By Fred Topel | Image property of The Weinstein Company.
The Protector Poster
Ever notice how Asian movies in their original language have a lot of characters in the title, but their American translations are usually only one word? Tony Jaa’s Tom Yum Goong is called The Protector in America, but he’s okay with that name.
Tony Jaa Talks The Protector Title
“Protection is really suited for the movie,” Jaa said. “Most movies that are released in the states are usually changed, so it’s okay for me. I don’t mind. The original name Tom Yum Goong is really well known for Thais. That’s the name of the movie and foreigners know the movie is Tom Yum Goong also.”
If you’ve ever eaten at a Thai restaurant you may recognize the name of their hot and sour soup. That’s actually what Jaa named the film after. “Tom Yum Goong is a dish in Thailand, a very well known dish for Thailand. It’s very spicy and sour, so the name of the movie was called Tom Yum Goong because it’s a lot of spicy scenes, like hot scenes, very active scenes. It’s like having Tom Yum Goong.”
If The Protector sounds a little generic, that may be because Jackie Chan already made a movie with that name. The connection is only honorable for Jaa. “It’s an old movie from Jackie Chan and I saw the movie. It was shocking that it is the same name. I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, the name’s like a movie by Jackie Chan.’”
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