Tony Jaa - The Thai Bruce Lee

With Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li, China has had its fair share of martial arts superstars. Thailand’s Tony Jaa is now joining them as an international superstar with wide acclaim in the West.

Tony Jaa grew up in Isarn and practised his skills on his father’s rice paddies. His father had been a Muay Thai boxer and taught him accordingly. Initially, however, Tony Jaa also tried to copy the Chinese martial artists that he observed in films at local temple fairs, but after teaming up with a veteran Thai stuntman he developed his own unique Muay Thai style action sequences.

Tony Jaa has so far appeared in two major films, Ong-Bak and Tom-Yum-Goong. Hopefully, it is just a matter of time before he stars in a major Hollywood blockbuster and makes his final breakthrough to international stardom. Apparently he has expressed a great interest in appearing in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming Indiana Jones 4 movie. It would be an ideal vehicle for him considering the typical Indiana Jones-format of exotic locales and feisty action sequences.

Language could be a barrier to true Hollywood acclaim but then again it did not hinder either Arnold Schwarzenegger or Bruce Lee in their early careers. Otherwise, Tony Jaa surely has the looks and ability to become Hollywood’s new action star. He shows a physical dynamism that has made movies with mediocre scripts stand out. At the moment it does not seem like Hollywood has anyone to equal him. Old action stars such as Steven Seagal, Jean Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris etc. are surely past it and it just seems a matter of time before Tony Jaa will outshine the lot of them.

If Isarn should succeed in getting an international superstar known and loved by kids and adults the world over it will undoubtedly do a whole lot of good. In the 1980s Isarn authors such as Pira Sudham drew international acclaim and made people aware of the issues affecting this disadvantaged region of Thailand. With Tony Jaa poised for international stardom Isarn could potentially receive even more exposure and interest in its culture and livelihood.

Pira Sudham wrote all his books in English because he felt that the Thai establishment would never recognise his independent Isarn literature. Tony Jaa is not a social campaigner but nonetheless it is likely that he might prefer international stardom to a career based on Thai movies. Chinese actors such as Jackie Chan have been advocating an Asian alternative to Hollywood and seem more “patriotic” in that respect. Tony Jaa’s films have hitherto shown a love for traditional Isarn ways without becoming overtly political, and he may well feel that international fame will improve the reputation of his Thai region both within and outside Thailand.

Here is a clip showing Tony Jaa’s amazing skills: