Panna Rittikrai Movies
As the director and star of the Thai action classic Born to Fight, Panna Rittikrai could be credited as the man who single-handedly kick-started the trend of action cinema in Thailand. Not only did that film serve to inspire future action superstar Tony Jaa of Ong-Bak and Tom Yum Goong fame to take up fighting, but it also paved the groundwork for a collaboration between the pair that would propel both into the international spotlight.Rittikrai got his start in the Thai film industry as a stuntman at Coliseum Films -- his first assignment being to train action starlet Sureewan Suriyong in kung fu for the film Petch Tud Yok. That position eventually led to a job as a stunt choreographer for the film Phayakyeegey, and it wasn't long before Rittikrai was stepping behind the camera to direct his debut feature, Born to Fight -- in which he also assumed a starring role. It was that film that had a life-altering effect on a young boy named Panom Yeerum. Given permission by his father to seek out Rittikrai and pursue his dream of becoming a martial arts film star, Yeerum eagerly followed through and would later be known to the world by the name Tony Jaa.
While Rittikrai and Jaa's first collaboration -- the 1994 action film Spirited Killer -- boasted impressive fighting, it didn't break any new ground stylistically and failed to reach a widespread audience. Fortunately for action fans, the pair wasn't willing to give up so easily, and nearly a decade later they resurfaced with the breathtaking Muay Thai masterpiece Ong-Bak -- for which Rittikrai served as writer and fight choreographer. A brutal breath of fresh air in a genre increasingly dominated by soulless computer-generated animation, Ong-Bak offered fight scenes that felt stunningly real and more than a little bit dangerous. 2004 was a busy year for Rittikrai, with directorial work on The Protector and a remake of his own Born to Fight preceding preparations for the eagerly anticipated Ong-Bak 2 (2008). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Muay Thai martial arts master Tony Jaa returns to deliver a bone-breaking barrage of knees and elbows in this action opus that finds the star not only delivering blows in front of the camera, but calling the shots behind it as well. Despite the title's indication of this film as a sequel to 2003's Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior, this movie has no narrative connection to the events of the earlier work, despite the fact that both films star Jaa. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Jaa, Sorapong Chatree, (more)
- 2008
Magic and fierce rivalries set the stage in this epic-scale fantasy set in 17th Century Thailand. The Black Raven (Winai Kraibutr) is a fearsome pirate who has joined forces with a rogue prince to overthrow the rule of Queen Hijau of Pattani (Jarunee Suksawas). Needing weapons, the Black Raven and his crew set out to steal a cache of powerful cannons from Janis Bree (Andre Macchieisen), a Dutch master of firearms, and Lim Kium (Jakkrit Phanichphatikram), his Chinese right-hand man. The Raven's plan, however, goes awry, and the cannons sink to the bottom of the sea as a child named Pari is born in a village not far away. As the youngster grows to manhood, it becomes evident that Pari (Ananda Everingham) has a gift for magic, and his uncle Anjar (Preecha Katkham) arranges for him to learn the art at the hands of the gifted White Ray (Sorapong Chatree). As Pari hones his powers, he learns that his father died battling the Black Raven on the day he was born, and White Ray tells him it is his duty to bring justice against the pirate once he masters his magic. As Pari makes plans to put the Black Raven in his place, the pirate is making new plans to rescue the cannons he lost years ago, and Queen Hijau, sensing that revolt is afoot once again, approaches Lim Kium and asks if he can recreate Janis Bree's fabled weapons. Puenyai chom salat (aka Queens of Langkasuka) also stars Anna Ris and Jacqueline Apithananon as the Queen's daughters. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jarunee Suksawas, Ananda Everingham, (more)
A kickboxing hero with a difference arises in this action saga from Thailand. Japanese mobster Masashi (Hiroshi Abe) and his Thai partner and girlfriend, Zin (Ammara Siripong), narrowly escape death at the hands of underworld boss Number 8 (Pongpat Wachirabunjong) and his bodyguard Priscilla (Sirimongkol Iamthuam), but the scuffle has unexpected consequences -- Masashi's superiors order him to return to Japan, and Zin finds she's pregnant with his child. Zin raises their daughter, Zen (Yanin Vismitananda), on her own and discovers she's autistic; one of the few things that helps bring Zen out of her inner world is chocolate, and in time the girl develops a remarkable skill in the martial arts. When Zin is diagnosed with cancer, the family cannot afford the chemotherapy that could save her life until her friend Moom (Taphon Phopwandee) comes up with a plan -- plenty of people still owe Zin money from her days as an outlaw, and with Zen as a candy-fueled enforcer, he might be able to get them to pay up and raise the funds for Zin's medical bills. Chokgohlaet (aka Chocolate) was directed by Prachya Pinkaew, who previously made several pictures starring Thai martial arts master Tony Jaa. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yanin Vismitananda, Hiroshi Abe, (more)
After seeing his parents viciously murdered by a mysterious, tattoo-covered killer, a grieving young man named Zieng (Born to Fight's Dan Chupong) vows to avenge their tragic deaths in this action-packed martial arts extravaganza produced by Ong-Bak's Prachya Pinkaew and featuring stunts by Panna Rittikrai. When Zieng learns that the murderous maniac who slew his parents also runs with a nefarious group of cattle rustlers, the righteous martial artist's mission of vengeance takes on the larger task of stopping the group's illegal activities and ensuring that each head of cattle is delivered back to its rightful owner. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Chupong, Panna Rittikrai, (more)
On the eve of presenting a pair of prized elephants to the King of Thailand, a young martial arts expert and his father are shocked to discover that the beloved creatures were stolen by an international mafia syndicate, and now the determined fighter must travel to Australia to get his animals back in this adventure from the team behind the international action hit Ong Bak. To Kham (Tony Jaa) and his father, the elephants that they were about to present to the King of Thailand were not simply pets, but members of the family as well. When Kham learns that the criminals who stole his elephants have taken them back to their home base in Australia, the fearsome fighter vows to brave the strange new land and bring his animals back safely no matter what the cost. Upon arriving in Australia, Kham enlists the aid of Thai Police Sergeant Mark (Petchthai Wongkamlao) and pretty slave Pla (Bongkuch Kongmaili) in taking on down notorious crime boss Madame Rose (Jing Xing) and locating the animals he loves before it's too late. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Jaa, Petchtai Wongkamlao, (more)
- 2004
Thai comedian Petchthai Wongkamlao and fight choreographer Panna Rittikrai, the duo behind the hit action comedy The Bodyguard, re-team for this sequel that finds the stone faced protector forced to look care for a rich client's young son after the boy's father is killed during a brutal skirmish between cater waiters and bodyguards. In the wake of a botched kidnapping attempt, the child retreats to a cramped shanty in the town dump. There, he lives with a group of transsexual paramedics and foul-mouthed prostitutes and befriends a poor your schoolgirl. Upon visiting the young girl's severely under-funded school, the boy vows to use the fortune left to him by his father for a noble cause. But the danger isn't over yet, because as the gangsters who killed his father fast begin to close in on the unsuspecting boy, the Bodyguard must race to find him before the bad guys do. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
From the filmmakers behind Ong Bak and The Protector comes the landmark Thai action film that starts with a bang and never lets up. A remote village deep in Thailand has been overtaken by terrorists and threatened with nuclear annihilation. Just when it seems that all hope has been lost, an elite undercover operative assembles a poweful fighting force in hopes that the team can disarm the terrorists and save their nation before it's too late. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Chupong
From the same team that brought viewers Ong Bak and The Protector comes this action-packed tale of a lone warrior (Tony Jaa) fighting to prevent a gang of ruthless mercenaries from stealing a priceless ancient artifact. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Jaa, Chartchai Rukslip, (more)
When a vengeful force of death emerges from exotic jungles of Thailand to terrorize an adventurous group of travelers, it's up to one fighter with enough skill to conquer an army (Tony Jaa) to take on the murderous maniac and save the innocent explorers in this martial arts extravaganza from the same team that thrilled action lovers with Ong Bak. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Panna Rittikrai, Tony Jaa, (more)
- 1986
The action classic that inspired Ong Bak star Tony Jaa to take up martial arts arrives on stateside shores as director/star Panna Rittikrai unleashes a fury of punishing violence while defeating any adversary who dares step into his formidable path. They thought all of the true masters were dead and gone, but when one long-forgotten master emerges to prove his enemies otherwise the action flows fast and furious. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Panna Rittikrai
