If I was still an impressionable young man more easily swayed by the martial arts skills of the cinematic heroes of my youth like Bruce Lee then I think I might have a Tony Jaa poster on my wall. Honestly, the guy totally kicks ass. Despite rumors of the actor/director losing his mind in the Cambodian jungles a la Coppola on Apocalypse Now, the film that resulted, Ong Bak 2: The Beginning features an international star at the top of his particular game right now, delivering continuously impressive vehicles for his gritty, dirty style of martial arts. His latest is ultimately a frustrating film because of a lack of any narrative tissue worth giving a damn about at all. But the fight sequences? They're amazing, simply some of the most rivetingly choreographed martial arts of not just this year, but the last several. Jaa comes off as not just a typical movie fighter but a force of nature, making the scenes where he faces down hordes of enemies and seemingly chooses a different body part with which to incapacitate them each time will make even casual fans of martial arts movies smile.

Jaa stars and co-directs Ong Bak 2: The Beginning, which you might think would be a prequel to his breakthrough Ong Bak, but it's not really. The two films have nothing to do with each other except their star, as Ong Bak was set during modern times and the sequel is supposedly set during ancient times, taking place 500 years earlier. The film opens with a child named Tien (later played by Tony Jaa) being torn from his family and watching his parents being brutally murdered. Tien survives a fight with a giant crocodile only to be taken in by a group of thieves who help him plot his revenge. To do so, he actually becomes a Knight of the regime of the Lord who has subjugated his people for so long to infiltrate and take him down, learns an amazing hand-to-hand and weapons-based fighting system along the way, and kicks some elephant ass. (Yes, that’s the first time I’ve typed “elephant ass” in a review.)

The actual plot of Ong Bak 2 is a bit of snooze. The enemies are basically faceless (sometimes literally, as in when Tien fights a series of masked, caped baddies in the climax) and the characters aren't developed in the slightest. Luckily, it’s not necessarily a bad thing that there's not much plot weighing the piece down. The film is made up of more actual fighting than modern martial arts movies and most of it ranges from pretty good to damn amazing. One of the final battles atop an elephant really needs to be seen by anyone who has ever enjoyed a man kicking another man in the face. And Jaa, who not only co-directed but choreographed and produced the piece, is continuously more creative with his fight design. So many martial arts movies become repetitive but Ong Bak 2 stays fresh by mixing locations (although all seem muddy and overcast) and fighting styles.

Ultimately, Ong Bak 2: The Beginning features a physical force who's not quite yet an action star. Jaa doesn't have the personality of Jackie Chan or the acting skills of Jet Li. He's almost solely a physical presence and he's made a film that reflects and supports that by wallowing in mud, grime, and blood. The critic in me wishes he could come up with a story and a plot to support his incredible presence and strength, but the child in me doesn't care.

Rating: THREE BONES

Release Date: October 23rd, 2009 in some markets, Available now On Demand
Rating: PG

Starring: Tony Jaa
Directors: Tony Jaa and Panna Rittikrai
Writer: Tony Jaa