Ong-Bak 2: The Beginning (not to be confused with Ong-Bak 1: The Thai Warrior) is the sequel to the first and hugely successful Ong-Bak 1.

For those of you who do not know how Tony Jaa is, or have not seen Ong-Bak 1: The Thai Warrior – make it your utmost priority to see it right now.

Tony Jaa, the star of this film franchise is legendary in his own right. The Thai Martial Arts (specifically Muay Thai) film actor, choreographer and director has been dubbed the latest Martial Arts star to storm onto the scene, stealing the limelight from internationally acclaimed superstars Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Bruce Lee - Tony’s very own childhood idols.

Tony Jaa’s stunts in Ong-Bak 1 had everyone’s jaws permanently glued to the floor, both death-defying and effortlessly executed. It had people shaking their heads in disbelief – because the entire film footage had been shot without the use of any CGI,  strings, wires or any additional aids to make the stunts look more powerful or easier to perform, all of Tony Jaa’s stunts were performed by him and him only.

Ong-Bak 1 sees Tony Jaa as Ting, residing in a small, peaceful Thai village when one night the peace is torn apart because a former native of the village sends men to steal the head of the village’s sacred Buddha statuette called ‘Ong Bak’. This angers the locals and catastrophe ensues as they seek the champion Ting – the orphaned but extremely well practised in Muay Thai: ‘Nine Body Weapons’ – the perfect opponent in the fight of winning back the sacred head of Ong Bak. Follow Ting as he hits the mean, lean streets of Bangkok, encounter many local and foreign enemies but leaves them reeling from injuries in street fights in pursuit of the ruthless thief and crime boss. Will he defeat his enemies, win back the head of Ong Bak and regain honour for his village?

Here is a clip of the stunts and visuals in Ong-Bak 1: The Thai Warrior.

So it makes perfect sense to be highly anticipating the sequel to this awesome martial arts movie and we can expect even more seat-clenching action.

After watching this trailer, the plot seems unrelated to Ong-Bak 1 but this time, much stronger, with a better sense of purpose and well thought out.

Ong Bak 2 is set in the regal times in Thailand 600 years ago, and follows Tien (Tony Jaa) as he embarks  on his epic journey into manhood, whilst bearing with the memory of witnessing his parent’s brutal murder. He seeks to avenge his parents but first he must train to be the greatest and most dangerous warrior. We watch as he evolves and uses his genius skills to pass test after test with stupefying, airborne stunts guaranteed to be the best martial arts captured on film this year. Prepare to be amazed.

Although the plot may disappoint some, the plotlines is not the main focus in the case of the Ong Bak series – it’s what Tony Jaa does with his body and his jaw-dropping stunts, so that even though the plot may not satisfy, his action sequences will fully saturate anyone’s thirst for real cinema action.

Trust me, Ong-Bak 1 and 2 will leave you breathless, winded and muttering “How the HELL did he do that?” in each and every scene.

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: 8/10

UK Release Date: 16 October 2009

Directors: Tony Jaa, Panna Rittikrai

Writer: Panna Rittikrai

Links: IMDB Ong-Bak 1, IMDB Ong-Bak 2