Tony Jaa. Get used to the name if you don't know it yet because this guy is about to be huge. The star of last year's smash hit Ong-Bak, is back in the unapologetically brutal Warrior King, and if anything it takes the ultra-realistic approach to an even greater level.

Kham (Jaa) is a young man from a small village. He lives a simple but happy life with his father and their two elephants, but this idyll is shattered when the elephants are stolen by a mysterious cartel. The ensuing chase leads Kham to Australia, and the eventual help of a reluctant police officer who patrols the ethnic 'slums'. Finally Kham learns the horrifying truth which has something to do with a viscous transsexual, underground mafia types and illegal animal trading… say no more.

The story then is hardly the stuff of legend, but don't let that put you off. You don't go to Martial Arts extravaganzas expecting to be challenged mentally, instead you go for the spectacle and in those terms Warrior King is probably the best film of the year so far by a long way. Taking cues from the first golden age of internationally popular films from this genre (i.e. anything with Bruce Lee in it); Jaa steers clear of one liners or comedic stunts. He lets the supporting cast do these and to be fair Phetthai Wongkhamlao who plays the overzealous sergeant Mark ably delivers his lines in both English and (one assumes) Thai.

So what of the action and fight sequences? Well bearing in mind the high standard established by Ong-Bak, this film manages to invigorate even the most jaded viewer. There are sequences in here that have never been seen before (and that's coming from someone well versed in this sort of cinema). The 'spiral staircase' sequence which is done in one take and involves Jaa fighting off hordes of oncoming combatants is probably the best scene ever! Imagine that long tracking shot from Goodfellas, but with added kicks, punches and limb breakages and you still haven't got close to the genius of this film. Everything is thrown in including the kitchen sink (!) with Jaa displaying the sort of energy levels that make Jackie Chan in his pomp look like an asthmatic pensioner carrying some heavy shopping.

There are other standout sequences including a battle which lasts for several minutes where our elephant-chasing hero sets about systematically disabling various bad guys by targeting their limbs in unflinching clarity. He not only breaks them but he does it with the steely glare of Bruce Lee coursing through his veins. As well as Jaa on top form, we also get a confident and unabashed director who knows exactly the strengths of his leading man, and of his locations. There is a warehouse face off where all sorts of no good 'punks' try to beat our intrepid hero, not only do they fail, but every possible avenue of brutality is explored in glorious slow motion. The pace never lets up, and this is also due to the fantastic choreography which incorporates elements of Muay Thai (Jaa's preferred Martial Arts discipline). Assisting the leading man in Stunt Choreography is the legendary Thai action star Panna Rithikrai which means that there is an overwhelming sense of patriotism throughout the film.