The narrative takes the traditional kung fu revenge motif, and substitutes the choreographed fighting sequences for duels of wizardry and sorcery, it is also a bit more complex than what I had been led to believe. The film opens with two sequences that focus on the eventual spiritual connection between the two main characters. The first sequence showcases a Thai boxing match between the barrel chested Bolo Yueng and his poor victim, err, I mean opponent. Yueng's victim gets pummeled in the ring, and is painfully paralyzed; he then asks his Thai-boxing brother, Kao, to revenge him. Kao begins having strange visions, and is soon drawn to a Buddhist temple in Thailand.

The sequence that runs parallel to this focuses on a Buddhist monk on the cusp of reaching enlightenment. While in a state of deep meditation, the monk is attacked by a black-magic wizard, and is brought to the brink death. In order to save himself, he puts his body in a kind of cocoon, and sits and waits for someone who can help him. We soon find that Kao and the monk have shared past lives, and their present lives are entangled, and in danger - they have been cursed! For both to live, and for Kao to revenge his brother and for the monk to reach enlightenment, they must join forces and kill a trio of evil black-magic wizards.

Boxer's Omen is constructed around four or five key sequences - legendary sequences that almost defy description. Within these incredibly messed up “action” sequences are a number of moments that are so totally bizarre, it is hard to believe that what you are seeing actually exists. Here is just a short list of the sights that'll assault your retinas: a hot naked zombie chick is born from the real corpse of an alligator; three black-magic wizards take turns eating chicken anus, throwing it up, and then eating it again; a man is choked by veins from the neck-stub of a flying decapitated head; a re-animated bat-skeleton embarks on an incredible journey; a man is attacked by an army of animated alligator skulls, and a strange sick little E.T.-like being is born from a steaming pile of, what looks like, green poop.

If, and this is a big if, if only the rest of the film was nearly as entertaining as these key sequences. I was tempted a few times to pick up the controller and hit the fast-forward button, because frankly, some of the film is pretty slow. However, I fought against any such temptation and stuck it out, and I now I actually find myself thinking fondly about the entire experience. Sure, some parts of the film don't quite work, but only when viewed as parts, and only when I was merely anticipating the next gross-out moment of outrageous horror or unintentional comedy.

Upon more careful consideration, I think the main problem I had with the film was due to my own expectations. I had heard so much about Boxer's Omen, and how utterly insane it was, that I was expecting a two-hour gore-fest of ass kicking proportions, and although there is quite a bit of ass kicking gore, and many WTF-inducing moments, the film actually has something else going for it. I have often seen this film compared to Jodorowsky's El Topo, and, while I was watching it, I didn't really understand why, but now that it is all over, I can clearly see it. Like El Topo, Boxer's Omen is a film that might never live up to its own legendary status, but this should not be held against it. As it stands, Boxer's Omen offers something so original, and so vastly different from anything else I have ever seen, that I simply must appreciate it and respect it even if I didn't love every single minute of it.