The Protector

Over the years there have been a slew of martial artists that have tried to become the next king of the action film genre and from this point on the search is over. Tony Jaa is by far the greatest martial artist to come along in years, some of the moves that he uses in this film are truly gravity defying and at times its amazing that the stunt men used in the film didn't end up with some broken bones. There is one quick cameo by Jackie Chan when Jaa's character arrives at the Sydney airport; this adds the little bit of comedy to the tense situations that have been mounting to that point. With the theft of his family's elephants, young Kham goes to Australia to retrieve them and fights through the Asian mob to save his friends. The choreography that is set up for the fight scenes is beyond amazing, at times its breathtaking and the action moves so fast you have to watch it a couple of times to see everything that is happening. The story it self is very strong and multi layered, dealing with a range of issues from the poaching of endangered animals to corruption of the police force. Throughout the film there are times that you begin asking yourself if there is any thing else that they could possibly do to prolong the action, and around every turn the film makers come up with a new way to engage the characters.
This film proves without a shadow of a doubt that Jaa is the best, and at his age he'll be making action films of this type for years to come. If you haven't seen this movie yet your missing one of the best films to come along in years. With the renewed interest in the Asian cinema some of these movies, which would not have normally been seen by a large audience, get the viewing and respect that they deserve. This is definitely one of those movies that needs to be added to any action film library, and will be enjoyed over and over again.