The Protector (R, 2006)

In the non-stop action saga, THE PROTECTOR, Kham (Tony Jaa) is raised by his father (Sotorn Rungruaeng) to respect the ancient traditions where warriors protect elephants. In Thailand, these magnificent creatures carry kings and represent their grand, god-given power. When Kham's father is murdered and his elephants stolen by Australian gangsters, Kham travels from rural Thailand to Sydney to retrieve the animals, a father and son named Por Yai and Kohrn.

Highly trained in the exceptionally brutal Muay Thai style of fighting, Kham is more than ready to take on the villains once he finds them. The film -- apparently trimmed by some 20 minutes from its 2005 Thai version -- is comprised mainly of fight scenes, with very little in the way of coherent plot or characterization. Still, the good and bad guys are well established: Kham is relentless in his pursuit of his elephants. He's helped occasionally (say, when the moment calls for a man with a gun) by a sympathetic Thai-born cop, Mark (Petchtai Wongkamlao), as he fights the wiry gangster-fighter Johnny (Johnny Tri Nguyen). The chief villain is Madame Rose (Xing Jing), who runs a collection of illicit businesses, including the purchase/consumption of exotic animals, prostitution, and drugs.

The action is absurd and thrilling. And Jaa does his own stunts, as his hero Jackie Chan used to. In an early scene at the Sydney airport, Kham/Jaa bumps into fellow traveler Chan (actually, an impersonator), and they face off for an instant, then go their separate ways, effectively passing on the tradition of elaborate, exquisitely choreographed fighting on screen.