Profile: Panna Rittikrai

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Profile: Panna Rittikrai

Date of birth: February 17, 1961 (Khon Kaen Province, Thailand)

Date of death: July 20, 2014 (aged 53)

Occupation: Director, stuntman, actor, producer, choreographer, script writer

Style: Muay Thai

Biography: Undoubtedly Thai action cinema’s most important and influential filmmaker, Panna Rittikrai was the choreographer and director responsible for a string of internationally acclaimed martial arts films which place the native style of Muay Thai kickboxing centre stage. Rittikrai, as well as being an action star in his own right, helped to train and launch the careers of actors including JeeJa Yanin, Dan Chupong and Tony Jaa.

Rittikrai was born in the small village of Khon …

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Ong-Bak: The Beginning (2008)

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Ong-Bak: The Beginning (2008)

After establishing an on-screen persona for himself as Thailand’s impressionable young country boy, Tony Jaa – the Mowgli of martial arts – immerses himself in an indulgent historical epic in which he directs, produces and stars.

Having already won over the hearts of fight fans around the world with two blistering showcases (2003’s Ong-Bak, 2005’s Warrior King), we can perhaps forgive him for taking somewhat extravagant measures with this one.

It’s a follow-up to his debut feature Ong-Bak which predates the original story by some 600 years. The link in narrative terms relates to a gold statue of Buddha – the head of which …

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Warrior King (2005)

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Warrior King (2005)

Tony Jaa cements his standing as the best thing in modern martial arts cinema with this follow up to Ong-Bak which treads a similar narrative path, offering more in the way of Muay Thai madness. Jaa returns as another naïve but enlightened country boy who travels to Australia to retrieve a stolen elephant (honestly) which has been nabbed by Chinese poachers and thrown on the barby. Jaa doesn’t much care for this, so with the resonating cry of, “You killed my elephant!” he unleashes hell’s fury with his trademark knee and elbow strikes. Pinkaew directs with an almost fetishist enthusiasm …

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Ong-Bak (2003)

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Ong-Bak (2003)

The most exciting post-millennial Asian success was, surprisingly, of Thai origin. Not the film as such (it’s a flimsy excuse for carnage), but rather the film’s star, Panom Yeerum, or Tony Jaa to the rest of the world. Perhaps one of the most remarkable finds in the evolution of martial arts cinema, Jaa resembles Jackie Chan in his stunt work but with the steely ferocity of Steven Seagal in his prime. Ong-Bak is all about full-contact Muay Thai kickboxing and Jaa is so remarkable to watch he will literally leave you breathless. A chase through a busy Thai market scene sees …

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Profile: Tony Jaa

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Profile: Tony Jaa

Date of birth: February 5, 1976 (Surin province, Isaan, Thailand)

Real name: Tatchakorn Yeerum

Other names: Panom Yeerum

Style: Muay Thai, Muay Boran, taekwondo

Biography: Inspired by Hong Kong kung fu films, Tony Jaa enrolled at the Maha Sarakham College of Physical Education in Thailand under the auspices of filmmaker and stuntman Panna Rittikrai where he studied martial arts, acrobatics and gymnastics. Jaa secured stunt work in a number of commercials and movies including doubling for Robin Shou and James Remar in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997). His demo reel was spotted by director Prachya Pinkaew who cast Jaa as the lead in Ong-Bak (2003), …

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Driven to Kill (2009)

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Driven to Kill (2009)

Gang warfare and bad accents adorn this routine Seagal thumper. He plays a retired Russian mafia enforcer now crime writer who returns home to visit his estranged daughter and her fiance, the son of Seagal’s crime nemesis. The daughter is attacked leaving Seagal to pick up the pieces, and then stab those pieces into peoples eyes and necks. The police seem perfectly happy to let Seagal go on a murderous rampage, teaming with the fiance to kill the crooks. Forcing a Russian inflection on his increasingly low and monotone growl means you need to have your ear next to the …

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The Karate Kid (2010)

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The Karate Kid (2010)

Adding to Hollywood’s already busy roster of pointless 80s remakes (Nightmare on Elm Street, The A-Team, Knightrider etc.) comes this specially designed vehicle for Jaden Smith, celebrity spawn of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith who also act as the film’s producers. At 11 years old, Jaden’s comic timing conjures up memories of his father during his fledgling Fresh Prince of Bel-Air days, and any burden to impress as a debutante is substantially lifted given the familiarity with the original film. Which is why this version stays so true to the source, even down to quotations and narrative structure with additional …

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Profile: Richard Norton

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Profile: Richard Norton

Date of birth: 6 January, 1950 (Croydon, Australia)

Date of death: 30 March, 2025 (age 75), Melbourne, Australia

Occupation: Actor, producer, action director, stuntman, instructor

Style: Zen Do Kai, Brazilian jiu jitsu, aikido, karate, taekwondo, Muay Thai, Japanese weapons systems

Biography: Before making his acting debut in the Chuck Norris film The Octagon (1980), Richard Norton worked as a bouncer and personal bodyguard to some of the biggest names in rock music, including The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac and David Bowie. During this time, Norton collaborated with fellow security guard Bob Jones to help create the hybrid system Zen Do Kai. Norton has trained with …

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Invincible Armour (1977)

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Invincible Armour (1977)

A stroke of genius from Ng See-yuen. This is a great costume yarn featuring a classy blend of decent kung fu, high production values, lavish scenery, slick direction and a rousing spaghetti western soundtrack. We’re transported back to the Ming Dynasty where John Liu plays a straight-laced hero, hunted for a crime he did not commit. Hwang Jang-lee plays the traitorous warlord dedicated to his own personal glory. He’s the real culprit, of course, but defeating him won’t be easy. He’s a master of the Eagle Claw and has spent the majority of his life learning the Iron Armour technique, …

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Derailed (2002)

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Derailed (2002)

Secret agent Van Damme accompanies a femme fatale thief and part time trapeze artist smuggling chemical weapons onto an unfeasibly large train from Bratislava to Munich. Hoods hijack the train holding the passengers hostage, including Van Damme’s family who ill-advisedly decide to show up. With Van Damme on board, the terrorists are kicked and pummelled into submission during increasingly chaotic set pieces which highlight some very poor green screen effects and incomprehensible editing. It’s a depressing notion to find a film attempting to emulate Under Siege 2 and failing.

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