Movie Review: Skin Trade (2015, Blu-ray)

Listen to this cast: Ron Perlman, Peter Weller, Dolph Lundgren, Tony Jaa, Michael Jai White and Celina Jade. Dolph plays a copy from New York named Nick Cassidy he is on this human trafficking case. During this case he encounters a Serbian gangster named Viktor played by Perlman. During a police raid, Nick kills Viktor’s son. Viktor now has lost his mind and is on a revenge kick. Revenge leads him to killing Nick’s family. Well he chases Viktor back to Southeast Asia where he encounters a Bangkok cop named Tony played by Jaa.

The story as in all these movies, at first hey clash then later they team up to bring down the human trafficking network. This film has a very good flow to it, the pacing is uneven but the acting makes up for it with some standard fun camp. My main issue with this film is that it is just your basic revenge film that does not try to incorporate any new ideas or change the formula up. The film has some very well-choreographed fight scenes that include White and Jaa and Dolph and Jaa that are amazing to watch.

Movie Review: The Protector 2 (2013; Magnet Releasing/Magnolia Home Entertainment)

...OK, I'll admit it. As much as this ardent fan of the martial arts genre claims to have seen just about everything, from old-school chop socky flicks, to the past two or three decades of the new breed of cinematic martial arts dynamics, as well as the varied and eclectic martial arts superstars, associated with those eras, I...uh, I had yet to formally initiate myself with the reportedly powerhouse presence of the new kid on the block, Thailand's martial arts superstar, Tony Jaa. Granted, for the most part, having always had my ear to the rail, cinematically, I haven't found myself so out of the loop, that I had not heard of the lad, and in fact, considering his impact on the genre...in a relative short time, no less...it has been rather difficult to avoid the varied revelry of his skills and performances, movie-wise. To his credit...early, lesser known roles led to his initial showcase appearance in the first "Ong Bak" film; soon after, having impressed producer/director Quentin Tarantino, Tony impactedly hit the mainstream, with 2005's Tarantino-presented "The Protector". Further reportedly dynamic performances in the continuing "Ong Bak" franchise followed, thus cementing Tony's respectable place in the martial arts genre...

Movie Review: The Ong Bak Trilogy

Review By: Jimmy D.

The Ong Bak films really took Thai films to new levels and help break thru the martial arts market. In an era where stunts are down with wires and thru computers the Ong Bak films really impressed me by how real the action in the films was. Ong Bak opens with a tree-climbing contest to capture a red flag on top of a tree. While getting up the trees, people were kicking and shoving their opponents off the limbs. Just watching these guys falling off those high trees was such a remarkable feat in itself. Tony Jaa and this film took the martial arts world by surprise and shock. Like what Raid Redemption is doing right now, in the early 2000’s Tony Jaa was doing with the insane stunts that were real, the fresh camerawork and dynamic feel of each fight sequence. The two films that followed and are also in this collection, I feel pale in comparison to the original. Watching part 2 made me scratch my head did we really need a sequel? If you already have the blu rays, the only difference this time around is they come in this box, but there are no slim cases or special features that if you are a fan you have not seen before.