(Now, a little background: Tony Jaa is a Muay Thai master and probably the best martial arts star since Bruce Lee. Yes, the movies are just as cheesy, but the bloke, like Lee, is a star and something very special. His stunts are all "live", no wires, no CGI, just astonishing physicality.)
Movie reviewers have said things like:
Suddenly The Matrix looks about as relevant as VHS tapes.
and:
Christ, the fight scenes are good. So good, Pinkaew could have replaced the rest of the film with linking, silent movie-style title cards (‘KHAM ENTERS RESTAURANT, STILL ELEPHANTLESS’, ‘KHAM WANDERS INTO BURNING TEMPLE FOR SOME REASON – NOT IMPORTANT’), chopped the running-time to 30 mins, and we’d still recommend you go see it.
So, having watched Ong-Bak and Warrior King, seeing "Battle Warrior" in the video shop was like a red rag to a bull.
Now, I saw this as someone who has sat through any number of bad, poorly dubbed martial arts extravaganzas and enjoyed them:
Do not, under any circumstances, watch this movie.
It is awful. It's beyond awful. It's not so bad that it's good. It's so bad that it's not good. It's not going to be a cult classic. It's just shit. Toe-curlingly hideous, overblown and stupid. And it's also a lie: it's not a Tony Jaa movie, he has about 2 minutes of screen time.
Do not watch this ... paint a wall and watch it dry instead. It is a better use of your time.
