Ong-Bak

"No computer graphics. No stunt doubles. No wires."

2003 1h 45m TH

👍

7.2

SOLID

🍅

85%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.1

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 1,975🍅85%Rotten Tomatoes●69Metacritic★7.1IMDB · 80,955

ActionCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When the head of a statue sacred to a village is stolen, a young martial artist goes to the big city and finds himself taking on the underworld to retrieve it.

“No computer graphics. No stunt doubles. No wires.”

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Cast

Tony Jaa
Ting
Petchtai Wongkamlao
George / Humlae
Patrarin Punyanutatam
Muay Lek
Suchao Pongwilai
Komtuan
Choomporn Theppitak
Uncle Mao
Cheathavuth Watcharakhun
Peng
Wannakit Siriput
Don
Rungrawee Barijindakul
Ngek

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Prachya Pinkaew
Writers: Suphachai Sittiaumponpan, Panna Rittikrai, Prachya Pinkaew
Languages: English, Thai
Countries: Thailand, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $20M — a 18.3× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Thai.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Thailand, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Ong Bak Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Prachya Pinkaew, shot by Nattawut Kittikhun. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Richard Wells. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Prachya Pinkaew directs. Nattawut Kittikhun behind the camera. Richard Wells scores. Thanat Sunsin cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Thailand, France. Dialogue in English, Thai.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Grossed $20M — a 18.3× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
3Released 23 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Thai.
5International production across 2 countries: Thailand, France.
6Part of the "Ong Bak Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
7Directed by Prachya Pinkaew, shot by Nattawut Kittikhun. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
8Original score by Richard Wells. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
9Editor Thanat Sunsin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
10Tony Jaa and Petchtai Wongkamlao and Patrarin Punyanutatam carry the top of the cast.
11Marketing tagline: "No computer graphics. No stunt doubles. No wires.".
12IMDB entry: tt0368909 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
13Released under 25 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Nattawut Kittikhun
Original score: Richard Wells
Editing: Thanat Sunsin
Production design: Arkadech Keawkotr
Costume design: Worathon Kritsanaklin
Makeup / hair: Panya Phaopeng
Sound: Vincent Tulli
Stunt coordinator: Banlu Srisaeng
Runtime: 105 min · 1h 45m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,100,000
Box office: $20,112,926
Return: 1828% of budget
Original language: TH
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Ong-Bak (2003)
Rotten Tomatoes: 85% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 69/100
IMDB rating: 7.1/10 · 80,955 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

2 wins & 5 nominations total

Part of

Ong Bak Collection

Bruce Lee..Jackie Chan...Jet Li move over - a new champion has arrived and his name is Tony Jaa! Ong-bak (2003) Ong Bak 2: The Beginning (2008) Ong Bak 3: The Final Battle (2010) To fight for the honour of his village, he must unleash the ancient art of Muay Thai