10 Modern Action Film Stars Who Failed To Meet Their Potential

3. Tony Jaa

Tony Jaa burst onto the scene in 2003 with Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, a brutal martial arts flick that showcased his incredible fighting abilities. Following this up with an equally-impressive physical turn in The Protector, it seemed as though martial arts cinema had a new superstar. However, in the next few years several disappointing projects and a detour into becoming a Buddhist monk saw his career stagnate. With his Hollywood debut coming in next year's Fast and Furious 7, here's hoping that his role in the upcoming blockbuster revitalizes his career and reminds audiences of what all the hype was about. After two fast-paced and kinetic fight flicks, Jaa then made two sequels to Ong-Bak that strangely took the prequel route and offered several great action scenes bogged down by an overly-complicated story, before his monastic duties saw him take a three-year break from acting. When he returned, it was with a sequel to The Protector that ignored the 'no frills, no wires, no CGI' approach of the original in favor of a ludicrous plot and bargain-basement CGI. Following such a blistering start to his cinematic career, interest in Jaa cooled significantly after a quiet few years. With a Hollywood breakthrough on the horizon (he also has a role in the upcoming Kickboxer remake), the 38 year-old could still yet make the full-time transition to Western cinema that many were predicting would happen a decade ago.