WARRIOR KING (DVD Review) - 30/10/06

Right let's clear up the confusion: This film is called "Tom Yum Goong" - Not "Warrior King" as it is in the UK, or elsewhere "Revenge Of The Warrior" or "The Protector" - But "Tom Yum Goong"! It infuriates me that people seem to change and swap titles around when it's original title is fine - It just makes people confused and think "have I seen this film or is it something else entirely?" a bit like releasing "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens in the USA and re-titled "A Hard Winter's Night" what's the point? Stupid title changes aside Tony Jaa's follow-up to "Ong-Bak" is a very different kettle of fish to that with a lyrical opening setting of beautiful Thailand and it's spiritual nature eventually shattered by crime-lords and the pursuit of cash with the illegal animal trafficking of elephants. Zeroing in to the Australian underworld and it's various mafias we get some (literally!) bone-crunching action as Tony Jaa's character of Kham set's out to find his stolen elephants. Unfortunately the fight at the Tom Yum Goong Restaurant feels flat in the sense that half the time you can't see what is actually happening and the face-off with what feels like several hundred bad guys looks like they are on a conveyor belt being processed into Jaa's waiting fists with the requisite THWACK-THWACK-CRUNCH-CRUNCH-THWACK of the Sound Effects Department which became over the top and got irritating very quickly -THWACK!
That's not to say this isn't a great film and it has a whole lot going for it - But it certainly isn't on a par with the excitement of "Ong-Bak". The head villain is a sneering lady boy and several well muscled; very big bad guys, bite the dust in the end of this emotional and colourful action film. We even get some scenes with a capoeira fighter and a wushu fight in a Buddhist temple floating with water and burning in flames.
SPECIAL FEATURES: This UK (Region 2) 2-Disc Special Collector's Edition 0f "Warrior King" is probably vastly different to other versions. Featuring Cast & Crew Interviews, Featurette "Creating The Warrior: Pre-Production Action" and "A Different Line: Multi-Angle Fight Sequences". With the Featurette "Making The Warrior: Behind The Scenes" and a selection of Theatrical Trailers plus a Featurette "On The Press Trail". English Subtitles: Thai 5.1. & DTS. Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen. Rated: 18. Contender Home Entertainment 2005/2006. CTD51097/ISBN # 5030305510978.