Prachya Pinkaew, Thailand, 2003, 35mm, 105 min. In Thai with English subtitles. 

Sweat-soaked killing-machine; philosopher; spiritualist; daredevil; one-man death-brigade — no, he’s not Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, or Jet Li — he’s Tony Jaa. And, with a body like Thailand’s answer to Michelangelo’s David made flesh, he’s come to kick some serious ass —  and rescue his village’s prized Buddha statue, the title’s ONG BAK — by, you guessed it, kicking ass. Less “fists of fury” than say, elbows and knees — this is Muay Thai we’re talking about — Jaa as Ting, uses the ancient wisdom known as ‘Nine Body Weapons’ as he travels the mean streets of Bangkok competing in illegal street fights, with each winning getting him closer to the ruthless crime boss Khom Tuan. Like a swift kick to the head, ONG BAK is one martial arts film that you’ll not soon recover from. Screening in 35mm!