It's the job of critics to dive head first into a linguistic pool when describing and summarizing the films we see. But when we run into something like Dynamite Warrior,  only a good, old-fashioned "What in the world?" will suffice.

In this gonzo hybrid of Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior, the Fourth of July, and Zorro, Dan Chupong plays Jone Bang Fai, a young warrior in turn-of-the-century Thailand. Ever since his parents were mercilessly slaughtered when he was a child, he's dedicated his life to hunting down the tattooed cattle rustler responsible, waging war against all enemies with both his fighting skills and a seemingly endless supply of fireworks in tow. One day, Fai finally stumbles upon someone he thinks is the culprit, a cattle trader named Sing (Samart Payakarun) who possesses otherworldly powers. Fai finds himself aided in his quest for vengeance by the foppish Lord Waeng (Leo Putt), who, unbeknownst to our hero, is actually using him as a pawn in a grand scheme to steal all the cattle in the land and force the farmers to buy his tractors. Having already defended the poor and defenseless on various occasions, Fai is about to enter the fight of his life, battling a slew of bandits and hunting down his parents' real killer, in the name of both justice and revenge.

I'm usually not one to scan through other reviews of a film before I'm done writing my own reactions, but I had to see what others thought of Dynamite Warrior. What I have to say is similar to most of the other reactions you're likely to read: this flick is as crazy as they come. How else can you describe a movie that's part Muay Thai martial arts flick and part Western, with everything from cannibal cattle rustlers and evil sorcerers thrown in for good measure? Fortunately, Dynamite Warrior boasts some welcome consistency in balancing insane sequences and moments of down time. Unlike the similarly goofy Thai import Tears of the Black Tiger, which went for broke in some parts and made others dreadfully dull to watch, Dynamite Warrior remains fairly interesting throughout. Still, the main story is as predictable as all get-out, and some of the fight scenes look a bit stagey, at least in comparison to the crisp moves of Tony Jaa in Ong-Bak.

Thankfully, on the whole, the wave of crazy crashing throughout Dynamite Warrior is enough to grab your attention and keep it. You've got the following interesting items: the bandit leader who's so hungry, he'll eat his own men if he has to; Sing's ability to call up animal spirits to possess his men; and a woman whose menstrual blood is the only thing that can take down a sorcerer -- which leads to a particularly bizarre section of the film where Jone Bang Fai literally waits for her to have her period. Although a mostly  scattershot and barely effective means of fighting one's foes, there's something inherently cool about seeing dozens of fireworks hurtling through the air, especially when Fai can get away with surfing on a bigger rocket from time to time.

If the filmmakers were hoping to plant the seeds of a new martial arts franchise with Fai as the figurehead, then they've certainly done their job with Dynamite Warrior. 

MY RATING: *** (out of ****)

(Released by Magnolia Home Entertainment; not rated by MPAA.)

Review also posted at: www.passportcinema.com.