Chocolate - Muay Thai Madness

I've just been blown away by the awesome Muay Thai skills of petite newcomer Jeeja Yanin in the fantastic martial arts movie Chocolate. Director Prachya Pinkaew (also behind the amazing Ong-bak and Tom yung goong) has created some awesome choreography which Jeeja Yanin pulls off with precision.

Yanin plays Zen, an autistic girl whose mother is battling cancer. Her mother had a past involvement with the criminal underword and when Zen discovers a diary detailing the money her mother is owed, she decides to go collect it in order to pay for her mother's medicine. Understandably, the gangsters aren't too keen on handing money over to a little girl, but Zen has an gift for mimicing the moves of others, and soon finds herself fending off all sorts of bad guys.

Just like Ong-bak, there are memorable scenes and bone-crunching, joint snapping action. It's an action film and a half, and it's great to see a new female martial artist burst onto the scene.