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The Protector
Metascore
52 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 22 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 22
  3. Negative: 4 out of 22
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  1. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    75
    The Protector is about 84 minutes long, and only four of those minutes are devoted to plot.
  2. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: M. E. Russell
    75
    The Protector is the nuttiest movie I've seen all year, and I've seen the last 20 minutes of "The Wicker Man."
  3. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Sean Axmaker
    75
    A furiously choreographed martial-arts spectacle wrapped in a fumbling narrative.
  4. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Nathan Lee
    70
    The Protector supersizes the formula of "Ong Bak."
  5. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Brian Clark
    67
    But while every expertly choreographed Muy Thai bout delivers, the film suffers from haphazard editing. Entire sequences of explanation are missing, as if Pinkaew made a 2 1/2 hour martial-arts film and then cut everything but the fighting scenes.
  6. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Marc Bernardin
    67
    It's silly, at times laughable, sure, but Jaa has a reckless, bone-cracking grace that transcends the film's triviality.
  7. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Nathan Rabin
    67
    Delivers a steady stream of cheap B-movie thrills, plus two positive messages for young people: Be nice to animals, and when in doubt, always aim for the tendons.
  8. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    63
    While the story's silly, the stunts, choreographed by Jaa and popular Thai filmmaker Panna Rittikrai, are spectacular.
  9. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Liam Lacey
    63
    The movie is a series of ever more elaborate fight sequences and increasingly more and larger opponents.
  10. Variety
    Reviewed by: Derek Elley
    60
    Boasting the same refreshing avoidance of CGI and wire work as "Warrior," slickly made production (largely by the same team) is more consciously aimed at the international market, with its Australian setting and multilingual dialogue.
  11. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Chris Kaltenbach
    58
    Even a superstar needs to surround himself with better material than this.
  12. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Richard James Havis
    50
    A relentless focus on action over character and story will leave more mainstream viewers cold.
  13. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: G. Allen Johnson
    50
    A bad film with a great star and some truly amazing action sequences.
  14. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    50
    It's little more than a disjointed succession of kick-ass action scenes.
  15. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Luke Y. Thompson
    50
    Jaa has the skills for the job, and shows them off in numerous fight scenes; it's just a shame that the movie he's in is barely acceptable in any other respect.
  16. Slate
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    50
    In truth, only hard-core martial-arts fans will be able to keep from squirming in their seats with boredom through at least some parts of this 82-minute kablammo-fest.
  17. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Ann Hornaday
    50
    Lives up to Tarantino's imprimatur, both in its cheesy grind house aesthetic and its occasional forays into brilliant, bravura filmmaking.
  18. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Reece Pendleton
    40
    A general lack of charm make this pretty tough to sit through.
  19. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Robert K. Elder
    38
    Anytime Jaa isn't on screen, The Protector sputters.
  20. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Peter Debruge
    38
    The movie is basically a love story between a man and his elephant, and if viewed as such, it's not nearly as ridiculous as the movie it first appears to be.
  21. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Michael Ferraro
    30
    Sadly, the greatness of Jaa's movements are drowned by an ocean of bad editing, terrible dubbing, disorienting action sequences, and repetitive fight sequences that feel as if they were copied straight from a side-scrolling videogame like "Streets of Rage."
  22. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    25
    This ludicrous Quentin Tarantino-chosen low-budget movie features choppy editing and an amateurish script, and it switches strangely back and forth between dubbing and subtitles.
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User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.6 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 21 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. MattW.
    10
    Forget the plot. You don't watch a martial arts movie for the gripping storyline or subtly nuanced character acting. You watch it for the ass kickery. This movie has it in spades. The fights are both amazingly choreographed and enjoyably brutal. Tony Jaa is the master of the flying knee!… Full Review »
  2. Riren
    8
    Tony Jaa returns to the American screen in another wildly entertaining martial arts flick. Like a Kung Fu movie, this Muay Thai movie doesn't ask for much thought as to its plot. It's emotions are worn on its sleeve as it runs towards the next fight scene. And like Ong Bak, the fight scenes are some of the most eyepopping you could ask for.… Full Review »
  3. SeanP.
    9
    Absolutely fantastic! Muay thai martial arts are demonstrated here in such fluency that even the hard-hitting nature of the art could almost pass as wushu. Jaa is fantastic throughout the film, and has obviously learnt from his mediocre acting in Ong Bak. Although the plot is limited, people watch films like this for the martial arts involved, and in that specific area this film excels. An absolute masterpiece!… Full Review »
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