Tony Jaa The Martial Artists Movies Ranked Worst To Best
Tony Jaa: The Martial Artist’s Movies Ranked, Worst To Best
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Martial arts icon Tony Jaa recently returned to screens in Monster Hunter, but how does this latest release rank among his many starring roles?
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Martial arts icon Tony Jaa recently returned to screens in Monster Hunter, but how does this latest release rank among his many starring roles? A disappointment for some fans of the famous console game, Monster Hunter saw director Paul WS Anderson return to the world of video game adaptations with less than perfect results. The movie has its redeeming features and fun moments, but the incredibly talented martial arts performer Tony Jaa is unfortunately wasted in a CGI-dominated fantasy spectacle that has little use for his more raw, special effects-free skill set. It’s a shame, as a handful of Jaa’s movies feature truly incredible Muay Thai showcases.
Since starring in his breakout martial arts film Ong Bak, Jaa has leant his impressive athleticism to numerous productions across the globe. The Muay Thai fighter has been featured in stunt and supporting roles in various recognizable movies, such as Furious 7 (his Hollywood film debut), XXX: Return of Xander Cage, and Master Z: Ip Man Legacy. Within the martial arts subgenre, however, Jaa is often a leading man, with his breathtaking action sequences and unparalleled skill being the movies’ main draw.
However, despite the actor’s staggering martial arts prowess, Tony Jaa has appeared in almost as many flops and misfires as he has classics. The Ong Bak series may feature some epic martial arts fights, but Jaa’s signature trilogy is also plagued by inconsistent plotting and pacing. Meanwhile, Jaa’s Hollywood outings have a bad habit of overshadowing the raw nature of his martial arts prowess with unnecessary CGI intervention. Jaa’s output has been inconsistent over the years, but his great movies feature some true classics among their number — whether it’s the brutal, bruising Tom Yum Goong or the more recent action tour de force SPL II: A Time For Consequences.
The Bodyguard
Petchai Wongkamlao’s 2004 star vehicle The Bodyguard is a conventional-but-fun Jackie Chan clone that mixes sly humor with stellar action set pieces; however, the movie makes poor use of Tony Jaa. Wongkamlao played the comic-relief character in Tony Jaa’s breakout film Ong Bak, and is a talented comic performer with a knack for over-the-top humor and an impressive willingness to take punishing pratfalls for the sake of a lowbrow laugh. Unfortunately, Jaa’s cameo as himself in this comedy thriller doesn’t pack any of the punch that made him famous. There are a few fun set pieces and Jaa is impressive as ever in his brief screen time, but this one is only for diehard fans.
Ong Bak 3
Unfortunately ponderous and mercilessly self-serious thanks to some Bruce Lee-inspired pseudo-philosophy, Ong Bak 3 is the weakest entry in Jaa’s trilogy. The closing chapter leans hard into the series’ convoluted mythology and requires a lot of serious acting from Jaa thanks to its slow middle section, which will leave viewers wishing this one featured more of the over-the-top action and madcap set-pieces that made the first film famous.
Jiu-Jitsu
It’s always heartbreaking when a gonzo cult movie doesn’t live up to its zany premise, but as if often the case in the later career of screen legend Nicholas Cage, 2020’s Jiu-Jitsu ends up less than the sum of its parts. Choppily over-edited and filled with garish directorial flourishes, this “martial artists versus alien invaders” sci-fi movie fails to entertain by wasting the talents of its stars. Nicholas Cage’s bug-eyed overacting can’t compete with extraterrestrials and Jaa’s close-contact fighting style loses its impact when the blows are being dealt unto CGI beasts instead of human opponents, resulting in a regrettable genre mish-mash.
Tom Yum Goong 2
The sequel to Jaa’s mind-blowing Tom Yum Goong (released in the US as The Protector), Tom Yum Goong 2 was largely a disappointment that failed to live up to the high bar set by the original. The plot centers around protagonist Kham seeking to rescue his “brother,” the elephant khon, and while there are some genuine emotional beats along the way, the story is treads familiar ground for Jaa. The movie was controversial for its use of wires — Jaa is not known for wire fu, and the overall effect actually takes away from his prowess. The movie was shot in 3D and used CGI, but many viewers felt the general experience was underwhelming and forgettable, especially when it wasn’t viewed in 3D. The movie has its highlights: Marrese Crump steals the show as the movie’s villain, No. 2. Overall, many consider Tom Yum Goong 2 a fun, but not great, Jaa title.
Monster Hunter
Tragically toothless despite its promising title, the bigger-budgeted Monster Hunter makes the same fatal mistake as Jiu-Jitsu (with less input from Nicholas Cage). Co-starring Resident Evil heroine Milla Jovovich, this adaptation of the well-loved Playstation 2 title of the same name pits Jaa’s heroic Hunter against a bevy of CGI monsters, once again failing to utilize the actor’s martial arts skills (which are impressive precisely because they don’t need the assistance of special effects to shine). To be fair, this one is a significantly more fun romp than the rest of the movies featured in this ranking thus far, but Monster Hunter nonetheless falls short due to wasting Jaa’s authentic fighting style and realistic stuntwork on a fantasy milieu.
Skin Trade
It’s easy to argue that this Dolph Lundgren vehicle from 2014 is tasteless, thanks to Skin Trade using the very real issue of human trafficking as a springboard for revenge fantasy and police procedural. But Skin Trade’s biggest problem is pairing the acrobatic Jaa with the aging Lundgren (and making little use of his talents as a result) in this humdrum release. Although many had looked forward to seeing the two action icons face off, the framework that supported the fight scenes, as well as the choreography itself, was underwhelming, mediocre, and generally not memorable.
Ong Bak 2
Set almost entirely in the jungle, Ong Bak 2 is an ambitious period piece and is a massive departure from the original Ong Bak. As a tale of a prince whose family is murdered, prompting an epic journey toward revenge, this more self-serious outing is slower than its predecessor, with Jaa starting his move from fun Jackie Chan-style stunts to more thoughtful Bruce Lee-style dramatics. Nonetheless, the sequel features plenty of spectacular martial arts action including the (in)famous sequence which sees Jaa backflip off an elephant’s face.
Triple Threat
Pitting Jaa’s Muay Thai against Silat and Kung Fu, the 2019 movie Triple Threat isn’t a perfect action movie by any means, but it does boast some seriously impressive action sequences. Despite lacking Ong Bak’s wow factor, this ranks highly among Jaa’s most impressive onscreen martial arts displays thanks to a bevy of worthy opponents. The movie brings together an Expendables-esque ensemble of big-screen martial artists that is sure to thrill fans of the genre — those hoping to see Tony Jaa face both Iko Uwais and Scott Adkins get two for the price of one in Triple Threat.
Ong Bak
The movie that started it all, 2003’s Ong Bak is a corny thriller that sees a young rural villager head to the big city, taking on the entire criminal underworld to retrieve a Buddha statue’s head. Like fellow martial arts classic Enter The Dragon, it’s a predictable story with little going for it outside of the star’s athleticism— so it’s a good thing the movie’s many inventive chases, fights, and action sequences are a superb showcase for Jaa’s intense, raw skill, with this early hit featuring some all-time great moments like Jaa’s incredible cross-city foot chase.
SPL II: A Time For Consequences
A tight Hong Kong crime thriller with an intriguing plot and plenty of action, SPL II: A Time For Consequences loses out on the top spot since Jaa is somewhat under-utilized in the movie’s sizeable cast. That lone issue aside, though, this one is an instant classic thriller that action fans shouldn’t miss out on (even if the knotty, mile-a-minute plot of this mob movie makes the Departed-inspiring Internal Affairs look like a children’s story). Also known as Kill Zone 2, this film features an exciting melodramatic storyline punctuated with jaw-dropping fight sequences that any martial arts movie fan would enjoy.
Tom Yum Goong
Let’s get one thing clear: Tom Yum Goong is Tony Jaa’s finest film so far, not The Protector, the truncated US release that was retitled by the Weinstein Company and cut to ribbons by censors. The original cut of Jaa’s second starring role is an inimitable martial arts classic. Combining the jaw-droppingly violent and shockingly ambitious fight work and stunts of Ong Bak with slicker, more stylish direction and a more consistent tone, this 2005 release is the best cinematic encapsulation of Jaa’s fighting style. There are plenty of classic sequences here, including a face-off against Fury Road’s Nathan Jones and a capoeira fight in a burning temple, but the standout sequence is an un-paralleled eight-minute, one-take scene that sees Jaa kick, punch, and maim his way through eight floors of a mob boss’ hideout. A phenomenal showcase for Jaa’s once-in-a-generation talents, Tom Yum Goong remains a better cinematic encapsulation of Jaa’s enduring appeal than the comparatively big-budget Monster Hunter.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/tony-jaa-martial-arts-movies-ranked-worst-best/
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