Let's be real. When The Protector 2 (or Tom Yum Goong 2 if you're a purist) finally hit theaters in 2013, the martial arts community held its collective breath. We all remember the original 2005 film. That movie was a lightning bolt. It had the legendary bone-breaking restaurant fight and that incredible four-minute tracking shot that redefined what Tony Jaa could do. It was raw. It was gritty. It was Thai cinema at its most visceral.
Then the sequel arrived.
It wasn't exactly what people expected. Honestly, it was a bit of a chaotic mess, but a fascinating one. Directed by Prachya Pinkaew—the same visionary behind Ong-Bak—this follow-up swapped the grounded, painful realism of the first film for something that felt like a live-action cartoon. It’s a polarizing piece of cinema. You either love the sheer audacity of the stunts, or you're left wondering why there's so much green screen.
What Actually Happens in The Protector 2?
The plot is... well, it’s a martial arts movie plot. Tony Jaa returns as Kham. If you remember the first one, his whole life revolves around his elephants. They aren't just pets; they’re spiritual symbols. When a prominent elephant camp owner is murdered, Kham is framed for the crime. Suddenly, he's on the run from the law and the deceased's vengeful nieces (played by Jeeja Yanin and Teerada Kittisiriprasert).
But the real threat isn't the police.
It’s LC, a mysterious crime boss played by the rapper RZA. LC has a weird obsession with collecting the world's best fighters and branding them with numbers. He wants Kham to be his "Number 1." What follows is a globe-trotting (well, Bangkok-trotting) series of fights that involve everything from motorcycle chases on rooftops to electrified subway tracks. It’s a lot.
The Shift from Realism to CGI
The biggest gripe fans usually have with The Protector 2 is the heavy reliance on digital effects. The first film was famous because everything felt real. When Jaa jumped through a hoop of fire or took a kick to the ribs, you felt it in your own marrow. In the sequel, there’s a heavy layer of 3D-optimized CGI.
You’ve got Kham fighting on the side of a building while hundreds of bikers chase him. It looks like something out of a video game. For some, this was a massive letdown. For others, it was just Pinkaew experimenting with the technology available at the time. He wanted to push the boundaries of what a "stunt" could be, even if it meant sacrificing that "ouch, that actually hurt" feeling that made the original a classic.
The RZA Factor
Having RZA as the primary antagonist was a choice. A big one. The Wu-Tang Clan leader is a massive fan of martial arts cinema—everyone knows that—but his acting style in this film is "eclectic," to put it mildly. He plays LC with a sort of detached, cool villainy that contrasts sharply with Jaa’s high-intensity physical performance.
It's sorta weird seeing them share the screen. On one hand, you have the greatest physical practitioner of his generation, and on the other, a hip-hop icon who looks like he's having the time of his life playing a comic book villain. It shouldn't work. Sometimes it doesn't. But it’s definitely memorable.
The Action: What Works and What Doesn't
If you're watching The Protector 2, you’re here for the fights. Period.
The choreography was handled by the late, great Panna Rittikrai. This was one of his final projects before he passed away in 2014, and you can see his fingerprints everywhere. The "fire boots" fight is a standout. Yes, it's ridiculous. Yes, Kham literally has his feet on fire while kicking people. But the rhythm of the exchange is pure Rittikrai brilliance.
Then there's the fight against the "Twenty" (Marrese Crump). Crump is an incredible martial artist in his own right, and his speed matches Jaa’s perfectly. Their encounters are the highlights of the film because they rely less on the CGI gimmicks and more on pure, technical skill.
- The Rooftop Chase: Pure spectacle. A bit over-the-top with the bikes, but the scale is impressive.
- The Underground Lab: This is where the 3D effects get really aggressive. Lots of things flying at the camera.
- The Final Showdown: It involves explosives and a lot of slow-motion. It’s a far cry from the minimalist ending of Ong-Bak.
Why the Critics Were Split
The movie currently sits at a pretty low rating on sites like Rotten Tomatoes. Critics basically tore it apart for the weak script and the "ugly" CGI. But if you talk to hardcore action fans, the perspective is different. They see it as a "transitional" film.
It was made during a time when Thai cinema was trying to figure out how to compete with Hollywood blockbusters. They had the best stuntmen in the world, but they thought they needed the "Bells and Whistles" of digital effects to stay relevant. In hindsight, we know that wasn't true—people liked Thai movies specifically because they weren't Hollywood—but you can't blame them for trying.
The Return of Jeeja Yanin
One of the best parts of the movie is seeing Jeeja Yanin on screen with Tony Jaa. After her breakout in Chocolate (2008), everyone wanted to see the "Female Tony Jaa" team up with the man himself.
Honestly? She’s underutilized.
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She plays Ping-Ping, and while she gets some decent scraps, she never quite gets that "wow" moment that defines her best work. It’s a bit of a missed opportunity. Seeing two of the world's most gifted physical performers in the same frame should have been world-shaking. Instead, it was just "cool."
The Impact on Tony Jaa's Career
Shortly after The Protector 2, Jaa made the jump to Hollywood. He appeared in Furious 7, XXX: Return of Xander Cage, and Monster Hunter. In many ways, this movie was his swan song for the "National Hero" phase of his career in Thailand.
He had gone through a lot of personal and professional turmoil during the production of Ong-Bak 2 and 3. By the time he got to this sequel, he seemed more comfortable, but also perhaps ready to move on from the grueling, life-threatening stunts that built his reputation.
Technical Specs and 3D Gimmicks
You have to remember this came out during the post-Avatar 3D craze. Everything was being shot with "depth" in mind. In The Protector 2, this meant a lot of needles, glass shards, and feet being kicked directly into the lens. If you're watching it on a standard 2D screen today, some of those shots look awkward. They linger a second too long on a CGI object that isn't there anymore.
But if you can look past that, the core cinematography is vibrant. Bangkok looks alive. The colors are saturated, and the energy is relentless. It’s an exhausting movie to watch, but never a boring one.
Finding the Movie Today
Finding a high-quality version of the film can be tricky depending on your region. The US release (distributed by Magnolia Pictures under their Magnet Releasing label) is the most common version. It’s trimmed slightly for pacing, but it keeps the core action intact.
If you’re a collector, look for the international Blu-ray releases. They often include behind-the-scenes footage that shows how they actually pulled off some of the non-CGI stunts. Seeing the wires and the safety mats actually makes you appreciate the performers more, not less.
Moving Forward: How to Watch It
If you’re planning a rewatch or seeing it for the first time, change your mindset. Don't go in expecting the gritty, bone-crunching realism of the first Protector.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Watch the original first: If you haven't seen the 2005 film, the sequel won't make any sense emotionally. You need to see the bond between Kham and his elephant (Korn) to understand why he's willing to kill everyone in the city.
- Look for the "Making Of" clips: YouTube has several "B-roll" segments of the motorcycle chase. Seeing the real-life stuntmen actually jumping across those gaps is mind-blowing.
- Follow Marrese Crump: If you liked the "Number 2" villain, check out his training videos. He’s one of the few Westerners who can genuinely keep up with Jaa's pace.
- Compare with The Raid: Watch this back-to-back with The Raid 2 (which came out around the same time). It’s a fascinating look at two different philosophies of Southeast Asian action cinema. One went for hyper-realism, the other went for hyper-stylization.
The Protector 2 isn't a perfect movie. It’s flawed, loud, and occasionally confusing. But it’s also a testament to a specific era of martial arts filmmaking that wasn't afraid to get weird. It marks the end of an era for Tony Jaa and the beginning of his journey as a global star. Even with the CGI, the man’s talent is undeniable. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime athlete, and even a "messy" Tony Jaa movie is better than 90% of the action fluff coming out today.