Even television's irrepressible J.J. Walker would agree that Dynamite Warrior is definitely not dyn-o-mite! This is a shame, because I love when he said that on Good Times and because Dynamite Warrior has a lot going for it despite quite a few noticeable shortcomings.

Dynamite Warrior is the second martial arts film in the last month (the first being the forgettable Yo-Yo Cop Girl) from Magnolia. Set in 1890's Siam, Dynamite Warrior tells the tale of Jone Bang Fai, a young Muay Thai warrior who, much like a Thai Robin Hood, steals water buffalo taken from poor Isan farmers by cattle rustlers. He also does this because he is on the hunt for a tattooed bandit who killed his parents.

At the other end of the tale is local nobleman Lord Waeng, who is trying to sell tractors to the local farmers, but is meeting resistance because they use cattle for farming. Enter the Thief, probably the most barbaric and ridiculous character in the film, whose hunger is insatiable to the point of being idiotic (in one scene he stops fighting because he is hungry and starts eating a man). Lord Waeng's hired thugs lead by the Thief, come head to head with Nai Hoi Sing, a cattle trader with supernatural martial arts powers and a tattoo on his chest. The tattoo naturally gets Jone Bang Fai's attention, and while the Thief is trying to steal Sing's cattle herd, Jone Bang Fai tries to attack Sing, but is repelled by his powerful magic.

The plot twists and turns in the wind like a hangman's noose, and after awhile the only thing you'll probably pay attention to is the nifty fight choreography an occasional special eye catching effect.

And therein lies the biggest problem with Dynamite Warrior: its plot is a complete and utter mess that doesn't make sense. This awful story is further "enhanced" by characters that are completely ridiculous. A good example of this is The Thief, who is constantly babbling about being hungry. By the end of the film you wonder why this poor fellow just doesn't eat some raw garlic because he obviously has some sort of parasite in his lower intestine. And while the special effects in the film, like the rocket riding film, are great, a lot of them are just plain silly and foolish in the context of the plot.

Additionally, the localization of the film is kind of a wash - and this is most evident when you turn on subtitles and listen to the English dialog that doesn't match. While this can be solved simply by turning one or the other off, it's pretty obvious that someone should have checked these things before the film shipped.

If Dynamite Warrior has one saving grace, it is the action, which is simply amazing. There are some great fight scenes in this film which focus on some light wire work and of course the awesome Muay Thai fighting discipline. Muay Thai focuses on using knees, elbows and feet to get the job done, and the style is so different from any other discipline that it is as graceful as it is violent. One thing is for sure, Muay Thai needs to be used more in martial arts films. The fight choreography in this film is prefect, and while some of the scenes involving flying rockets were pretty silly, the film maker did a good job of balancing that stuff with some wonderful and realistic combat scenes.