The Protector 2 hits Blu-ray on July 29th from Magnolia Home Entertainment
Warning: The Protector 2 will cause severe cinematic whiplash as it careens wildly back and forth from rousing martial arts stunt mayhem to astoundingly misguided green screen and visual effects work that almost serve to totally ruin the very appeal of star Tony Jaa’s schtick. When Jaa burst onto the international action scene with the one-two atomic knee drops of Ong Bak and The Protector, the excitement was palpable. Like the glory days of Jackie Chan, Jaa did all of his own stunts and fight sequences, and director Prachya Pinkaew shot them confidently, often indulging in multiple angles of the same stunt or particularly harsh blow. (And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the godfather of Thai action cinema, director and stunt coordinator Panna Rittikrai, who passed away recently at a fairly young age. While not credited with any involvement in this film, he worked on Jaa’s earlier entries and without him there would be no Tony Jaa). But it has been a long time since those initial films, and after a few awful sequels to Ong Bak and endless rumors of Jaa’s troubled personal life involving a retreat to a monastery (among others), one could only hold out hope that The Protector 2 would be the return to form for Jaa, Pinkaew, and the whole stunt team behind them.
And from a couple of perspectives, The Protector 2 could be seen as a bit of a calling card for the new school of Thai cinema. Reaching for a more international audience, the filmmakers cast noted martial arts fan, tested hip hop legend, and well-documented terrible actor RZA (who I still somehow love to watch) as LC, an arms dealer who’s also amassing a small army of world renowned fighters and tattooing them impractically with their ranking as a fighter. (What if the beautiful Yayaying Rhatha Phongam (Only God Forgives) were to increase in rank from her №20 spot to, say, №19… wouldn’t she need a new chest tattoo?). His greatest henchman, known only as №2, is played by another Western actor (Marrese Crump) who makes a strong impression as the most deadly villain of the film. So, from a casting perspective, The Protector 2 ups the international appeal from the first film significantly.
There are also some genuinely impressive or at the very least highly entertaining set pieces to be found here. I was particularly enthused by a sequence where Jaa is infiltrating an office building where all the guards have guns. Through close quarters combat, complete with guns firing off, Jaa disarms them with thrilling choreography. There’s also a nutso sequence with Jaa facing off against №2 in which they get wet, stand on train rails, and repeatedly shock each other with their kicks and punches. I’m no scientist, but I think maybe this isn’t how electricity works. It is weird, hilarious, and totally uses trademarked light saber sound effects throughout. I found it to be glorious, and can’t imagine Lucasfilm not suing. There’s also an absolutely enormous “scooter chase” set piece that goes on for probably 20 straight minutes of the film. It is massive in scope, features some incredible ideas, shots, and thrills, and simultaneously fails repeatedly with terrible GC effects. Which I’ll dig into next.
The filmmakers attempted to go much bigger this time around, shooting the film in 3D (apparently a first for Thai cinema) and along with that taking the action set pieces and stunt work to a larger scale. And herein lies the great problem with The Protector 2. In an attempt to go big, the team diverts from all of the charm of the old school stunt work that generated all the excitement in the first place. No western star (barring my man Scott Adkins) either can or will do the physical work on screen that Tony Jaa is capable of. Therefore, his appeal was widespread and filled a void for us action junkies. Watching Tony Jaa was movie magic that made you believe a man could do just about anything. Watching The Protector 2 will make you believe that Jaa can still deliver a cheer-inducing knee to the top of a man’s head, and then immediately assault you with obvious green screen work and poorly rendered digital cars, motorcycles, and knives which totally kill the illusion of movie magic for us westerners who are trained to detect the slightest flaws in computer generated images.
Look, I’m sure it was thrilling for the Thai filmmaking team to enter into the international market with a 3D, CG-laden, high profile, A-picture. But up against the deep pockets of western movie studios, the technology is severely lacking, especially since the vast majority of Americans will only ever see this film in 2D on Blu-ray anyway. But you know… the bad effects as compared to our tentpole films really isn’t the problem. The problem is that every fake flying motorcycle undercuts the old school charm of Tony Jaa’s brand. One moment it is clear to me that a real Tony Jaa is really doing some kind of amazing long shot, or some acrobatic flying kick to the face. And it is glorious. But the next shot featuring, say, a flaming car flying through the air towards our hero, is so clearly fake that it not only ruins that shot, but also calls into question the previous kick I’d been so fond of. One chase scene in particular perfectly embodied this whiplash experience. There’s a sequence where Jaa is on the roof of a car, and the drivers are just WHIPPING the car back and forth to knock him off. Each wide shot is clearly practical, with a human being on top of a real car that is twisting and turning all over the place. That is real danger; tactile excitement of the oldest of old school variety. THEN, cut to close ups featuring Jaa’s face, and a blatant green screen behind the car. Each wide shot reminds us that drivers and someone on top of the car are doing amazing stunt work, and each close up reminds us that the team’s technical grasp of green screen integration is still lacking.
In the end, The Protector 2 is pretty disappointing, but I do think (nay, choose to believe) that Tony Jaa may be on the upswing. He’s about to appear in the Fast and Furious franchise, as well as in a Hong Kong action sequel in a high profile franchise. He still displays some chest-thumpingly cool sequences here in this film, and if he’s got his personal life a little more sorted out, maybe we can see a new era of tech-free flying elbows from this still-exciting talent. I would simply encourage Jaa and Pinkaew to trust in the tried and true old school techniques that they are doing better than anyone in the world right now, and eschew the need to push technology, because… everyone in the world is doing that better than they are.
THE PACKAGE
I’ve made it clear that the film looks quite bad. I didn’t know for sure, but figured out while watching it in 2D that it must have been shot for 3D. Stuff flies out at the screen with stupid frequency, and there’re just so many blurred edges, poorly rendered backgrounds, and wholly false vehicles to ever consider this a pretty film to look at. But when the practical visuals kick in, there’s blood in this movie’s veins. Regardless, you won’t be buying this disc for the tech specs, but rather to see Jaa wreak havock, and at least 50% of the time, you’ll get that.
BONUS FEATURES
Behind the Scenes Featurettes: Cast & Characters, Speaking With The Director, Action & Stunts, and Working In 3D
There’s also an AXS TV featurette that is pretty much just an EPK recycling most footage from the above featurettes.
Even among this small array of bonus features, there is a good amount of repeated interview footage and overlap. It looks like most of these features were created for the Thai market and simply imported onto this Blu-ray for Magnet to release here in America. Which is fine by me. I’m always down with having a few small, quickly digestible bonus features over none at all.
Some fans of Tony Jaa will feel extremely disappointed in The Protector 2, and they would have a right to be. There are numerous occasions of bad technique, eye-rolling effects work, and a pervading sense that perhaps old school roots have been forgotten. But there are as many glimpses of the unique entertainer that Jaa can be at his best moments. I have to recommend at least a rental for the curious fan, especially if one’s expectations are in check.
And I’m Out.
PS: Don’t miss James Carey’s review of the film as well.
