vengeance against the vicious slave traders. Ultimately he must kill the cunning, vicious Lord Rajasena who slaughtered Tien's parents. (Lord Rajasena had murdered the governor of the province, then blamed it on Tien's father, and used this as an excuse to execute Tien's family.) With Tien closing in, Rajasena accrues a collection of crazy killers to put a crimp in Tien's tactics.

The fights in OB are unique, blending modern-day Muay Thai kickboxing with the delicate beauty and ferocious power of ancient Muay Boran and Muay Kodchasarn. Coming up with a sequel that will live up to the reputation of the original is never easy, and when the original is legendary for its bone- and ground-breaking martial arts, well... Jaa and his mentor Panna Rittikrai definitely had their work cut out for them. Jaa details how OB-2's fighting styles evolved.

"When we were developing the concept for OB-2, Master Panna and I tried to find a unique storytelling angle," Jaa recalls. "Then we thought about an old short film that he and I came up with once called VENOMOUS MAN, where the intention of that film was to show all kinds of martial arts from all over the world in one film without discriminating whether it is a fighting technique of Thailand, China, Japan, Korea, or any other nations. From that idea, I went on to study as many styles of martial arts as possible: ancient Thai boxing, Chaiya Thai boxing, Korat Thai boxing, Lopburi Thai boxing, kung fu, ninjutsu and taifudo (combination of aikido, kung fu, judo, and Muay Thai). Several masters gave me advice, philosophies, and the spirits of each martial arts style. So I decided to portray all these important values in OB-2.

"While we were making the film, I had a chance to hone my acting skills in which I learned how to control my inner state of mind.  I have learned that the most powerful force is inside my body, and learned how to unlock that force.  I was taught about the origin of each person's identity.  I also began practicing khon, which got me thinking about how could I combine khon with martial arts. Could it be possible to make this combination into fighting moves?  When we tried it out and watched the tape of the workshop, we got to see the energy of both forces, which was both strange and very fascinating.  It became a new style of fighting.  Each of these fighting moves is one of a kind.  I found out later from boxing masters that Thai boxing moves actually come from khon, and there are sword and pole dancing and boxing moves in khon too.

"So I decided to go see carvings and sculptures at ancient sites.  I found rock sculptures of Hanuman from the Ramayana in grappling moves.  There are carvings of Rama and Lakshman fighting Ravan and the demons. There are carvings of monkeys, garudas, and giant serpents.  I finally was able to piece all the puzzles together and invent a new martial arts style that is totally different from OB and TOM YUM GOON. By fusing Thai dancing and martial arts, Natayuth was born. "Nata" means dancing and "Yuth" means fighting. So Natayuth is the application of dancing moves to combat, which requires conscience, concentration, and intellect to perform.  I am confident that there's no other fighting style like this in the world.  This is what we specifically invented for OB-2. Of course, as you will see, we also had fights that included kung fu, Muay Thai, swords and poles, and samurai swordplay."

Khon Thai dance is a style of stage dance drama performed by non-speaking dancers who convey their characters' emotions through stylized movement, and the relevant storytelling and expositions are told by a chorus positioned off to one side of the stage. One of the most popular khon stories is the Ramakien, a Thai version of the ancient Hindu epic story of the Ramayana. It's an enchanting tale of undying love and loyalty in which the hero Ram (aka Ramayan) and his brother Lakshaman seek the Monkey King Hanuman to help them rescue Ram's wife Seta from the clutches of the dastardly King Ravan. The garuda is large mythical bird-like creature that symbolizes martial power, bravery, speed and violence. It is these virtues combined with the philosophies and spirits of the other martial arts he practiced in preparation for the film that Jaa wanted to impart upon himself and his character Tien. Which actually brings us back to his two-month disappearance.

After Jaa appeared on Thai TV sobbing his eyes out and begging for the country's forgiveness for walking off the set of OB-2, the film still did well in Thailand.  However, apart from this being totally unprofessional as an actor, what he did casts doubt upon Jaa's inner philosophical and spiritual self as a martial artist. There is no question that he has phenomenal physical martial arts skills, but the whole thing about going into hiding for two months dampens his credibility as a level-headed, strong-willed martial artist who should be able to use his discipline, mental toughness and the above-mentioned training to deal with the pressures that life brings us all. In a nutshell, if you talk the talk, you had better be able to walk the walk. Jaa is 32-years old and not a child or a teenager without direction. This is why one can never compare Jaa to Bruce Lee, because Lee was not only an astounding martial artist but also a history-changing figure who imbibed his philosophy as an actor and martial artist.

I once posed a question in a column for Kung Fu Tai Chi magazine about whether we should expect more from the behavior of martial arts celebrities who are real martial artists. The bottom line is that these individuals - whether or not they tout themselves as roll models - are representing thousands of years of a lifestyle that is historically revered and looked up to. But as fame, ego and money replaces old virtues and values, so perhaps does the honor of being a martial artist.

But perhaps Jaa is on that road to recovery. As OB-2 was the cause for him losing himself, it may also be the vehicle that has helped him re-find himself. Jaa explains that OB-2 is a story about love, greed, anger, being misguided, desires, vice and virtue. "All of these are in the main character's soul," Jaa tells us. "He has a bright side and a dark side.  He has to go through the dark side before he discovers the bright side.  Before we find happiness, we have to get through sorrow. Happiness and sorrow are so close to one another.  It's about which side a person chooses to stand on. Tien, the character I play, represents people who never have a chance to see both sides. The story follows the path he chooses that originally leads to revenge and how his life is devoted to learn all kinds of martial arts to become the best fighter in order to take revenge. But the core of this film is the concept that the greatest fight is the one which does not overcome anyone but one's mind. This is presented by the fusion of mind and action through Natayuth fighting. Of course, this film also presents an important Buddhist belief that is the theme in the first OB, which is faith."

In comparing the fights of OB with OB-2, what should one expect? Although Jaa's martial artistry is very good, it was noticeable that during many fights he was out of his element. He was of course trying to show that he has a wide range of skills, but his version of drunken Thai boxing, tiger claw kung fu, samurai swordplay and Chinese style weaponry fell short. His dull and awkward delivery of techniques during some of the fights detracted from his true abilities. It was like Jet Li trying to do Bruce Lee boxing and footwork in FIST OF LEGEND (1994), which did not work and did not look good. Yet when Jaa finally breaks out of his "look at what other martial arts I am good at" dream shell and begins to infuse his fights with violent elbow- and knee-crunching Muay Boran and Muay Kodchasarn, he takes on a much better complexion and reminds us of why we are enamored with his guts and creativity. But I did notice during his group melees that the fights were broken down into one-on-one confrontations, similar to what Chuck Norris always does, where each antagonist attacks one at a time, instead of like with Jackie Chan where five or so fighters attack all at the same time. However, when Jaa does take on two fighters at the same time towards the end of the film, that is the best fight of the movie.

Jaa shares some final thoughts on the film, which seem to also offer Jaa a reminder to himself of how he needs to live as a martial artist and what that really means.

"It was important to coalesce the action and philosophies," Jaa avers. "OB-2 is filled with deep thoughts and ideas, besides our strength in action scenes. In the film, it's not that Tien is just a vengeful fighter and fights his way to the end. We pose questions of why this man is vengeful, what his vendetta does to him, and how his masters - both the masters on the bright side and the masters on the dark side - teach him. Which side is he on when he is fighting? You can't cross from the dark side to the bright side as long as you are still using anger to guide your fighting. The goal in each person's life is nothingness, detachment of desires, which is what my style of martial arts is all about. The core of this film that we want to convey to the audiences is that the ultimate martial arts is not beating everybody up but not having to fight at all."

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Written by Dr. Craig Reid for KUNGFUMAGAZINE.COM

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