"Why would you make a documentary?" kingpin lobbyist Jack Abramoff, a.k.a. the Man Who Bought Washington, asked filmmaker Alex Gibney. "No one watches documentaries. You should make an action movie," he advised, which, in the best possible sense, is what Gibney has done.

It was especially anticipated because, according to reports in the Hollywood trade papers, Jaa, feeling the pressure of adding directing and action choreography to his credits, disappeared for a time during shooting, only to reemerge after a bout of self-described meditation to say he was A-OK and ready for renewed combat.