"Muay Thai Warrior" is the story of Yamada Nagamasa (Seigi Ozeki) a samurai who is betrayed by the Japanese and left to rot in a pool of his own blood. He's rescued and nursed back to health by the people of Ayothaya. Looked down upon by natives of the small village in Siam, Yamada works hard to master Muay Thai boxing and is chosen to become a royal bodyguard to King Naresuan The Great (Winai Kraibutr). Despite proving himself and claiming he belongs in Ayothaya, Yamada's real test comes when he finally has a chance for redemption against the Japanese warriors who left him for dead.
Right on the cover of "Muay Thai Warrior" is a review quote from MovieBuzzers.com that claims the film is "The Last Samurai meets Ong Bak 2." If this film is anything like any of the "Ong-Bak" films it's "Ong Bak 3" since both films share really awful digital effects. Most practical effects in "Muay Thai Warrior" are when somebody spits out a mouthful of blood, which is really noticeable. There's a big battle sequence at the end that suffers from sword blades being obviously added in post-production and blood splatters that appear to have been added with MS Paint.
The summary on the back cover claims that "Muay Thai Warrior" "provides viewers some of the most stunning and realistic Muay Thai techniques ever filmed for the big screen." Maybe that's true, but everything in this film pales in comparison to anything in the first two "Ong-Bak" films. Most action sequences appear to be in slow motion and if they're not they seem sped up; complete with a blurry and fast forwarded effect. Most of the fights involve someone getting hit and dirt clouds exploding into the air. Why is everyone so dirty?
The film tries to establish this storyline that feels like it was thrown together at the last minute. At the beginning of the movie, Yamada literally says something like, "We were at war. Times were tough. So we fought." If that wasn't enough, the acting is so incredibly stiff and overdramatic. There's this little girl who keeps calling Yamada "white face" and is so smug and annoying that you just want to smack the crap out of her. There are these really abrupt and resilient pauses that take place right in the middle of dialogue. It's like they're trying to pause for dramatic effect or are waiting for a cue that never comes or something.
And what’s the deal with the Smurf-like ratio of men to women in Ayothaya? There is one woman and a little girl and then like 50 or 60 men who do nothing but train. There aren’t any young men, male children, or babies. It’s mostly just a bunch of male characters who all look the same lead by a guy who has a different characteristic to help distinguish him from everyone else (i.e. bald and wears a red toga) and one important female character (the little girl doesn’t really count), which is essentially just like the "Smurfs.”
With its ridiculously weak special effects, atrocious acting, lack of decent action sequences, and just overall laughable antics (half naked men making swords, a bunch of little girls dancing out of sync, wet cock fights, every warrior in Ayothaya looking exactly like the other, and forehead blowing), "Muay Thai Warrior" is nothing but foreseeable tomfoolery that no one is laughing at.
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