Martial arts’ movie stars -- they can either be larger-than-life figures, respected, and even worshipped, by almost everyone (Bruce Lee), or the butt of countless numbers of cheap jokes (Jean-Claude Van Damme). A fine line separates the revered from the ridiculed, and with his starring role in the wildly exciting “Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior,” Thailand’s Tony Jaa appears to be on the brink of potentially enormous popularity.

After performing a Muay Thai demonstration, featuring an assortment of high flying flips and kicks, for a small group of journalists, Jaa takes a short break and changes into street clothes before sitting down for a series of one-on-one interviews. By the time I arrive in the hotel suite to speak to Jaa, the man, now wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket, seems completely at ease in the environment, even though this marks not only his initial publicity tour for a film, but also the first time he’s traveled to the United States. Speaking through a translator with a calm, cool smile on his face, Jaa’s confidence is palpable.

“It’s been a country I’ve dreamed of coming to, and I never believed I could come here,” answers Jaa when asked about promoting his film in the U.S. The road to “Ong-Bak” began at age ten, when Jaa started training with Thai action movie legend Phanna Rithikrai. Jaa would later work as a stunt double, most notably in “Mortal Kombat,” before teaming on “Ong-Bak” with director Prachya Pinkaew, who shared Tony’s love for Phanna’s seminal Thai martial arts’ film, “Born to Fight.”

“I liked watching films since I was a kid -- I watched action movies and martial arts films,” states Jaa explaining his involvement with martial arts at such a young age. “I would watch Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li movies and then try to practice the moves on my own. I obsessed over it and wanted to act like them.”

In “Ong-Bak,” Jaa stars as Ting, a young man from a small village in disarray after the theft of the head of their Buddha statue. Perpetrated by a former member of the tight-knit community, the crime casts an enormously gloomy shadow on the village, which is unlikely to disappear until the statue head has been returned. The hopes of the small town rest squarely on the shoulders of Ting, who journeys to the mean streets of Bangkok in an effort to track down the stolen Buddha. In Bangkok, Jaa is forced to compete in hand-to-hand combat in an underground fight club, where some of the film’s most jaw-dropping scenes take place.

Even those with little interest in the martial arts' genre will likely be engaged by the sheer physicality of Jaa’s performance. What’s most striking is that the actor refuses to use wires or any tricks to enhance his stunts. “Movies that use wires and camera tricks don’t look as realistic, and I wanted to bring out the Muay Thai to the public,” says Jaa. “This is the first movie to show Muay Thai, and I want to show it realistically.” And that’s part of what makes “Ong-Bak” such an awe-inspiring experience -- the realism of the fight scenes and stunts far surpasses the excitement level that visual or physical effects can provide.

Of course, the physical nature of the movie means that a vast amount of work had to be done before production commenced. In a film that features several bruising (and a whole lot more) fight scenes, and even one sequence where Jaa delivers roundhouse kicks while literally on fire, one has to wonder what sort of preparation was conducted to lessen the risk of injury. “We base the casting on the fact that these people do have a background in martial arts, and they did do extensive training,” explains Jaa, who notes that a great deal of physical contact occurred when rehearsing and filming the fight scenes. He points out that a thrilling chase through a crowded market early in the movie was the most difficult scene to shoot. And as for the most dangerous? “Every scene is dangerous,” he comments, as the aforementioned cool smile returns to his face.

Jaa will next bring his talents to the screen in “Tom Yum Goong,” a movie that he describes as being “a display of Thai culture, Thai elephants, Thai people’s interaction with elephants, and Muay Thai that deals with elephants.” While surreal visions of Jaa doing back flips off the trunk of an elephant swirl around in my head, the actor states that one can only succeed in martial arts if there heart is in it, and that martial arts teaches you to be a good person. Although he presumably has had to give up many of life's simple pleasures in order to maintain the discipline needed to reach such a high level of martial arts’ skill, Jaa harbors no regrets whatsoever. “I have a goal and a dream. I don’t force myself to do it -- I’m happy to do it.”

A big hit in its native country, and having already gained a fan base (lead by Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA) while playing film festivals across the world in 2004, “Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior” will be released in the U.S. on February 11, 2005 by Magnolia Pictures. A guaranteed cult hit if there ever was one, “Ong-Bak” is great, raucous fun and just may be the launching pad for a future international star, so be the first person in your neighborhood to spread the word about Tony Jaa.

Warren Curry