There are few martial arts stars like Tony Jaa who burst onto the scene with his Muay Thai themed action film Ong Bak that blew audiences away. Outside of a few supporting parts here and there we haven’t seen him lead the charge in years. Finally, he is back front and center where he belongs for the action film Striking Rescue co-starring Michael Mao, Bo Peng, Philip Keung, and Xing Yu from The Thai Chi Master director Siyu Cheng. Will this film bring the level of action fans have some to love from Jaa or will it be failed attempt at a rescue?

 

Striking Rescue follows a Muay Thai fighter who goes on a furious rampage through the city on his quest to hunt down the killers—and make them pay after his wife and daughter are killed by assassins affiliated with a brutal organized crime syndicate.

 

Right out the gate I was a bit confused in the way the story is structured as it feels like you are stepping into a story you should already know. Interestingly it uses newspapers and news broadcasts to get you caught up while letting Jaa explode right on screen to kick some major ass in the opening sequence. From there it moves at a brisk pace as the pieces come together and all the players are put in place allowing Jaa to bring his vengeance like only he can.

 

Once we get into the meat of the story then it focuses on both the mystery of why his family is killed and his ongoing path of destruction, he leaves with those in his way. This is vintage old school Tony Jaa that pulls no punches and brings the high impact intense fight sequences we hope for. He is better than