Panna's direction does create some good mise-en-scene and some nice tracking shots, but it's nowhere near as scary as some of the other "Plook" films. None of the acting is that great. The story is very repetitive and non-sensical. Most of the story basically consists of people fighting Panna Rittikrai over and over. The ending, trying to fit in with the horror genre, just proves the repetitiveness of the story.

In some ways, the action scenes lack some of Panna’s better qualities. There’s not a lot of stunts or falls, and only a few of the people fight really well on screen. Fortunately, there are some good acrobatics, and lots of good swordplay. The choreography’s slightly above average for Panna’s films, and they have more of a kung fu look to them, but nowhere near the quality of the first "Plook" film. There’s also a good amount of acrobatics. The highlight is the long gratuitous fight between Panna Rittikrai and Tony Jaa.

As far as a movie is concerned, this film is not very good. The action scenes make up for a lot of it. The fact that the background never really changes also didn’t help the dragging sensation that the plot has. This film is a direct remake of "Plook 1", but inferior in many ways.

SPIRITED KILLER was another unknown action movie from Thailand that featured loads of stylized fights along with the amazing skills of a then-unknown young Tony Jaa and the talented Panna Rittikrai who choreographed the stunning fights for ONG-BAK and THE PROTECTOR.

However, Jaa isn't the star of this film and the advertisement on the box cover was material from Tony Jaa's first two films that were patched together to capitalize on his new founded fame in America. He has a small role that finds him showcasing what would later make him famous. Rittikrai plays the title role and reveals himself as a respected martial arts star in Thailand. The film is set in the jungles of Thailand where an unstoppable killer (Rittikrai) goes on a rampage under the control of a voodoo priest. A group of travelers (who are seemingly stuntmen proteges and martial artists including Tony Jaa), search for hidden treasure only to encounter this essence of evil and engage in combat while they try to flee out the jungles. Of course, this was structured to have non-stop martial arts fights (staged by Rittikrai) to give action lovers a reason to watch the movie. As the star, Rittikrai showcases his impressive martial arts skills and weaponry. Jaa's screen time lasted a couple of minutes but it allowed him to engage in combat against Rittikrai with some amazing acrobatics and kicking techniques.

Even though the film packed loads of martial arts action, it suffers with dents and holes that include poor dubbing, a lame story and even a reused musical score taken from the 1994 Jack Nicholson film, WOLF. First, you see a voodoo priest giving villagers brew that supposedly extends their youth and makes them immortal but instead, it kills them instantly. The witnessing survivors beat down the priest and knocks him into a lake. Next, a traveling bunch drives through the jungle and finds a mysterious man standing in the middle of their path without any explanation. The man stares at them and eliminates them one by one with martial arts while chasing the remaining survivors around the jungle with superhuman speed (with the help of MTV-style fast motion camera tricks). The priest is seen again later on to unravel more trouble for the villagers.

The only great thing you'll probably get out of this film are the expertly choreographed fight scenes and the impressive combat specialties of Panna Rittikrai who's engagement in martial arts, swordsmanship, nunchukus and the staff were phenomenal enough that it will appeal to fans of Bruce Lee's movies and classic gems like HERO, KILL BILL Vols. 1 & 2 and BLADE. Tony Jaa's short screen time is worth checking out just to learn what he was already capable of as a young newcomer. The only bad thing about the choreography is the fact that it resembles Hong Kong action to closely instead of the formula used in ONG-BAK and THE PROTECTOR.

The film's cliffhanger ending left the doors open for a sequel and to have viewers come up with their own conclusion in the aftermath. Hopefully, if a sequel is ever made, it will be better scripted, have a bigger budget and better character development. In the meantime, the movie is worth watching if you want to witness the talents of the two skillful Thai experts but don't expect it to be another ONG-BAK or PROTECTOR-style movie

One positive note is the brutal action from the villain (Panna Rittikrai) as he tore up everyone in sight (including Jaa). How can the DVD company sleep at night with their blatant false advertising by putting Tony Jaa on the cover with his 5-min cameo that would be missed during a piss break?

Only recommended for Panna fans and people who collect DVDs with falsely advertised covers....or pretty boxes....