A couple of pachyderms make for an awful lot of trouble in this post Ong-Bak Tony Jaa vehicle. Growing up in a remote village in Thailand, a young Kham (Nutdanai Kong) learns the ways of man's interaction with nature, that co-operation and respect on either side makes for a productive and happy relationship. This is played out with his beloved elephant, Yor Pai, and Yor Pai's baby, Korn, whom Kham loves like family. When Yor Pai is inspected as a token of devotion the King of Thailand, he and Korn are stolen by a mafia syndicate and shipped to Sydney, Australia. Kham, who has by now grown up into formidable Muay Thai master Tony Jaa, is on the trail of the tusky twosome, but this is no easy mission when he finds deeply-rooted corruption and all-round unsavoury goings on with the network headed by the deadly Madame Rose (Xing Jing).
What begins earnestly enough as a simple revenge story showcase for some fantastic fight scenes unfortunately quickly develops into somewhat of an unnecessarily encumbered mess. Opening scenes bode well for a martial arts set-up, with beautiful cinematography of lush landscapes and a sweetly engaging story of familial harmony between man and elephant. However, once director Prachya Pinkaew cranks up the action in Sydney the plot goes to pot in a cluttered muddle taking in corruption, drugs, prostitution and slavery, when trade in endangered species was not only of integral relevancy but would have been quite enough of a device in its own right.
Of course, plot devices are merely a means of engineering the action and showcasing Jaa's talents in spectacular fight scenes, and indeed spectacular they are. Following a very Bond-like treat of a good old-fashioned high speed chase laced with multiple explosions, Jaa proves in no uncertain terms where his talents lie. Once the fighting begins it comes thick and fast in some expectedly impressive scenes, and none more so than the incredible four-minute single take which boasts jaw-dropping choreography and camera work.
Man mountain Nathan B. Jones makes for some great 'Kham versus the incredible brawn' scenes and Jackie Chan pops up in a 'blink-and-you'd-miss-him' cameo, though this really only serves to highlight another problem, that Jaa has yet to develop 'star' quality. Where he is certainly skilled in Muay Thai, he has no real screen presence and it's a little hard to gel with him beyond the fact that he is the hero of the story. It's a bit premature to afford him status as a young Jackie Chan. Performance wise, it's the elephants and Xing Jing in another Bond-like touch as a transsexual villain who between them steal the show. Warrior King is likewise commendable for its environmental message which, albeit as a bit of a sideline, is still worthily evident. If only it had stuck with this simplicity there would be a film more worthy of beautifully choreographed fight scenes.
Cracking (literally) fights, impressive cinematography and some great elephant action can only go so far in hiding the messy plot and Jaa's lack of presence.
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