Best Muay Thai Documentaries (top 5)
Also known as the “art of eight limbs”, Muay Thai has become one of the most popular fighting styles around the world. In the last two decades, Thai boxing has seen an amazing rise in the west mainly because it is a key part of modern MMA. Above all, it is very useful for self defense.
Many of us know Muay Thai through martial arts action movies and you can find some of the best titles in our list here. But this time, we will focus on Muay Thai documentaries. The films listed below will bring you closer to the history of Thai boxing, its cultural heritage, and Thai people.
Thai films always give you a great insight into the everyday life of Thai people and what the sport of Muay Thai means to them. But like in any movie genre, there are bad movies that are not worth your time. In fact, these bad movies can give you a wrong sense of what Muay Thai truly is.
So we have made a decision to bring you the best five Muay Thai documentaries worth watching. Some of these may even inspire you to join a classes.
Kick Fighters: National Geographic documentary
Hands down this is one of the best Muay Thai documentaries out there. What makes it better than others is that it was filmed during the glory days of K-1.
The film focuses on the best Aussie Thai boxer, John Wayne Parr as he prepares to take part in the 2005 K-1 Max. At the time, K-1 was by far the best martial art promotion in the world.
The movie is well balanced between Parr’s private life and how he spends his time outside the ring. It includes scenes of intense training and brutality of competition. One part of the movie is also dedicated to the famous Thai fighter, Buakaw Por. Pramuk, who also prepares for the same tournament.
In the movie, you can also see famous kickboxing faces like Andy Souwer and Albert Kraus.
Muay Thai: Born for a Fight
Filmed in 1997, Born For a fight is a vintage Muay Thai documentary that gives you a great insight into the culture and long tradition of Muay Thai and Thai people. It shows you how important the sport is to the Thai people and the struggles all young athletes have to face to succeed.
In spite of being almost three decades old, this film is a must watch for every fan of kickboxing. It was filmed in the early 90s during the glory era of Thai boxing. These were the greatest days of the sport and you can feel that atmosphere just by watching it.
“Born For a Fight” just couldn’t be filmed in a better time.
Buffalo Girls
It’s not a secret that the wild world of Muay Thai also includes children fighting in front of huge crowds. What’s more, these children often fight to earn money for food or education. It’s just sad.
The movie “Buffalo Girls” is a great insight into this dark side of the sport, and it will blow your mind. The film is about two eight years old girls, Stam Sor Con Lek and Pet Chor Chanachai who are Muay Thai fighters. Both girls come from poor families and they need to fight to support their parents.
The movie follows their journey and addresses all the issues with children fighting. It is amazing to see these two brave girls and all the kids in front of a big crowd and gamblers who bet on them. This is one of those movies that will make you think about it the entire week after watching.
Buakaw: Boxer, Legend, Legacy
Buakaw is perhaps the first Thai fighter to reach stardom in the western world. I mean, he truly is a global superstar and people love him. This film will give you a closer look into what makes Buakaw so special and how he turned into Thailand’s national hero.
The best thing about the movie is it holds your attention right to the very end. From intense training sessions to the brutal KOs inside the ring, this movie has it all.
What’s more, it also tells the entire life story of Buakaw and some of you may be amazed to see how humble Buakaw is. In spite of being a global star, Buakaw lives a very simple and humble life.
Seeing him helping his family harvest the rice at his house in a rural Thai village will warm your heart. And, it will totally change the way you see Buakaw and other Thai boxers.
Thai Boxing: A Fighting Chance
Narrated by the famous British movie start Jason Statham, “A Fighting Chance” is one of the best Muay Thai documentaries. The movie aired all around the world and even on National Geographic.
The story revolves around three fighters as they prepare to take part in a Muay Thai tournament. All three fighters are coming from different upbringings and cultures. The producers have done a great job of telling their stories and motivations to fight.
The first fighter is a British boxer who quickly fell in love with Thai boxing. The second is the 13-year old boy who trains at his mother’s Muay Thai camp with many other teenagers. The story of this boy is very inspiring as he fights to raise money so that he can go to University.
The third fighter is a 29-years old mother of two, who waited for many years for Muay Thai to become legal for women.
As we can see, the movie follows three totally different stories and that’s what makes it so good.
Honorable mentions:
As said earlier, Parr is the most popular non-Thai Muay Thai fighter. And, there are many long and short documentaries telling his life story and passion for the sport. In our opinion, “Blessed With Venom” might be the best one.
The film shows the popular Aussie striving to succeed in a sport from a different culture. It really gives you an insight into what it takes to beat Thai fighters in their own game.
Fight or Flight
Produced by Peter J McCarthy, “Fight or Flight” is an award-winning Muay Thai documentary you simply must watch. The film took over five years to make and it was filmed all around Thailand.
Lumpini
Lumpini is, perhaps, the most underrated Muay Thai documentary. It focuses on the underground gambling at the most famous Muay Thai stadium. Gambling and corruption are integral parts of Muay Thai and the film shows you how this impacts the sport. The movie also follows Saenchai who is the best Thai boxer of our era.
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