The Protector 2 (2013)

Tony Jaa burst onto the international scene with Ong-Bak (2003, released in North America in 2005). His hard-hitting Muay Thai felt new and fresh on screen, never had Western audiences seen so many brutal knee and elbow blows. Jaa and company also pulled off some crazy death-defying (and occasionally injury-not-defying) stunts, in an era when computer effects were starting to replace instead of enhance traditional stunts and action in Hollywood movies. Soon after, we got his follow-up The Protector, which upped the stakes with a long-take sequence of Jaa fighting his way through multiple floors of enemies. That scene is still considered an all-timer among action fans. Then, radio silence for a few years before we got Ong-Bak 2 and 3.

Like many, I was blown away by Ong-Bak and The Protector. However, I found Ong-Bak 2 and 3 disappointing, and by the time The Protector 2 came out (accompanied by mediocre reviews) it was not a priority for me. Now I have watched it, and with lowered expectations it was pretty fun. There is way more crappy CGI and noticeable green screen in the action this time around. Occasionally it is used to fun effect, but I could have done without most of the CGI shots. And sometimes it seemed like real stunts were lessened by distracting green screen. There are some solid fights, but nothing that stands above what we saw in previous Jaa vehicles. RZA is interesting casting as a villain, and between this and The Man with the Iron Fists its cool to see him putting effort into the screen fighting. Obviously, he isn't going to turn in the greatest fight ever, but it's cool to have the famous non-professional martial artist playing the Big Boss actually participate in the final showdown, instead of immediately turning into a stunt double or being dispatched without a fight.

The one thing that pushed this just above average for me, and the reason I might eventually re-watch this, was Jeeja Yanin. I loved her in her 2008 debut film Chocolate (where her character learns martial arts by watching Tony Jaa movies, among others). Seeing her pop up early on in The Protector 2, I prepared for her to be a bit part or dispatched quickly. I was delighted to discover she sticks around and gets to kick much ass. Yanin has more fighting time than anyone other than Jaa, she gets to fight both his protagonist and the bad guys, and her character's subplot is the closest the movie gets to an actual emotion. She's the wildcard, any time a scene needs an out for a character or things are getting boring she shows up and starts attacking everyone causing chaos. I need to watch Chocolate again, I still remember some parts from that 10+ years later, while I am already forgetting The Protector 2 as I type this.