Like many action fantasies imported from the East, this tall Thai tale about a Robin Hood figure (Chupong) doesn’t consider logic to be a huge priority. Sensationalism and outrageousness trump coherence, which is why we get a hero who rides giant bottle rockets, villains who can only be defeated by menstrual blood (nice touch) and a cannibalistic goon who inexplicably wears a porkpie hat. Originality doesn’t rate high either, since director Chalerm Wongpim is content to cobble together several creaky warhorse narratives—avenging parental murders, supernatural student rivalries, an industrialist who’ll stop at nothing to gain power—that are merely excuses to get from Set Piece A to Set Piece B.
But what Dynamite Warrior does possess in abundance is the kind of awe-inspiring displays of ass-kicking that, if viewed by prepubescent males en masse, would either cause record enrollment numbers at the local Thai boxing studios or a staggering number of copycat-injury lawsuits. There should be a Jackass-style disclaimer at the beginning: Don’t try to duplicate these supercool flying scissors kicks and wire-fu bone breakers on your friends, kids. When Chupong unleashes his acrobatic knees-of-fury routine, the film is a blast; the lengthy dead spots in between, however, are nothing but fizzle.