Starring: Tony Jaa, Petchtai Wongkamlao, Xing Jing, Bongkoch Kongmalai
Director: Prachya Pinkaew
Category: IIB (Thai with Chinese and English subtitles)
If Tom Yum Goong were real life, elephant poachers might think twice - if not out of compassion for the adorable pachyderms then for fear of arousing the ire of Tony Jaa. The action star, who came to international prominence with Ong-Bak (2003), single-handedly battles scores of baddies in a search for his beloved elephants, providing an irresistible concoction of martial arts expertise in the service of soulful mammals who display more personality than the star.
Director-writer Prachya Pinkaew has fashioned a farfetched, but pleasantly simplistic, saga of good versus evil that serves as an enjoyable framework for displaying Jaa's prowess, along with enough comedy to keep the mood afloat.
There's also a strong element of Thai culture, particularly the traditional reverence towards elephants, in the tale of Kham (Jaa), a young man raised in a family of mahouts. Kham is close to papa elephant Por Yai and baby elephant Korn, so when they're abducted by corrupt government officials engaged in the illicit animal trade, he follows the trail to Australia.
The bulk of the film is set in Sydney, where Kham clashes with crooked cops, gangsters and shady tycoons. It's pretty elemental stuff, and Kham proves to be a bland hero. He's single-minded in his pursuit and none too subtle about it, continually announcing his presence to enemies with a loud, 'Where's my elephant?' Fortunately, Kham's personality isn't the whole show. He has a comic sidekick in Inspector Mark (Petchtai Wongkamlao), a Thai-born member of the Sydney police force. Most arresting is Madam Rose (Xing Jing), the Putonghua-speaking transsexual head of a nefarious conglomerate. A megalomaniac with a unique sartorial sense, she is the film's most interesting character.