Release Date:
09/08/2006
At times known as Tom Yum Goong, Honour Of The Dragon, and Warrior King among other titles, the latest Tony Jaa epic, now known as The Protector has finally landed on US shores as a “Quentin Tarantino” presentation, even though the Kill Bill director had nothing to do with it creatively. Was it worth the wait? If you’re a Jaa fan, it probably was as there are some awesomely choreographed fights and plenty of action but too much of it is buried in an overly sentimental plot about a boy and his dog (or in this case, elephant) that must have lost something in the translation from Thai. Jaa plays a guy for whom his elephant is like a brother. When Dumbo (or whatever his name was) is stolen and shipped to Australia, Jaa must travel there to kick some ass. Using his patented brand of martial arts with no CGI or wire work allowed, the film is a great vehicle for his Jaa dropping stunts that is if you can wade through all the pachyderm dung that passes for a plot.