Weinstein Watch: Western Distribution Rights for Ong Bak 2

(Insert string of violent obscenities here.) If a film is butchered beyond recognition, but is never released, can a fallen tree in the woods hear the bad dubbing? I wonder why not the UK - are the rights already spoken for there by HKL/Premiere Asia? Oh well, good news for us - not like they can force them to leave subtitles off the British disc...

I'm curious (and have been looking around) as to why Besson's company has not snapped up several countries worth of rights for the film...He was all over Ong Bak. There isn't a lot of info out there...I'm waiting for Screen-Daily's perspective to see if they dig up anything further...

In other news, Tonyjaa.org have indicated that the first english release of Tom Yum Goong (UK) has had the film re-titled THE WARRIOR KING (this is completely beyond me, other than the connection to Muay Thai Warrior, the alternate title of ONG BAK). Oh well, I'm hoping they really give TYG a re-edit (something I can barely believe I'm typing, considering this is a thread about Harvey Scissorhands). TYG was sloppy in the story-telling department to the point of reaaaaaly painful.

I'm also hoping that Panna Rittikrai highers a co-writer, and co-director for the non-action sequences. I know everyone comes to these movies for the bar-setting action sequences, but if all the stories are written and directed like Tom Yum Goong, that is just plain sad. I really want a good story to go with the good action.

It was forgivable in ONG BAK, because the film was just plain revolutionary, but TYG was a big step DOWN in the storytelling dept from ONG BAK.

Sorry to Ramble...

I'm sorry, did I miss something? There's an Ong-Bak 2 coming?

^^^ Tom Yum Goong is called Ong Bak 2 in English for some reason.

I really don't care if it gets story edits as long as the staircase scene and the resturant scene that follows it are left alone.

oh, there is an actual Ong Bak 2 coming. Way to read.

Seems kind of pointless. Maybe the village has a second sacred statue head that has gone missing?

It is an actual Ong Bak 2. The only story details available around the web are that "Jaa plays a young man on a journey that teaches him the skills and inner meaning of martial arts."

Oh and a lot ass kicking and bone crunching along the way probably!

This is similar to what happened with Colombia Tristar and Jackie Chan's "The Medallion." Columbia's producers and editors bought the film before they filmed it. They cut the original 108 minutes down to 88 minutes, dubbed the non-English dialouge (very little of it), and changed the title from Highbinders to The Medallion. Contrary to popular belief, The Medallion was not an American film of Jackie's. They included, however, the deleted scenes on the disc as a special feature. I would hope that no matter what cuts are made, distributors would do the same thing just in case you want to see how the film was originally supposed to be.

I believe that Ong-Bak in some ways benefitted from Luc Besson's changing. I think the sub-plot of Muay's sister wasn't necessary. I think some of the hip-hop soundtrack was good and some of it not (if you listen closely you'll hear a "rock the beat" or "yeah" or "what up!") Here's how I think the music should have been:

The motorcycle scene: Original Thai soundtrack
The first fight club scene: Original Thai soundtrack
The chase scene: Original Thai soundtrack
The second fight club scene: Luc Besson's soundtrack
The Tuk-Tuk chase scene: Original Thai soundtrack
The Gas station scene: Original Thai soundtrack
The Stick vs. saber scene: Luc Besson's soundtrack
The last cave scene: Original Thai soundtrack

But the score in Tom Yum Goong is EXCELLENT!

If any company edits the film, they should at least included deleted scenes!