Tony Jaa

In the multi-floor fight in The Protector (2005), Tony Jaa keeps moving and the long take lets us follow the effort. We winced at the impacts because the sequence makes the physical exertion so apparent. What impresses us is how clearly he performs a fight: even at speed, the acrobatics remain easy to follow. The camera has to give him time; cutting away would lose much of what we have come to see.

Ong-Bak (2003), his breakthrough as Ting, put Muay Thai and wire-free acrobatics at the centre. Prachya Pinkaew directed both early films, and deserves credit for giving that physical skill such prominence. Jaa’s mentor and action choreographer Panna Rittikrai was another important collaborator. When Jaa moved into directing with the period prequel Ong Bak 2 (2008), the fighting drew on more martial arts styles. The storytelling was less secure, a weakness shared by Ong Bak 3 (2010), where the physical invention again had to compete with muddled plotting.

The move into international ensembles, including Furious 7 (2015) and xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017), often meant smaller parts and shorter action sequences. In Chen Sicheng’s Detective Chinatown 3 (2021), Jaa plays the supporting role of Jack Jaa in a busy detective comedy. We scored it 49: the outsized airport brawl gets real laughs, but the mystery is muddled and the melodrama awkward. The brawl is a useful reminder that a fight can serve a joke, though the film struggles to make its other elements work together. We would not choose it just for him.

For Jaa, we favour sustained choreography that gives us time to follow each movement. A brief appearance can be enjoyable, but leaves less room for the combination of force, speed and acrobatics that makes his work distinctive. That is why the earlier starring vehicles remain the sensible starting point, despite their uneven storytelling. Start with Ong-Bak, then try The Protector; approach the ensemble films only when something beyond his name in the cast appeals.