The Protector

Weinstein Company, The | Release Date: September 8, 2006

8.2	USER SCORE Universal acclaim based on 53 Ratings

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RandomBoySep 6, 2006

Some of the fighting is pretty good, even if extremly repetitive. The main character seems to have a fetish for limb-breaking finishing moves and he uses them on 95% of his enemies. Everything else about the movie is utter crapt though, Some of the fighting is pretty good, even if extremly repetitive. The main character seems to have a fetish for limb-breaking finishing moves and he uses them on 95% of his enemies. Everything else about the movie is utter crapt though, it's like watching porn, but with fighting instead of sex.… Expand

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baole58Jul 1, 2013

Why are people rating this film so highly? I'll never understand. Maybe it's the high-octane action sequences. Yeah, that's probably it. While they are enjoyable to watch, it's not enough to call it a movie.

It's unpleasant to watch atWhy are people rating this film so highly? I'll never understand. Maybe it's the high-octane action sequences. Yeah, that's probably it. While they are enjoyable to watch, it's not enough to call it a movie.

It's unpleasant to watch at times, even the action sequences, and, like a few people in here already said, the stunts are a bit repetitive, especially where Tony Jaa takes out the guys in black suits. A lot of arms and legs twisting, it's like he has a fetish for this sort of thing. It's too overblown to call it a signature move or something like that.

The scene where Tony Jaa fights his way up in the VIP area is quite enjoyable to watch. The roughly 5 minutes action sequences were done in a single shot, the camera work in that scene was excellent. Can't say the same about the editing though, it's really choppy. One minute, there was a boat chase and then a random explosion in the next shot. Tony Jaa jumps on top of a van from the bridge but the movie cuts from him on the bridge straight away to him on top of a van. It was either cut too quickly or they didn't film him actually jumping on top of the van but either way, "what the f***?"

There's more but these are just a few examples of bad editing, it cuts to the next shot too quickly. It's like the film skipped about 2 shots during the action sequences, that's the best way to explain it but you'll have to see for yourself if you want to fully understand what this is about as it's quite noticeable.

The movie strangely moves back and forth between dubbing and subtitles, but why even bother with the subtitles? The story is basically about Tony Jaa who embarks on a journey from his home in Thailand to Sidney to rescue his elephants from poachers and Vietnamese gangsters who runs a Thai restaurant containing, in the storage area, ready to be butchered and consumed exotic animals.

There's also no reason for this film to be overly sentimental at the end as there are no character development to begin with so why should we care how Tony Jaa feels about what happened to his elephant? There's no spoilers in this review but don't expect to be shocked or blown away. It's all laid out for you so even if you don't speak Thai or Mandarin, you'll understand what the movie is about anyway.

It's probably better if you don't read the subtitles, it makes it less embarrassing as the dialogues consist of Tony Jaa screaming "where's my elephant". Other than that, there's very little of it but the embarrassing English dubbing is what you'll have to sit through if you're going to watch this movie.

Recommended for action junkies, martial art fans or anyone who's highly action-oriented. This movie is for you! You can enjoy all the bone crushing, head smashing and over-the-top action sequences without actually using your brain. Those expecting more, such as a less absurd plot and better acting, should look elsewhere as there are kung fu movies out there with a more highly cerebral story line as well as eye-popping action sequences.

Tony Jaa might be as good as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li but after Ong Bak, action movies starring Tony Jaa walks familiar trends so I won't be looking forward to another one. The only good thing about this movie is the action, everything else is pretty much forgettable.… Expand

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GoodLuckCharlieDec 9, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I give it a 5. Why? Because this movie has some factors of a good film, while also having bad parts. I would have given a much lower score, if not for Tony Jaa and the stuntmen's great action and choreography. Other than that, the movie was quite lacking.

Firstly, the movie is based on the story of a man who fights off the bad guys to save his beloved elephant. Now, that's a great start for a movie! Lots of emotional appeal, and the protagonist's motive is clear. It's a pity how the movie turned out, though. Although Tony Jaa really did beat the bad guys up, his relationship with his elephant was not portrayed enough and I really couldn't feel any emotions when he saved his elephant. Like, seriously. Even listening to someone tell the story to me would have gotten me all sad. However, the movie really lacks that aspect, and I feel like it doesn't effectively convey any thoughts or emotions to the audience. It could be because of the frequent foreign language dialogues that I didn't understand, but the movie should've been clearer.

Character development is also seriously lacking. Tony Jaa's character is somewhat introduced well, but the other characters, such as Mark, Madame Rose, and the others aren't really shown very well. Many of them seem extremely simple, with only one motive. They all seem very two-dimensional.

However, I do recommend that you watch this movie at least once. It has great action scenes and it's so satisfying. I must add, though, that the main character is unrealistically invincible. Now, I'm no physician, but I know that getting thrown head-first into a pillar will probably hurt a lot. This movie is very unrealistic, and this is a double-edged sword. For one thing, it shows the rage and sadness that drives the protagonist and instills some emotion into the audience. On the other hand, it's unenjoyable at times because the outcome of the fight is always so obvious.

Lucky for this film, the actors were very skilled and their action scenes were amazing. Better character development and suspense is needed.… Expand

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jonslowJan 11, 2019

Where the hell is my elephant? Where the hell is my elephant? Where the hell is my elephant?

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