This wasn't as bad as I had been expecting from some reviews of it, but IMO it could have been much better. The biggest issue I have is the uneven direction. The continuity and pacing suck. Scenes are shot out of order, to the point where it seems like the action is about to take over from the (considerable amount of) drama, it once again gets mired down in more melodramatics. This even happens during the final fight(!), which really screws up the continuity of an otherwise good end battle.

The fights are overall pretty good. My favorite involves one of the villains who wields short knives. Also, Zhang Jin has become a good new KF movie villain. He doesn't have loads of personality, and has maybe two facial expressions, but he's perfectly convincing at portraying almost unflappable, sociopathic bad guys. His onscreen fighting skills are also excellent. Which begs the question: Why would the action director require so much floaty wirework in his fights? His flying kicks almost look like those of a character in a wuxia film. Not appropriate in a gritty modern setting. One of the things that sets him apart from old-school villains like Hwang Jang Lee, who never needed wires to aid his complex aerial kicking skills.

Tony Jaa has more dramatic scenes than normal, but he also seems to have only two facial expressions. When he's not fighting, he appears uncomfortable onscreen. Also, his MA and stunt skills simply do not stand out like they used to. It seems as if the first Tom Yum Goong movie and Ong Bak 2 were his last "wow" physical performances.

Wu Jing does well in his role, especially in the fights towards the end. IMO, his fights stand out more than Tony Jaa's in this film.

The end fight, involving a double-team against the villain, is among the better end fights in a Chinese or Thai movie in a while, and as mentioned, would have been better without the many interruptions to other, non-action scenes. It would have been better without the wirework, as mentioned, as well as the classical music in the soundtrack, and the overuse of slow motion. Zhang Jin's character has superhuman levels of power and durability.

The coincidences in the storyline stretch credibility to the limit. But overall, I found it entertaining. The plot had a lot of potential, but IMO the execution was a little off.

3/5