An intriguing documentary looking at the world of Muay Thai and the combatants who spend their lives training to try and become the best, this is Lumpini.
Although it is the national sport in Thailand and has followers and fighters from all over the world, Muay Thai has never reached the heights of boxing or, more recently, mixed martial arts. To most, the mere mention of Muay Thai or Thaiboxing brings back memories of the movie Kickboxer starring Jean Claude Van Damme, in which he plays a guy trying to gain revenge for his brother by taking on the Thailand national champion Tong Po.
Of course, there is a lot more to Muay Thai than one movie made in 1989. Known as one of (if not the most) deadliest striking martial artists due to its combatants using fists, elbows, kicks, knees, and striking within the clinch, Muay Thai is still used by many mixed martial artists for their striking training and it also has a huge base in Holland too, with many fighters utilizing the style in many competitions.
Directed by Tate Zandstra and Phil Brown, Lumpini takes us on a journey to the birthplace of Muay Thai – Thailand, and also lets us, the viewers, see the infamous and titular arena; a place renowned for its exciting fights, the gambling, and some underhand dealings.
Wisely, the two directors also allow us to meet experienced and up-and-coming Thai fighters. One of the fighters, Kwankhao, is from a remote province that is known for its farming yet somehow provides many of the very best fighters in the country. With clips of his daily life, previous fights, training, and preparation for his big fight to become the Lumpini champion in his weight division, Kwankhao becomes someone we can root for.
With there being much poverty in Thailand, we get to understand why many a young man turns to fighting to earn money. It was both shocking and interesting to find out that children as young as seven were fighting in arenas and getting paid for it too. Although I don’t agree with that choice, believing that children should be children, and not prizefighting at that age. Still, it’s no wonder that Thailand provides some of the greatest strikers on the planet.
As a film, Lumpini is well-made. The filming all looked really professional and splicing clips with reels from older fights really kept me interested.
I really enjoyed Lumpini and I found it fascinating throughout, though it won’t be everyone’s interest. Those who are against combative and violent sports may want to shy away from a watch, but for those who are interested in Muay Thai or are just looking for an interesting documentary, then Lumpini is certainly a film we can recommend. It pulled me in so much, I could virtually smell the strongly scented Thai oils.
Leave a Reply