SPL 2: A Time For Consequences (2015)

Chatchai vs Kit: 3/5


Prison Riot Fight: 3.5/5


Ah-zai vs Cops: 2.25/5


Kit, Wah & Chatchai vs henchmen: 3/5


Kit vs Ah-zai: 3.25/5


Fight in the Dark: 2.75/5


Kit & Chatchai vs henchmen & Ko Chun: 3.75/5



A lot of people compare this movie to The Raid 2. I don't quite see it. The Raid 2 is an excellent sequel to an excellent movie. SPL 2 is a good sequel to a good movie. I guess the tones are similar as well as both movies featuring a cop going undercover and also being in a prison when a prison fight breaks out. But that's about where it ends.

I gotta say, this is the best Tony Jaa movie since Ong Bak 2 (not counting Furious 7). It might even be his best work, overall. As an actor and a screen fighter, he's one of the better parts of the film. Wu Jing is also great. A better actor than Jaa, but towards the end of his screen fighting prime, he carries the film's emotional weight.

There are a bunch of good fights in this movie, but not one truly great fight. There's also some suspect use of wire fu. Considering this is a modern crime film, seeing guys fly through the air can be jarring. Jing and Jaa square off in the first fight and it's solid stuff, if a bit short. The prison fight is also good with a lot of moving parts and long takes. I do slightly prefer The Raid 2's prison fight, though.

The knife vs nightstick fight towards the end, clearly an homage to Wu Jing vs Donnie Yen in one of the best fights of all time from the first SPL, is not in the same league as the original. It's a good fight, it only suffers by comparison. However, when "store the sun" plays in the minutes leading up to that, I got real excited. That's one of the more iconic fight scene themes ever, to me.

Let's talk about Max Zhang, the Big Bad of this flick. He's quite good here. The main problem I have with him, and his part in the finale, is the wire work. A pet peeve of mine is when a character is a lot stronger than the others, seemingly only because he's fighting on wires while they are not. Jaa and Jing are kicking ass the whole movie with straight Muay Thai and Wushu. Zhang's flying around throwing wire kicks. But that's not his fault.

The finale is the best fight in the movie. Jaa taking out the henchmen is some of the better choreography I've seen all year. It's also such a breath of fresh air to see Muay Thai used in a modern, Hong Kong action film. Wu Jing plays such a good hero, night and day from his original SPL character. One thing this movie does well is have the heroes always fighting from underneath. Jing and Jaa are beat to hell by the time they have to take on Zhang.

The best part of the finale is when Jaa squares off with Zhang. Jaa attempts Muay Thai moves he's been using effectively the whole movie and Zhang has a counter for all of them. Such smart choreography. Because of course, Zhang has seen Jaa fight before, so he has that advantage. It devolves after that, though. The 2 on 1 stuff has more wire fu and unfortunately the fight has an implausible conclusion. There's also a weird side part with Jaa's daughter that felt unnecessary.


It's a solid action movie with some really good parts. All in all, Mildy Recommended.

Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003)

Ting vs Thugs: 1.5/5



Chase scene: 3.5/5



Ting vs Big Bear: 2.75/5



Ting vs Toshiro: 3.75/5



Ting vs Mad Dog: 3.5/5



Ting vs Saming: 3/5



Ting/Humlae vs Thugs: 3.5/5



Ting vs Cave Guards: 2.5/5



Ting vs Thugs w/ weapons: 3.75/5



Ting vs Thugs: 4/5



Ting vs Saming/last Thugs: 4.25/5





The genesis of modern Thai action cinema, Ong Bak is a ton of fun. This is basically a 90 minute demo for Tony Jaa, but man does he deliver. One mild complaint with the fighting in the film is that it relies on big moves a lot rather than exchanges. That being said, Jaa's got a ton of great moves. There's every kind of elbow, knee and kick you can think of in this movie.


There's also a really cool sequence where Jaa fights some thugs while his own legs are on fire. It's incredible, and a practical effect unlike some of his later (and shittier) work.

If you're unfamiliar with Jaa or Muay Thai cinema in general, this is the place to start. Recommended.

Slug Street Scrappers 3 (2013)

Peaches vs Hopz: 3.25/5

Peaches vs Bruiser: 1.5/5

Jimmy Broker vs Billy Broker: 4.25/5

Ryuken vs Bones: 3.75/5

Peaches vs Punchy: 3.25/5

Jimmy & Billy vs Mr. Sexy: 4/5

Knuckles vs Slugger Squad: 2.75/5

Knuckles vs Ryuken: 3.5/5



Man, this is great. Tons of fighting, and it's varied. Jimmy vs Billy steals the show. Highly recommended.

Slug Street Scrappers 2 (2012)

Ryuken vs Slugger Squad: 3.25/5

Knuckles vs Billy Broker: 2.75/5

Bruiser vs Venom: 3/5

Bruiser vs Ryuken: 3.75/5

Peaches vs Shizuka: 1.75/5


Good short film. The fighting is varied and the story progresses. Shaun Charney and Micah Brock are both great. And we get to see them fight each other, here. Recommended.

Slug Street Scrappers (2012)

Bruiser vs Punchy: 3.25/5

Bruiser vs Slugger Squad: 3/5

Bruiser vs Peaches: 2.25/5


Decent short film. More of just a taste of the universe being created. Its sequels improve upon it. Recommended.

Tom Yum Goong 2 (2013) aka The Protector 2

House Fight: 1.25/5

No. 20 vs No. 31: 2/5

Kham vs Bikers: 2.25/5

Kham vs Sisters vs Thugs: 2.75/5

Kham vs No. 02: 3.5/5

Kham vs Security: 2/5

Kham/Ping vs Thugs/02: 3.5/5

Kham vs No. 02: 3.5/5

Kham vs Thugs: 2.5/5

Kham vs No. 02 on Train Tracks: 3/5

Kham vs No. 00: 2.25/5

End Fight: 2.5/5

Man, how disappointing. There's a really long action/chase scene towards the beginning that just bored me. Jeeja Yanin's character is underutilized, as she's presented as being a tier below all of the top fighters in the movie. There's also an overuse of wires and special effects (which Jaa became famous for not using) and the choreography isn't strong enough to make up for it. The final fights see Rza taking on Jaa, and although Rza looks better here than he did in his own movie (Jaa makes for a better opponent than Batista), it's still underwhelming. 

The only fights here worth watching are between Marrese (No. 02) and Jaa. Marrese is not bad. Their final duel develops an interesting concept in which Jaa and Marrese electrify their own bodies. It might've been cool if it was in a better movie, and also if it wasn't cheapened by internet lightsaber sound effects. Still, all of their fights are good, none of them are great.

As a movie overall it feels less inspired than the first Tom Yum Goong. Jaa fans and hardcore fans should watch, but skippable for everyone else.