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The Protector | 2006 | R | - 5.8.3
Muy Thai martial arts thriller starring Tony Jaa as a young man who travels to Australia from Thailand in order to retrieve his two beloved elephants, which were stolen by a crime syndicate. Also with Petchthai Wongkamlao, Bongkot Kongmalai, Jing Xing and Johnny Nguyen. Directed by Prachya Pinkaew. [1:24]
SEX/NUDITY 5 - A man in a thong (his bare buttocks are visible) and a woman (her bare breasts are visible briefly) are in bed, presumably having sex, when another man barges into the room.
► A woman in a small swimsuit dances for a man who is bare-chested and sitting in a mud bath; she moves seductively and the scene ends violently (please see the Violence/Gore category for more details).
► A woman sits in a bathtub (her bare shoulders are visible) and talks to a man who holds a robe for her; she steps out of the tub (we see part of her bare buttock) and into the robe and they kiss. A woman wears a low-cut top that reveals cleavage.
► Two elephants go into woods together and a boy asks a man why they did so (it is implied that they are mating). We see a room full of women and are told that they have been sold into prostitution.
VIOLENCE/GORE 8 - A woman dances seductively for a man, he has chest pains, asks for medication and he is then shot in the head and killed (we see the bullet wound). A man driving a taxi drives recklessly when chased by police, he is stopped, the police hold him at gunpoint, and he is shot in the head (we see the bullet wound). A man shoots several men then kicks one in the head. A man is shot and he falls to the ground and dies. Several people are shot and killed in one scene.
► There are many, many scenes where one man fights with many other people: In an extended fight sequence a man forces his way into a building, he fights many people as he climbs his way up many floors, several people are thrown through or over balconies, two men are struck by a large vase that breaks, many people have arms and legs broken, and the man slams glass doors on a couple of people.
► Two men fight: one is much larger than the other, and one kicks the other repeatedly, and one head-butts the other (we see blood on his head). A man is attacked by a woman, he breaks her arm (we hear a crunch), and a man with a cleaver attacks him. A man straps elephant bones to his arms and fights with another man (we see blood on both of their faces).
► A man, in shock from something he has seen, is beaten badly by several men and one stabs him in the side; he fights back and beats each one: one is bitten on the arm, one is stabbed, and necks, arms and legs are broken (we see a floor strewn with writhing or motionless people).
► A man with glass jars on his back is thrown into a wall (the glass breaks and we see blood on the wall behind him), and we hear bones cracking and breaking and see limbs bending unnaturally.
► A man fights three really large men (one picks up a baby elephant, swings it around and throws it). A man fights with a man and a woman, and uses a whip to distract the man; one man is whipped, and one man is tripped. Two men fight with kicks and punches: one is kicked in the face and falls to the ground hard, a sword is thrown and nearly strikes one man, and one man swings drum sticks at the man, repeatedly.
► Several people on rollerblades and vehicles surround a man, they swing fluorescent light tubes at him breaking many over his head and back, and they jump over and around him; he fights back with punches and kicks, and a 4-wheel vehicle crashes through a window (we hear a crash below).
► A man speeds in a boat while being chased by other men in boats, who are shooting at him, and several boats jump into the air and crash through a billboard: one crashes into a pier causing it to collapse, one crashes into a filling station causing it to explode (we see a person thrown through the flames) and one crashes into a helicopter causing them both to explode.
► A man jumps off a rooftop, knocks a woman off a rope that's attached to a helicopter, he falls also, and we see him crash through glass skylights and is cradled by the tusks of an elephant skeleton. A man throws a large stone hard at another man (no contact is made).
► A boy gags and foams at the mouth (he was poisoned) and another begins to gag (he also was poisoned).
► A baby elephant is surrounded by men who are trying to capture it: its mother approaches and acts threateningly, and it is shot (we see blood on its back), it collapses and the baby elephant tries to rouse it. An elephant chases men who are chasing a baby elephant, the adult elephant crashes through a crowded marketplace (people scream and jump out of the way) and it is led into a truck and shot with a tranquilizer. A woman is tied to a chair with two snarling dogs surrounding her. We hear a baby elephant cry in a couple of scenes (sadness, fear).
► A man has a couple of dreams that show computer generated people and elephants in a battle with swords. A man with a gun threatens a man and an elephant.
► Two blindfolded men box in a ring, as an athletic display for a crowd. Boys squirt a baby elephant with water guns, and the elephant sprays the boys back using its trunk.
► A man has a word carved on his chest. We hear about people practicing a brutal martial art as warrior protectors.
► A woman heats small glass jars and presses them onto a man's back (as an alternative medicine healing treatment). A man eats a scorpion and we hear that people eat other exotic animals.
LANGUAGE 3 - 2 sexual references, 4 scatological terms, 2 anatomical terms, 6 mild obscenities.
SUBSTANCE USE - We see people buying and selling drugs. Men and women are shown drinking alcohol. A man smokes.
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Warriors, tools of war, spirits, bravery, responsibility, extortion, disbelief, horror, death of a loved one, police corruption, prostitution, crime syndicates, heroism, code of honor, secrecy.
MESSAGE - Protect wildlife, even if it means using violence.
CAVEATS
Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.
We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.
Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.
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