Action has long been recognized as a genre that allows you to fully express yourself in all its high-tech beauty. Action has long been recognized as a genre that allows you to fully express yourself in all its high-tech beauty. Thanks to the brilliant special effects, complex cinematography and explosive sound design, the action movie gives enormous creative control to the directors who decided to use its versatility, from American directors Brad Bird and James Cameron to Hong Kong director John Woo. and Jackie Chan.
Having changed the landscape of the Hong Kong action movie forever, it was the aforementioned Jackie Chan who later inspired many, his affable personality went hand in hand with his bold feats in filmmaking. Together with the influential icon of the 20th century, Bruce Lee, Chan inspired a whole generation of young people to engage in martial arts, which led to the success of future movie stars Jet Li and Tony Jaa.
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“What they [Lee, Chan, and Li] did was so beautiful, so heroic that I wanted to do it too,” Jaa told Time Magazine in an interview in 2004, explaining that it was constant practise that got him to a similar standard as his influential film idols. Beginning training in Muay Thai at his local temple at the age of 10, many years later Jaa would begin his work in the film industry as a stuntman, mastering the trade for 14 in which time he would appear in many of the films of the iconic martial artist Panna Rittikrai.
Such consistent success in the industry led the actor to his first major role in 2003’s Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior where he would find breakout international acclaim for his performance and stunning stunt work. Performing all his own fights and action set-pieces without mechanical assistance on computer-generated special effects, the film became the perfect vehicle to demonstrate Jaa’s extraordinary acrobatic ability.
From high jumps to brutal fights, Tony Jaa has endured many extraordinary and dangerous feats, but most dramatically was when he was set on fire for one particularly crazy real-life stunt. Speaking to Firecracker Magazine in 2006, Jaa said, “I actually got burned” while performing the scene, adding, “I really had to concentrate because as soon as my pants caught fire, the flames spread upward very quickly and burned my eyebrows.” , eyelashes and nose.
Then we had to do a couple more takes to get it right.”
Given the lucrative contracts and sheer superstardom that today’s b Hollywood superstars enjoy, you’d be hard-pressed to find a modern actor who would be willing to subject himself to the same level of physical pain in the pursuit of authentic performance.
Jackie Chan was known for his wild stunts as he took
cinema by storm in the 1990s, leading him to several death- defying moments, such as when he fractured his skull while rolling out of a tree in Armor of God or fractured vertebrae on the set of Armor God.” Police story.
Check out the original behind-the-scenes video of Tony Jaa setting himself on fire on the set of Ong Bak. Muay Thai warrior, below.