“The Foggy Mountain | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

Director: Phan Anh
Cast: Peter Pham, Kim Long Thach, Simon Kook, Cong Ninh, Pham Huy Thuc, Truc May
Running Time: 86 min.

By Paul Bramhall

In the world of martial arts cinema Vietnam has been in somewhat of a unique position in the 21st century, in that its most popular star is female, with Veronica Ngo leading the charge with the likes of Furie and its sequel, Furies, which she also directed. For many Ngo came on the radar in the late 2000’s when she starred in The Rebel and Clash alongside Johnny Tri Nguyen, who at the time was considered to be Vietnam’s premier martial arts star, until his 2013 movie Cho Lon fell foul of the Vietnamese censorship board. The production remains unreleased to this day, and Nguyen has rarely worked in Vietnam since, his considerable martial arts pedigree leaving a significant void. It’s a void that in 2020, Peter Pham would attempt to fill with his first feature length starring role in the revenge driven action flick Foggy Mountain.

The comparisons between Pham and Tri Nguyen feel inevitable – both were born in Vietnam and immigrated to the U.S. at an early age, both studied various martial arts styles from when they were young, and both had an ambition to get into the movies. Set in present day, Foggy Mountain sees Pham playing an orphan who’s grown up in the underground fighting circuit, but after getting married is finally ready to start afresh. Since his wife is blind, his plan is to quit once he has enough for her vision restoring surgery, and live a peaceful life in their humble beachside home. Of course, when a talented fighter plans to quit such a lucrative business, the shady characters who inhibit it traditionally don’t take it well, and it doesn’t take long for things to turn tragic. A ruthless gangster played by Kim Long Thach (Furie) pays their home a visit while Pham is indisposed, and he ultimately returns to find her hanging from the ceiling fan, dead.

All of this takes place before the title has even appeared onscreen, which lands at the 17-minute mark after Pham is given the dubious warning that “Hatred is a kind of poison, and revenge is not the antidote.” Understandably an antidote isn’t what Pham is interested in, so after a tipoff that Long Thach and his gang base themselves somewhere in the foggy mountain the title takes its name from, Pham swaps out the underground fighting rings for the lush mountain scenery and heads out to hunt them down. Foggy Mountain is clearly a low budget affair, however the opening pre-title sequence of events do an effective job of setting up the next hour of its punchy 86-minute runtime that’ll see Pham go on his mission of revenge.

As a leading man his stoic demeanour suits the tragic circumstances he finds himself a victim of, making the expected cathartic face off against the bad guys one to look forward to. Unfortunately it soon becomes clear that his expression was one that worked only due to the tragic circumstances, as it fails to change for the entirety of the runtime, almost making Steven Seagal look like Robert De Niro in comparison. To say Pham has a limited range wouldn’t cut it, and the result is a performance that feels both lacking in energy and increasingly devoid of any screen presence. Nobody is going to accuse Tony Jaa of being the greatest actor in the world, but he could get by through the ability to convincingly channel pure rage. Pham on the other hand literally never shifts out of neutral, maintaining a blank expression regardless of if faced with snakes, near drownings, or dressing up like a mummy (don’t ask).

The directorial debut of Phan Anh (who, at the time of writing in 2024, Foggy Mountain remains his sole credit in any capacity) and his co-director Ken Dinh (who at least has some cinematographer credits to his name), the inexperience behind the camera becomes increasingly blatant as the plot progresses. Pointless sub-plots are introduced involving an orphanage and a hilltribe both based on the mountain, seemingly for no other purpose than to pad out the runtime with supporting characters who, for the most part, add nothing to the plot apart from mild annoyance and sub-par acting. What’s worse is that it feels like Pham’s mission to seek revenge is all but forgotten about, and most of the runtime ends up being spent on him protecting a group of orphan kids from the gangsters. The one plus point is that a sub-plot involving a member of the hilltribe whose turned heel allows Simon Kook to enter the narrative.

A Thai actor who entered the Thai action scene a little too late once it was cooling off in the late 2000’s, Kook’s likely most recognizable for playing the Thai boxer that Donnie Yen faces off against in 2015’s Ip Man 3, and can most recently be seen in Xavier Gan’s Mayhem!. Smartly, he’s set up as the main opponent for Pham to face off against once things get to the pointy end, and the fight between them is easily the highlight in terms of the action. The rest is an uneven mix. Pham is also the fight coordinator, and even to the untrained eye the extensive use of wing chun will be immediately apparent, however the way the fights are shot frequently make them an ordeal to watch. Choppy editing, odd angles, and often shot far too close, for every shot that gets it right there’s about 10 which get it wrong.

The ability to convey power is also a major issue, especially since in the sound design they’ve opted for the realistic ‘soft’ sound effect, and anyone who thinks a chain punch performed while laying on your back could look convincing should probably study the law of physics a little more closely. Confounding the issues with the fight choreography is the torturously pedestrian approach to literally everything else. For a plot about revenge that clocks in at 86 minutes (less if you take off the closing credits!), the biggest crime that Foggy Mountain commits is that it becomes terminally boring before the halfway point, feeling at least 30 minutes longer. To say there’s zero narrative thrust would be an understatement, with it being painfully obvious that directors Anh and Dinh have no understanding of how to build drama or tension.

Events just happen without consequence or meaning. At one point Pham tells the kids they’re not his concern and wanders off on his own, leaving them to fend for themselves. Then in the next scene he silently reunites with them and they carry on. That’s it, no build up of how he had a change of heart (although if it was intended to be conveyed via facial expressions, perhaps it’s best left on the cutting room floor), no sense of danger for the kids left alone, stuff just happens. Even many of the fights literally start out of nowhere, which in another filmmaker’s hands could give them a sense of immediacy (Gareth Evan’s The Raid), or like here, simply feel like a monotonous continuation of the scenes that surround them.

Topping everything off is the soundtrack, which falls into the trap of being one of my pet hates in this increasingly accessible world of media, in that it feels like it’s one of those rent-a-soundtrack atrocities that seem to be increasingly in use in the low budget DTV world. Regardless of if the score is actually credited to someone (it is), it’s difficult to believe the almost constant drone of repetitive keyboard strokes that tread water in the background of every action scene hasn’t had a hand from AI. Like the 2020’s equivalent of CGI blood in the 2000’s, the scenes afflicted with the looping 10 second crescendos grumbling along in the background would be far better off without them.

Foggy Mountain eventually reaches its conclusion with a protracted scene involving Pham watching a video on a smartphone for what feels like far too long, although I admit by this point I’d probably been looking at my own for far longer. Peter Pham and Simon Kook have already reunited in the South African action flick Red Cargo, which has been sitting on the shelf unreleased for at least 3 years, and admittedly makes me wonder how bad it can be if a production like Foggy Mountain can successfully find a distributor. While Pham’s onscreen fighting ability and choreography shows potential, it’s safe to say that here it’s still some distance away from being realised, and in a movie sold on its fight scenes, it doesn’t take much to see through the fog as to what the issue is.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 3.5/10

The post Foggy Mountain | aka The Foggy Mountain-Dinh Mu Suong (2020) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Thanh Soi” Theatrical Poster

Director: Veronica Ngo
Cast: Hoa Thanh, Veronica Ngo, Dong Anh Quynh, Toc Tien, Rima Thanh Vy, Thuan Nguyen
Running Time: 112 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

Multi-talented star Veronica Ngo has maintained an enduring presence since first coming to international audiences attention in The Rebel and Clash during the late 2000’s, both of which served to briefly put Vietnamese action cinema on the map. Naturally Hollywood came calling, however minor supporting roles in the likes of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Bright failed to fully utilise her magnetic screen presence. The same could be said for her role in 2016’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, a Hong Kong production which brought her into contact with producer Bey Logan, and the pair would go on to work together in the capacity of star and producer in 2019’s Furie.

No longer relegated to supporting turns, Furie saw Ngo return to Vietnam to headline a contemporary set actioner, and confirmed everyone’s suspicions that she was able to hold her own as an action lead. Very much a localised version of Taken, she plays a single mother whose daughter is kidnapped by traffickers, framed through a gritty tale of hunting down those responsible via a combination of fists and kicks. While it’s unlikely anyone was clamouring for a prequel, 4 years later we’ve got one in the form of 2023’s Furies, which once more sees the pair reunite, only this time Ngo is directing, contributed to the script, and has a role in front of the camera to top things off.

Unlike the Taken franchise that the original took inspiration from, Furies doesn’t involve another of Ngo’s family being kidnapped, and instead goes the unexpected route of telling the origin story of Furie’s villain, Thanh Soi (who was played by Hoa Thanh, and is also the Vietnamese title of the movie). The decision is both interesting from a narrative perspective, revealing the characters life before she became the hardened criminal we see in Furie, but also because outside of offering a final fight opponent for Ngo in the original, her character wasn’t particularly memorable or fleshed out.

Thankfully this doesn’t prove detrimental, and as a director Ngo tonally switches things up in Furies. Whereas the original felt grounded and based in reality, for the prequel the underbelly of 1990’s Saigon is portrayed as a pulpy neon drenched cesspool of sleaze, where drugs and booze are readily available, and the threat of violence and rape is never far away. Indeed in many ways the production feels like a throwback to the type of provocative Category III action flicks that came out of Hong Kong in the 1990’s, think titles like Naked Killer and Escape from Brothel, although minus the gratuitous nudity (for the brief sex scenes that are included, props are always strategically placed to prevent anything too revealing). While for some the shift in tone may be jarring, for those willing to embrace the pulpier approach of Furies, there’s a lot to enjoy.

Playing a different role to what she was in the original, here Ngo is a mysterious woman who’s adopted a trio of street kids, each of whom has come from a background of horrific sexual violence, and raised them to be skilled fighters who are dispatched on missions to kill those involved in the trafficking of kids. Furies main character is played by newcomer Dong Anh Quynh (YOLO the Movie), a street pickpocket who Ngo rescues and brings into the fold of a couple of girls who’ve already been under her tutelage for a while, played by pop star and model Toc Tien (Gia Gan, My Nhan va Gang To) and Rima Thanh Vy (Muoi: The Curse Returns). While initially reluctant, Anh Quynh soon finds a sense of belonging in her adopted family, and joins Tien and Thanh Vy to make a trio of lethal ladies ready to take out the underworld scum responsible for supplying the illegal sex trade.

Furies is Ngo’s third time in the director’s chair, following the period pieces The Lost Dragon in 2015 and Tam Cam: The Untold Story in 2016, and she displays an assured hand throughout. Opening with a bloody aftermath that sees the camera pan through a building strewn with bodies, intercut with brief glimpses of what took place, the narrative engages from the first frame, taking us on the journey that eventually leads to the events that result in such a high body count. Complimenting her direction are stellar performances from all 3 of the leading ladies, who despite being relative newcomers, fully embody their characters and have charisma to boot. Anh Quynh in particular brings a searing screen presence to her rage filled character, while Tien brings a hard-faced punk feel to balance Thanh Vy’s more kind-hearted and playful portrayal.

Also returning from Furie is fight choreographer Kefi Abrikh, who in the intervening years has choregraphed the likes of Kung Fu Zohra and The Princess (which also featured Ngo), but here delivers his best work yet. While I was lukewarm to the action in Furie, Abrikh has clearly continued to study his trade, and here delivers a distinctly 80’s Hong Kong vibe to the fights. There are various one or two versus many melees that are fast and frantic, frequently utilising blades and anything else a character can get their hands on (including syringes!), and the constantly moving camera compliments the choreography perfectly, adding both dramatic flair as well as enhancing impacts. Speaking of the latter, Furies also improves on its predecessor by understanding the importance of impact shots, with the stunt crew gamely throwing themselves around when hit, adding a sense of power to the fight scenes that was missing in Furie.

The action eventually culminates in a cathartic finale in a dilapidated building where Anh Quynh and co. storm head bad guy Thuan Nguyen’s (Naked Truth) hideout, taking on a small army of attackers with bullets, knives, and their fists. It’s another sequence that proves Ngo and Abrikh understand how to use the action to tell a story, with the sequence being the culmination of a steadily intensifying number of action beats that punctuate the runtime, and allows Furies to go out on a satisfyingly bloody and hard-hitting high note.

If any criticism can be aimed towards the action then it would be directed at the motorbike chase, which was blatantly performed stationery in front of a green screen. With that being said, given the overall pulpy aesthetic, I actually found its hokey execution to be somewhat charming in a blatantly over ambitious kind of way. Throw in CGI flying kicks, and it certainly can’t be accused on not going all in, an approach which can be said to have been applied to all of the action scenes. For those hoping for Ngo to get in on the action, she does get a moment to let loose, and it’s in an unexpected way that once more proves an action movie will always be better if as much attention is paid to story and characters as it is the action itself. Personally I preferred her supporting turn here more than I did her character in Furie.

It’s undeniable that the spirit of 1980’s Hong Kong cinema looms large over Furies, with the leading ladies often feeling like they could have been transplanted from one of the countless Girls with Guns flicks from the era, and the sexual deviance of the bad guys being a mainstay of many a Hong Kong villain. Even some of the songs, especially from veteran Vietnamese crooners Dan Truong (who also gets name checked in the movie itself) and Phuong Tranh, contain distinctive echoes of the 80’s Canto-pop era dominated by the likes of Leslie Cheung and Sally Yeh. I’d argue the result is the best female driven action movie since Korea’s The Villainess, only minus the melodrama. It may be an origin story, but Furies ultimately stands on its own as a modern-day slice of unpretentious action, and announces the arrival of a new talent in the form of Dong Anh Quynh. Well worth checking out.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 7.5/10

The post Furies | aka Thanh Soi (2023) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Head Rush” Promotional Poster

AKA: Lôi Báo
Director: Victor Vu
Cast: Cuong Seven, Tran Thi Nha Phuong, Quach Ngoc Ngoan, Ngoc Anh Vu, Jason Ninh Cao
Running Time: 107 min.

By Paul Bramhall

There was a time in the mid-late 2000’s when it seemed like Vietnam was going to be the next big thing when it came to action filmmaking in Asia. After briefly facing off against Tony Jaa in 2005’s Tom Yum Goong, former U.S. wushu team member Johnny Tri Nguyen headed for the homeland and made an immediate impression with his starring turns in 2007’s The Rebel and 2009’s Clash. Things came to a grinding halt though when the governments film censorship board banned the 2013 gangster movie Chinatown, of which Nguyen was also the star, believing that it didn’t cast the country in a favourable light. A decade on and it still hasn’t seen the light of day, and the decision felt like it put the brakes on the momentum that Vietnam was building in the action genre.

The result saw Nguyen step away from action roles all together, and since then what was hoped to be an opening of the floodgates has become little more than a trickle. During the 2010’s the only notable output was reduced to middle of the road actioners like Tracer (2016) and Furie (2019), with the occasional anomaly like the Andy Long action showcase Luc Van Tien: Tuyet Dinh Kungfu (2017). Lôi Báo was another production which hit local cinemas in 2017, and thanks to a renewed interest in Asian action cinema during recent years, was picked up by U.S distributor Glass House 6 years later and slapped with the title Head Rush (ok, it’s still better than Kill Zone).

The title Head Rush does at least have some bearing to the plot, as we meet a struggling comic book artist played by Vietnamese rapper Cuong Seven (Tracer). By day Seven spends his time working on his latest superhero story, which he hopes will be his next big hit, while his wife keeps him and their son afloat by running a cafe. The movie that immediately springs to mind during the first act of Head Rush is Hong Kong’s Operation Scorpio, which also saw Chin Kar-Lok as a comic book artist, and translated the action he was drawing on the page to the screen, mixing both fantasy and reality. Indeed one of the action highlights in Head Rush is a perceived action sequence that sees the hero of Seven’s comic dodging bullets, and partaking in some limbo-esque kung-fu to disarm a group of attackers (it makes sense when you see it).

Back in reality though Seven can’t seem to shake that tickly cough that afflicts him wherever he goes. Naturally, this sees him diagnosed with lung cancer and only given weeks to live, which results in a lot of soap opera styled melodramatics as Seven attempts to complete his superhero story, despite the pleas of his wife and son to spend more time with them. Luckily we’re not in a Korean terminal illness melodrama though, so at some point Seven’s friendly uncle comes along and offers a potential solution. Played by Hoang Son (Killer: Number 7), not only does he offer plenty of sage like literary criticism, but he’s also a farmer on the side. As it happens, not just any farmer, as he reveals a secret laboratory hidden in his greenhouse, one which is being used “for growing humans, not just strawberries”.

It’s at this point that Head Rush displays its true colors – that of an unashamed B-movie. Son’s research involves the transplant of human heads from one body to another, which is as hilarious as it sounds, only made more so by the fact the entire approach to such a concept is played completely poker faced. This slightly heavy-handed take on the material is likely down to having Victor Vu in the director’s chair. A Vietnamese American filmmaker whose primary body of work comes out of Vietnam, Vu isn’t a stranger to controversy, after his 2012 wuxia Blood Letter was accused of plagiarizing several Chinese and Korean productions. However in recent years he more than redeemed himself with dramas like 2015’s Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass and 2019’s Dreamy Eyes, both of which were submitted as Vietnams entries for Best Foreign Language Film at their respective years Academy Awards.

Considering the more reflective nature of the productions he was directing in the late 2010’s, it only makes the pulpy tone of Head Rush stand out even more, and there’s a distinct feeling that Vu is attempting to imbue proceedings with a level of gravitas that’s at odds with the ridiculous nature of the story. For a start, where are a comic book artist and a genius strawberry farmer going to find a healthy body for Seven’s head to be transplanted onto? Lucky for them, it just so happens that a mysterious assassin is being pursued by a shady organisation who want him dead in the nearby woodland, and once he’s shot and left for dead Son decides it’s the perfect opportunity for some head swapping to go down. At this point you may wonder if a body full of bullet holes really fits the bill of a healthy specimen, but Head Rush isn’t concerned with such lapses in logic – cut to some CGI on a monitor showing one head being swapped for another!  

From there on in its turtleneck sweater city for Seven, as he finds himself miraculously cured, but struggling to hold a pencil to complete his comic book. Thankfully there’s plenty of distractions – who is the nurse that he feels a strange attraction to? Why is he suddenly a parkour and kung-fu expert? Will he have to wear turtlenecks even in the summer? Only 2 of those questions are answered, but only 1 feels like it makes any sense. Son emphasises that Seven needs to lay low for fear his whole head swapping research will be uncovered, but with a new lease of life Seven soon finds himself using his abilities to rescue kids from burning buildings, take down purse snatchers, and at one point even lifting a car to free up a crash victim.

It’s the last feat which gives Head Rush it’s most eyebrow raising moment. Well, admittedly perhaps if I’d read the synopsis beforehand it wouldn’t have been that big of a surprise, but going in fresh there’s been no indication until this point that Seven has special powers. The narrative plays out in such a way that his newfound kung-fu and parkour skills are assumed to have been developed as a result of years of training as an assassin, and not be perceived as superpowers as such. However, superpowers they apparently are, and presumably because no one else in Vietnam can bust out the kung-fu or parkour moves, when the murdered assassin’s old buddies recognize the movements but not the face, it spells trouble. Believing it’s their left for dead target who, having somehow survived, is now living under a new identity (and yes, apparently happy to make himself as conspicuous as possible), they set out to finish the job.

The result is several moderately entertaining fight scenes, sprinkled with some gun-fu, courtesy of action director Vincent Wang, who contributed to the fight action in big budget Hollywood productions like Doctor Strange and The Great Wall. It feels like a missed opportunity that none of the action scenes manage to reach the heights of the imaginary scene from earlier based on the comic, with the choreography being serviceable but unspectacular, and Seven’s apparent trademark move involving the same limbo-esque move as his creation (essentially he can recline backwards in slow motion like Neo dodging bullets in The Matrix, which looks slightly better onscreen than it probably sounds in print).

Ultimately director Vu can’t seem to find the balance between the melodramatic moments of the story and the ridiculous concept that he’s working with, no more evident than when the pace literally stops in its tracks prior to the finale for a twist involving a family reveal, complete with unnecessary flashbacks. The final scene involving Seven’s wife and her sewing machine reframes everything we’ve seen so far to be a superhero origin story in a way which doesn’t quite work (and with the benefit of watching Head Rush in 2023, is safe to assume most audiences agree with, as 6 years on from its release we’ve yet to see a sequel). Head Rush is an amicable effort hindered by uneven pacing and unwelcome melodrama, but perhaps the biggest missed opportunity was for the western distributors to rename it Head/Off.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 5/10

The post Head Rush | aka Lôi Báo (2017) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Luc Van Tien: Tuyet Dinh Kungfu” Vietnamese Theatrical Poster

Director: Hoang Phuc
Cast: Andy Long, Diep Lam Anh, Thanh Loc, Kim Tuyen, Du Au, Khoi Chau, Andy Le, Brian Le
Running Time: 90 min.

By Martin Sandison

Some years back my friends and I were active in the Indie kung fu movie scene, and made some features and shorts. We posted on the Stunt People Forum, which is a great way to share videos and support each other. Although there were many great performers, one stood out: Andy Long Nguyen. His story has now gone down in legend, that of being Jackie Chan’s biggest fan. Many people may lay claim to this, but Nguyen is the one who trained and worked so hard, eventually becoming a member of the Jackie Chan stunt team. Appearing in for me the last movie to show Jackie at his fighting best, Chinese Zodiac, Nguyen has subsequently worked on the fantastic (but sadly cancelled) AMC show Into The Badlands. A few years ago he also realised another dream; to stunt co-ordinate and star in his own feature, Lục Vân Tiên. Unfortunately the film still hasn’t been distributed, a real shame. It’s damn good, and as a homage to his hero he couldn’t have done it better, and more than that: here it is plain to see he’s a worthy successor to Chan.

Nguyen stars as the historical hero Lục Vân Tiên, who is magically (and unexplainably) transported to future Vietnam. He befriends a scammer Teo (Huu Tien) who attempts to use Lục for his own monetary ends. Soon the two get mixed up with a bunch of traffickers after Lục saves Nga (Kim Tuyen) from them, and the stage is set for kick assery of the highest order.

As soon as the first two fights kicked in; a realisation hit me: Nguyen has the skills and innovation in action of Jackie in his prime. An important point, and one that distinguishes him from merely being a clone, is he combines this with modern styles. His abilities as a tricker have been there from the start, so much so I would say he’s up there with exponents like Scott Adkins, whom he fought in Boyka: Undisputed. Back years ago the best stuff I saw in the Indie groups was all about this combination, and with Lục Vân Tiên here is the apotheosis. Two group fights, one involving that classic old school prop, metal rings, the other a hard hitting hand to hand fight reflect the ability of Nguyen and his stuntmen. All of them have the techniques, reactions and falls that are right up there with the cream of Hong Kong in the golden age. Early in the film Lục gets his ass handed to him in a two-on-one, and come the end I was expecting a rematch. Boy, does it deliver.

The Ruwwe brothers, Lorenz Hideyoshi and Felix Fukuyoshi, part of the Young Masters group, square up against Nguyen in a fight that awakens my inner kung fu movie child. I’ve rewatched it three times now, and that’s not usual when I watch a martial arts movie these days. The rhythm and timing, high energy exchanges and invention of the choreography makes my jaw drop. Another group that get in on the action are Martial Club, the only young guys I’ve seen in their shorts that can do proper old school shapes (check out one of their collaborations with Nguyen, Drunken Fist vs Praying Mantis Kung Fu on Youtube). Andy Le, Brian Le and Du Au have a few very cartoony comedic fights with Nguyen, and though they bring the skills and hilarity (a running joke with a blade piercing Andy Le’s ass is up their with vintage Jackie), I did think they were a bit underused in terms of their abilities as screen fighters.

As an overall film Lục Vân Tiên is very entertaining throughout, despite being very silly. The set up alone speaks of this, not to mention the tone which is consistent in this way. The whole thing feels like a Hong Kong movie of the 80’s, where anything goes and you gotta flow with it and enjoy the ride, not questioning what you see. Nguyen’s triumph is not only creating this, but making the film feel modern and fresh, not just in the action also in the film making style that utilises a bold colour scheme. There is a depth of knowledge in how to use a low budget to your advantage that should make Independent filmmakers sit up and take note. Director Hoang Phuc Nguyen, in his directorial debut, peppers the movie with nice compositions and eye-catching locations, meaning the screen doesn’t go dead when there’s no fighting.

Something that simultaneously makes me smile and irks me is the approach of this movie; one that the Indie guys, and some professional filmmakers like Chad Stahelski and Iko Uwais are taking. It’s one wherein the the skills of the performers are given room to breath, and have pleasingly old school ways about them, with proper stunt falls and the style of film making that Hong Kong cinema revolutionised. What irks me is that Hong Kong movies, with a few exceptions a year, are not following this beautiful pattern they lade out. I don’t have to mention Chan’s output in recent times, Sammo Hung hasn’t choreographed a film in 2 years (the last one, Paradox, conveys his still complete mastery of the form), and Ching Siu Tung’s return looks to be wading in the mire of Mainland CGI bullshittery. In fact, it more makes me very sad than irks me. A few years back I wrote a review of gangster film Trivisa, saying I was worried about the future of Hong Kong. With all of the troubles happening now, my worries have become a reality. Hong Kong and its culture is compromised beyond belief, and the movies we all loved have become sanitised and expressionless shadows of what they used to be.

The only constant in life is change, and it’s now up to other countries and filmmakers like Nguyen to give us the beautiful action we all crave. I hope that you guys can check out this movie soon, it certainly deserves distribution and a wide release. Nguyen’s natural talent, not just as an action performer and choreographer but as an all-round filmmaker, is plain to see. I sincerely hope this new generation, including the likes of Eric Jacobus (Blindsided) and Jean Paul Ly (Nightshooters), take the world by storm and develop the beauty and visual poetry of onscreen martial arts action.

Martin Sandison’s Sating: 8/10

The post Luc Van Tien: Tuyet Dinh Kungfu (2017) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Furie” Theatrical Poster

Director: Le-Van Kiet
Writer: Kay Nguyen
Cast: Veronica Ngo Thanh Van, Cat Vy, Phan Thanh Nhien, Phạm Anh Khoa, Tran Thanh Hoa
Running Time: 98 min.

By Matija Makotoichi Tomic

Veronica Ngo is back, and with her, so is the Vietnamese martial arts action. It’s been a while since we’ve last seen Vietnam delivering an action movie worth praising, but that changes with Furie, and the deadly art of Vovinam is back on screen, big style. Not that it is any proof of quality, but the fact Furie became one of the top three all time box-office successes in Vietnam, as well as the first Vietnamese movie to be released in USA, confirms that the job was done right, leading up to Netflix taking interest in the movie. While I wouldn’t agree that this is the best Vietnamese action movie ever made (that honour despite everything goes to the unfortunate Bui Doi Cho Lon if I’m to be asked), it is safe to say it earned its place up there with the best.

The movie’s director, one Lê Văn Kiệt (House in the Alley), is partly the reason why that it so. While not flawless, his movie delivers on both action and drama, with just a few questionable details, nothing that would take away from the overall impression. Largely copying the plot basis of his previous movie, Kiệt directs a story about a desperate mother faced with the kidnapping of her daughter. Certainly not the kind of plot that will break new ground, but despite lacking originality in this area, Furie manages to be different from the rest. What makes it different, is the human touch.

Hai Phuong, character played by Ngo, is not the typical, invincible action hero fighting her way through a pyramid of baddies. She’s just an ordinary person (though a highly skilled one), not too proud to admit her mistakes, or ask for help when she needs it. Above all, she’s a mother, ready to do anything to protect her cub. If she seems a bit harsh to her daughter in the opening of the movie, it’s only because she knows the importance of discipline, and wants the best for her baby, meaning not making the same mistakes her mother did. Education is here, as usual, the way out and the symbol of hope for a better tomorrow.

After not being able to stop the kidnappers, Phuong follows on a trail of a human trafficking ring that will take her to Saigon, a place where she buried her criminal past behind, in exchange for a quiet life in the country, if earning a living as a debt collector qualifies as such. Being once a part of the same milieu enables Phoung to quickly get a lead, but she’s got to move fast. It’s only a matter of hours before the kidnapped kids are put on the train leaving Saigon, and with that train, all hope that Phoung will ever see her daughter alive is gone as well.

The idea of having the whole story cramped within 24 hours is what gives Furie intensity, even if this is sometimes clumsily executed. Though conceived in a no-nonsense fashion, the movie’s not without its comedic moments, mostly reserved for the character of a nurse that helps Phuong escape from the hospital, and continue pursuing her wrongdoers. It’s decent comedy that delivers a few laughs, just enough to ease the menacing tone that predominates. What Furie does so well is making use of its colours, setting a tone for different scenes varying in emotional charge. It is what makes Kiệt’s movie stylish and visually appealing, but without taking away from the impact. When Phuong goes against the Saigon’s criminal underworld, even with all the help she can get, it is with all the furiosity you’d want and expect.

Though drama luckily does not suffer here, it is the action that’s the real strongpoint of Kiệt’s movie. As fitting for story such as this one, Furie delivers brutal action which is, despite the beauty of it, of kill-or-be-killed kind, with weapons ranging from knives and axes, to bottles and screwdrivers, together with a sprinkle of gunplay thrown in for good measure. With each fight being better then the previous one, it is the clash between Ngo and Trần Thanh Hoa that shakes the ground, easily being one of the best girl-on-girl fights of recent years. Fight choreographer Samuel Kefi Albrikh keeps the fights grounded, and it is a refreshing pleasure watching martial arts action that’s not ruined with lousy CGI, or needle-in-your-eye use of wires.

Even the fights in Furie aren’t without the human depth present throughout the movie. Phoung taking on her first lead Truc, trying to beat some information out of him, sees his ageing mother trying to stop the fight, knowing that without her son around she’d be helpless. While the two engaged in a fight, it is her who pleads Phuong for mercy, and her son to give in to reason. Same can’t be said for Ngo’s clash with the lady villain, the two go at each other like there’s no tomorrow in a fight that will leave fans asking for more. Both Phan Thanh Nhiên in the role of detective Luong and Trần Thanh Hoa as the vicious lady boss Thanh Soi seem to be newcomers, but can handle their action well, and the future should hold a place for these two. As for Ngo, she proved once again she’s got what it takes. Furie sees her working with a new team to a great result and it would be nice if we wouldn’t have to wait for years to see her in another delicious slice of Vietnamese action.

Matija Makotoichi Tomic’s Rating: 8/10

The post Furie (2019) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

Bitcoin Heist | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Director: Ham Tran
Cast: Kate Nhung, Thanh Pham, Petey Majik Nguyen, Suboi, Jayvee Mai, Lam Thanh My, Teo Yoo, Veronica Ngo
Running Time: 110 min.

By Kyle Warner

Before we get to talking about what kind of movie Bitcoin Heist is, I’m going to start off the same way that the film does by attempting to explain what bitcoins are. Bitcoins are a digital currency with no central repository and no national fingerprint. It’s a peer-to-peer exchange system with a public digital ledger that all users are expected to help maintain. Bitcoins are encrypted and untraceable, as far as I understand, and are a favorite form of currency on the Dark Web for hackers and all manner of other secretive professions.

Bitcoins are flashy, mysterious, and new to the general public. And we’re just starting to hear more about Ransom Ware and the Dark Web this year in the news. All three of these new internet-based concepts figure into the Vietnamese thriller Bitcoin Heist. And in that respect, I gotta give writer/editor/director Ham Tran (Journey from the Fall) some credit, because his Bitcoin Heist makes pretty good use of the new tech to tell his story. With the exception of perhaps TV’s Mr. Robot, I’m unaware of other dramas that have featured the tech so prevalently for storytelling purposes. It’s the sort of thing you can imagine Hollywood could’ve gotten on top of, thrown an A-List movie star on the poster, and called it ‘topical’ and ‘timely.’

In Bitcoin Heist, a dangerous Dark Web millionaire known as the Ghost is being tracked by Detective Dada (Kate Nhung). She manages to catch the Ghost’s accountant, Phuc (Thanh Pham), but not without getting into a shootout that claims the lives of multiple officers and suspects. The police chief – who is also Dada’s dad – takes her badge and gun, saying it was a meaningless sacrifice considering Phuc will only get 8-12 months of jail time for his offenses. Dada doesn’t accept this and goes into Jack Bauer Mode. She throws Phuc into the trunk of her car, tortures him, and then sets about a plan to use him to get the Ghost. But in order to accomplish her plan, Dada needs a crew.

Round up the usual suspects! Let’s see, there’s a magician named Magic Jack played by Petey Majik Nguyen. Oh wait, no, I’m sorry, that’s Jack Magique (enjoy that, it’s the film’s most reused joke). There’s a hacker played by Vietnamese music star Suboi. And there’s a conman played by Jayvee Mai The Hiep, who also brings along his ten-year-old daughter, played by Lam Thanh My, who specializes as a cat burglar. Most the team is forced into joining Dada’s plan against their will, but they’re soon good pals and willing partners in the effort to prove the identity of the Ghost.

The film’s tone is kind of wonky. It’s a goofy ultra-mainstream movie one minute (there’s a ten-year-old girl on the team and only her father thinks twice about enlisting her to rob from a murderous millionaire!), a shoot ‘em up bloody actioner the next (some dude gets gutted in a butcher shop!), and a standard heist thriller the next (more on that in a second). What begins as a fairly tech-heavy thriller about shadowy figures on the Dark Web and secretive bitcoin wallets soon becomes just another run-of-the-mill heist thriller. The gang attends a party hosted by the man they believe to be the Ghost (Teo Yoo). Jack Magique performs his act, Dada is his lovely assistant, the conman plays a waiter, the hacker tries to get into the mansion’s system, and the ten-year-old kid attempts to get past a laser grid like she’s Tom Cruise.

Here’s the thing: as heist thrillers go, Bitcoin Heist isn’t bad. But it’s so dang familiar to what’s come before that I think I would’ve already forgotten all about it had I not been enlisted to write this review. You’ll find the smudgy fingerprints of Ocean’s Eleven, Mission: Impossible, and The Italian Job all over this movie. It’s also fair to say that Bitcoin Heist has a few things in common with the (awful) Now You See Me series, which saw master magicians doing unbelievable, CGI-powered magic tricks to steal from the bad guys. Bitcoin Heist also uses a magic show to pull of its heist, but at least Jack Magique exists in the real world. He might even be a real magician, I don’t know. And sure, Jack’s magic tricks probably play better before a live audience – you can only watch so many card tricks in a movie before you start checking the clock – but at least you’re not asked to turn your brain off when he’s on stage.

I enjoyed the performances. It’s a fun, lively cast. The highlight, to me, was the relationship between the conman and his daughter who he’s regrettably roped into a life of crime. I find a cop who’s forcing a kid and her dad to perform a dangerous heist to be a bit despicable from a character development standpoint, but at least that kid and her dad are a likable pair. Also among the cast is Veronica Ngo (The Rebel), who has a small role in the earlier parts of the film. It would’ve been nice if she’d stuck around longer, but alas, the galaxy far, far away awaits.

As these movies are prone to do, Bitcoin Heist is full of twists and unexpected betrayals. Not all of them register in a believable way. The final act, which unfolds weeks after the rest of the film, takes forever to play out and begins to feel like a mini-sequel that’s been tacked onto the film. Characters can lie to each other, but viewers who know these movies can see there’s an extra trick in the works, and Bitcoin Heist takes too long to deliver on its long windup.

I’ve seen this sort of movie done better before. I’ve also seen it done worse. I don’t think of Bitcoin Heist as a bad film. It’s simply unremarkable, middle-of-the-road entertainment.

Kyle Warner’s Rating: 5.5/10

The post Bitcoin Heist (2016) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Tracer” Vietnamese Theatrical Poster

Director: Cuong Ngo
Cast: Trung Ngoc Anh, Lamou Vissay, Marcus Guilhem, Maria Tran, Trung Ly, Thien Nguyen, Mike Leeder, Antony Nguyen, Hieu Nguyen, Cuong Seven
Running Time: 90 min.

By Paul Bramhall

In 2007, Thailand was still riding the coat tails of Ong Bak and Tom Yum Goong, a double whammy of action brutality, that seemed to proclaim the South East Asian kingdom as the new home of bone crunching martial arts cinema. However with Tony Jaa in the midst of his Ong Bak 2 meltdown, a movie appeared from Vietnam that seemingly came out of nowhere, entitled The Rebel. Featuring Johnny Tri Nguyen, who himself featured in Tom Yum Goong, the period piece set in a French colonised Saigon placed Vietnam firmly on the map for martial arts action. Nguyen followed up The Rebel with Clash a couple of years later, and then in 2013, it seemed that his latest offering, Chinatown, was set to eclipse both of his earlier starring productions.

However Vietnam also comes with strict censorship laws, and to say that Chinatown fell afoul of them is an understatement. Siting such reasons as the lack of any police presence during the many gang fight scenes, and the brutality of the violence on display, the filmmakers were forced to make a significant numbers of cuts, and had it re-submitted for approval, only for the re-edited version to be rejected as well. Ultimately, Chinatown was destined to a fate of languishing unreleased on a shelf somewhere, and the incident seemed to knock the sails out of the countries action movie industry, with most of the crew turning to other genres in the aftermath. Skip forward 3 years, and Truy Sát can be considered Vietnam’s first fully fledged martial arts action movie since those controversial days.

But Truy Sát isn’t just unique for heralding the countries return to modern day actioners, it’s also the first production to be backed by CJ Entertainment, the Korean distribution giant behind so many of Korea’s biggest blockbusters. The involvement of CJ is indicative of a confidence level in the Vietnamese film industry which likely hasn’t been experienced since that brief but exciting era in the mid to late 00’s. No doubt a part of that confidence was securing one of Vietnams premiere actresses, Trung Ngoc Anh, to play the lead role of a tough as nails police woman, who spends the movie trailing a gang of drug dealing diamond thieves. Anh also took on executive producer duties, and as a result, like The Rebel so successfully did previously, Truy Sát also brings in a number of overseas based Vietnamese talent, here in the form of Australians Maria Tran, Trung Ly, and Thien Nguyen.

Tran has featured in a number of action shorts, most notably the entertainingly hyper-violent Hit Girls (which she also wrote and co-directed) alongside JuJu Chan, as well as starring in full length features, such as Anthony Szeto’s Fist of the Dragon (which also features Chan), for which she won the Female Action Performer of the Year award at the 2016 MartialCon. Tran and Ly are frequent collaborators, and as a master of Shaolin kung-fu, Vovinam (Vietnamese martial arts), and Hapkido – it’s safe to say that as an action director, he brings an impressive amount of talent to the table. Rounding out the trio from down under is Nguyen, who as a fellow member of the tightly knit Australian action community, can also be seen in many of Tran and Ly’s previous projects.

In many ways Truy Sát feels like a distant cousin of the early 90’s Girls with Guns genre from Hong Kong, with Anh’s no nonsense police woman echoing the likes of Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Khan’s characters from the In the Line of Duty series. Before the opening credits have finished rolling she’s already elbowed one guy in the face, and taken a whole room out via some double fisted handgun action, followed by the standard warning from her superior that she shouldn’t act alone. It’s a familiar setup, but it’s a welcome familiarity. The opening scene of Anh on the beach decked out in combat drill uniform, while instructing a group of male officers on the likes of how to disarm an attacker, is a reminder of just how long it’s been since we’ve had a female driven Asian action movie.

The plot kicks into gear when a tip-off is received that the Wolf Gang is going to attempt to steal an antique at a high profile auction. Sure enough, Anh is able to intercept the thief mid-heist, getting into a nicely shot fight which sees him falling to his death, through possibly the thinnest glass window ever featured in a movie. But this is an action flick, it doesn’t matter. The thief happened to be the fiance of Maria Tran’s character, and capturing a glimpse of Anh, she becomes consumed with revenge, despite the warnings from her gang leader brother to let his death go. Proceedings are setup to revolve around the rage filled widow seeking vengeance against the police woman that killed her husband-to-be, and the thought of an Anh versus Tran finale recalls the days of the Moon Lee versus Yukari Oshima era.

Indeed the two femme fatale’s do get to face off in a couple of confrontations during the runtime, including one which has Tran running down the street with a shotgun so big it wouldn’t be out of place in Heat. However the driver for the plot changes mid-way through to focus back on taking down the gang as a whole, and while this isn’t detrimental as such, a part of me still wishes it had stuck to being about Tran’s character seeking vengeance for her husband’s death. Ironically, Tran revealed in an interview with Mike Leeder that her character was a very small part in the original script, however once she came on-board, it was fleshed out considerably to include more scenes that highlight her impressive martial arts talents.

Speaking of Mike Leeder, the IFD films stalwart and occasional Hong Kong actor further adds to the HK feel that Truy Sát often evokes, by taking on a small part as a drug cartel leader. What true Asian action movie isn’t complete without a gweilo in its midst? While some may claim Truy Sát is far from original, it arguably does what it sets out to do with a lot of energy and commitment from its performers. We get a fight that takes place on motorbikes, which is clearly influenced by the similar confrontation from In the Line of Duty 4, just minus Donnie Yen. At its most blatant, we get a shot-for-shot scene from A Bittersweet Life, when Lee Byung-hun is on his knees in the rain facing a group of umbrella wielding gang members, only in Truy Sát it reverses the gender to be Anh. However despite the obvious source material for such scenes, they’re handled with a sense of sincerity, which stops Truy Sát from ever feeling derogatory.

The action also comes at enough frequent intervals during the compact 90 minute runtime, that you never have enough time to give much thought to any particular scene before the next round of fights begin. Even Anh’s young brother, who has a mental disability, ultimately only serves as a plot device to be kidnapped, so as to give her an excuse to spring into action. It’s a move by the bad guys that reminds us that, when it comes to this type of plot, you should never make things personal. Despite the only cast members with a significant amount of screen fighting experience being Tran, Ly, and Nguyen, the rest of the cast, particularly Anh, do a great job at selling their fight scenes, which should also be credited to Ly’s action direction and the lensing of Ross W. Clarkson. Another Australian, Clarkson is a frequent collaborator with Isaac Florentine and Scott Adkins, being the man behind the camera for both Undisputed sequels, and also the Ninja series.

Director Cuong Ngo may only have a handful of movies under his belt, including a gangster flick entitled Huong Ga – Rise (which also features Ahn in the lead role), but if he continues to partner with the likes of Tran, Ly, and Nguyen, there could be a bright future ahead for the Vietnamese action movie. As for Truy Sát, throw in a bare chested training montage (note: not from Anh or Tran), a John Woo style showdown in a container park, and a finale that involves katanas, archery, and plenty of fisticuffs, what you’re left with may not be perfect, but it’s never anything less than entertaining.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 7/10

The post Tracer | aka Truy Sát (2016) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“House in the Alley” Vietnamese Poster

Director: Le-Van Kiet
Writer: Le-Van Kiet
Producer: Dan Trong Tran
Cast: Veronica Ngo, Son Bao Tran, Van Hai Bui
Running Time: 93 min.

By Kelly Warner

It’s been my experience that some of the finest horror films work so well because they build their dread and terror by taking their time, letting the scares linger, allowing the horror to slowly bubble over. An in-your-face horror film like Shinya Tsukamoto’s Tetsuo: The Iron Man is a visceral thrill but a slow-burn horror tale like Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Pulse (aka Kairo) hits on a more psychological level (I love both films, by the way). Thing is, when a slow-burn horror film misses, it can be accused of being boring by more than just the general audiences… And I think even the most hardcore of horror fans will find House in the Alley rather dull and drawn out.

House in the Alley is a Vietnamese horror movie about a wife who’s going crazy and a husband who keeps falling off the roof every 20-30 minutes. There’s more to the movie than that, but not much more. After a bloody childbirth results in a stillborn baby, wife Thao (The Rebel‘s Veronica Ngo) is beside herself with grief. She won’t allow the baby to be buried, instead keeping the little coffin inside the master bedroom of their dreary, leaky house. Her husband Thanh (Son Bao Tran) is upset, too, but he’s ready to move on and try again. Thanh is also dealing with difficulties at work and a terribly unsympathetic mother (who’s also his boss), so coming home to a depressed and sometimes irrational wife isn’t easy for him. But Thao’s not just depressed, she’s apparently losing her mind. She confesses to a friend that she often thinks about chopping her husband into pieces. Hubby Thanh doesn’t pick up on any of this—he thinks the best way to coax his wife out of her depression is sexy fun time, an activity that’s almost constantly on his mind.

Add to the marital discord some creepy sounds, ghostly children on the patio, and a bouncing ball with no owner, and you get a supernatural ghost story about a dying marriage and severe postpartum depression. The supernatural happenings seem like an afterthought, though—a theory pretty much confirmed when the film tacks on an answer to the hauntings in the finale that seems to belong to a different story altogether. Writer/director Le-Van Kiet (Gentle) goes for the classics with spooky stains, giggling ghost children, the sound of running footsteps in an empty house, and black cats abruptly crossing our path (for what it’s worth, the cat gave me a jump).

House in the Alley is not original in its scares and nor is it terribly effective in how it delivers them. Le-Van Kiet’s film is almost without form, fading from one scene to the next without much in the way of buildup. The characters also suffer from behaving stupid under the circumstances (something that’s common in horror, to be fair). Husband Thanh wanders his house in the middle of the night to find the source of the sounds he keeps hearing. In his searches, he inevitably finds himself hanging from the side of his house, and then falls to the ground below. This happens three times, I think. It’s a peculiar thing to keep revisiting. Also, later in the film when the events have reached their boiling point, a character actually thinks that the best place to hide from someone with an axe is behind a clear glass window. Surprise! That axe is coming through the window with no problem at all. You big dummy.

I feel like the filmmakers could’ve done more with the fact that there’s a dead baby’s coffin watching over husband and wife in bed—that’s original imagery, if nothing else—but the film’s not terribly interested in making a mark visually. House in the Alley does seem to have something in mind regarding women’s roles in modern Vietnam, though. The wife Thao is expected to get over it, to move on and please her overworked husband. Even her mother-in-law wants to remind Thao of her place in the marriage. That Thao’s depression is viewed so dispassionately is sometimes troubling, and it certainly doesn’t help us like her husband any better, nor make us fear for his well-being. Without the haunting aspects of the film, Thao’s crazy behavior later in the film could almost be seen as an ugly depiction of a ‘hysterical’ woman. The supernatural justifies her behavior, and in doing so saves House in the Alley from being a nasty, dispassionate piece of work. One thing I did enjoy was the gender swap of horror situations. Often when a spouse goes mad in horror cinema, it’s the husband that’s threatening to the wife (The Shining, for example). Here, it’s the wife whose behavior is threatening to the husband, and that makes for a few interesting scenes.

When a movie review uses the phrase “deliberately paced,” most readers probably think that’s critic-talk for “boring.” I really don’t want to call House in the Alley a boring film but… I do think the movie tests the audience’s patience too often without delivering enough of the goods to make it worth your time.

Kelly Warner’s Rating: 4.5/10

The post House in the Alley (2012) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Maximum Crash” Japanese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Maximum Crash
Director: Wych Kaosayananda
Cast: Dustin Nguyen, Scott Adkins, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Gary Daniels, Prinya Intachai, Kane Kosugi, Ammy Chanicha, Steven Clarke, Yuhkoh Matsuguchi, Damian Mavis, Charlie Ruedpokanon, Ron Smoorenburg
Running Time: 90 min.

By Zach Nix

Zero Tolerance is the latest actioner from director Wych Kaosayananda (Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever). However, one must familiarize them selves with the film’s interesting production history in order to fully appreciate and understand it. Zero Tolerance was previously completed and released only in Vietnam under the title of Angels. The film was designed to be a slow burning drama with action scenes peppered throughout it.

Unfortunately, Kaosayananda found it difficult to sell his film to distributors because Angels was more of a drama than an action film. Therefore, Kaosayananda decided to add action star Scott Adkins (Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning) into the mix for marquee value and to reshoot and re-edit the entire film in order to craft more of a stream lined actioner that would interest buyers. This re-edited version, entitled Zero Tolerance, is the cut of the film that has been released to the rest of the world.

Few action films undergo such re-editing and re-labeling as Kaosayananda’s latest. Therefore, Zero Tolerance’s drastic re-edit and added star power of Scott Adkins should be enough to pique action fans’ interests. Unfortunately, action fans will find nothing but disappointment with this new Thai production. All of Zero Tolerance’s post-release meddling has done nothing but waste an otherwise excellent cast comprised of Dustin Nguyen (The Rebel), Sahajak Boonthanakit (Only God Forgives), and Gary Daniels (City Hunter).

When a female corpse is uncovered in the waters of Bangkok, Thailand, resident detective Peter (Sahajak Boonthanakit) identifies her as Angel, his goddaughter. Peter notifies her biological father, Johnny (Dustin Nguyen), of the unfortunate news and vows to help Johnny uncover her killer. The two tear their way through pimps and drug pushers in search of the truth, only to find their quest complicated by pushers Steven (Scott Adkins) and Sammy (Gary Daniels).

Even though Zero Tolerance’s plot sounds simplistic and straightforward, Kaosayananda’s film is anything but. Zero Tolerance is an overly complicated and dull revenger thriller burdened by confounding editing choices and unnecessary characters. The film’s notable re-edit has done nothing but harm what was otherwise a mostly dramatic actioner. It’s a shame that Angels was re-edited, as it would be nice to see Kaosayananda’s original cut of the film attached to a future DVD release of Zero Tolerance in order to compare and contrast the two.

Nguyen is the protagonist of the picture. However, one will have difficulty figuring this out based on the film’s editing and introduction of the character several scenes into the movie. It doesn’t help that Nguyen’s performance is extremely frustrating as well. Nguyen showcases intense emotion during some scenes, but otherwise acts emotionless and dull throughout the rest of the picture. When Nguyen is told that his daughter has died, he barely seems to care at all. Nguyen’s search for his daughter’s killer is in no way personal, believable, or engaging. He simply mumbles his way through dialog and than brutally murders people every once in awhile.

The most confounding addition of Zero Tolerance comes in the form of action star Scott Adkins. It’s clear that Adkins was added purely for marquee value. His character serves no true purpose within the film other than to add two extra action scenes to the mix and to draw in action fans expecting a film to star one of contemporary action cinema’s greatest stars. Adkins must appear on screen for less than 10 minutes. He barely constitutes as a character and does nothing but overly complicate an already confounding revenge thriller.

Boonthanakit gives the best performance of the film as Angel’s loyal godfather. He plays co-lead to Nguyen and conveys a sense of determination in his quest that seems lacking in even Nguyen’s scenes. It’s a shame that Adkins is advertised as one of the film’s stars while Boonthanakit, who plays a major role in the film, is reduced to purely a name on the film’s poster. Gary Daniels also appears in a small dramatic role as a pimp previously involved in Angel’s life. What remains of Daniels’ scenes within this re-edit does not constitute much. Action fans should also not expect for Daniels to participate in any of the film’s action, as his role is purely dramatic in nature. Kane Kosugi (Tekken 2: Kazuya’s Revenge), also advertised on the film’s poster, literally appears in one scene alongside Adkins. That Kosugi is advertised within the film at all is unbelievable.

Zero Tolerance’s few shootouts are particularly bloody and quite exciting, although few and far between. It’s clear that Angels was envisioned as a mostly dramatic film peppered with action scenes. Therefore, only two major action sequences from Angels, along with two additional action sequences added from the reshoots, constitute the film’s action quota. The most notable addition to Zero Tolerance, and arguably the biggest take away of the film’s meandering experience, is a one on one showdown between Nguyen and Adkins. Even though their fight is entirely pointless, Nguyen and Adkin’s final throw down will give action fans something to talk about.

Zero Tolerance is a fascinating and sad reminder of the woes of distribution and marketing. While far from perfect, it’s clear that Kaosayananda’s originally envisioned Angels was a personal and dramatic actioner that was near to the director’s heart. Unfortunately, Kaosayananda had to compromise his vision in order to get Angels sold to the rest of the world. Therefore, his mostly dramatic film was cut down to a mere hour and a half, retitled, and turned in to more of a streamlined action picture that would pique action fan’s interest, especially with the inclusion of Adkins. The saddest truth of them all is that Zero Tolerance’s post-production woes are more fascinating than the film itself. What remains of Kaosyananda’s Angels is an extremely dissatisfying revenge thriller plagued by weak editing and poor direction.

Zach Nix’s Rating: 3/10

The post Zero Tolerance | aka Angel (2015) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Once Upon a Time in Vietnam” Vietnamese Theatrical Poster

Director: Dustin Nguyen
Writer: Dustin Nguyen
Cast: Dustin Nguyen, Roger Yuan, Veronica Ngo, Thai Hoa, Nguyen Hoang Quan, Xuan Phat, Hieu Hien, Dinh Ngoc Diep
Running Time: 104 min.

By Jeff Bona

Since Dragon Dynasty’s U.S. release of 2006’s The Rebel, Asian movie enthusiasts have had a major hard-on for Vietnamese action films. The Rebel, with its snappy fight choreography and rich storyline, proved that a Vietnamese production could hold its own against some of the finest martial arts flicks from any country.

Unfortunately, Vietnamese titles are heavily overshadowed by Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai and most recently, Indonesian movies (you can’t compete with Sony’s go-getter marketing for The Raid and The Raid 2). The reasons are most likely due to limited exposure and lack of availability.

Fact is, unless you’re an avid martial arts film fanatic, it’s possible that you’ll fly through life watching Ong Bak, Ip Man or The Raid several more times without ever watching The Rebel or Clash even once. If you’re one of the few who have been following Vietnamese action films, then you’re probably aware of 2013’s Once Upon a Time in Vietnam (aka Lua Phat), which is officially dubbed “the first Vietnamese fantasy film.”

Once Upon a Time in Vietnam is heavily noted for being the brain child of Dustin Nguyen, the film’s director, writer, producer and star. Apart from being “that Asian dude” from the original 21 Jump Street TV series, Nguyen has maintained a semi-famous status in America, but in his home country of Vietnam, he carries a lot more star power; thanks to his appearance in many Vietnamese films, most notably his role as a heartless villain in Charlie Nguyen’s (unrelated) The Rebel.

Once Upon a Time in Vietnam takes place in an “alternative” Vietnam. Its main setting looks like a town from an old west flick where people wear chaps, leather vests and boots. It’s a fantasy world that fuzes 19th Century technology with modern day street bikes, neon signs and rock music.

The heroes and villains aren’t sheriffs or masked bandits, they’re martial artists who carry Final Fantasy-esque swords and embody supernatural powers akin to a Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter characters. Unlike the town’s bystanders, they wear leather Qing Dynasty-like warrior outfits, garnished with metallic accessories that are etched with “gear” symbols.

In a nutshell, the plot involves an anti-hero named Commander Dao (Nguyen) who’s on the hunt for fellow AWOL warriors hiding out in a small town. Within its structure is a love rhombus, a deranged Emperor (Roger Yuan), a beautiful woman (Veronica Ngo), a clueless father (Thai Hoa, one of Vietnam’s top comedians) a troubled kid (Hoang Quan Nguyen) and a mute (Dinh Ngoc Diep).

Once Upon a Time in Vietnam is essentially bits and pieces of Sergio Leone’s Once Upon A Time in the West, Andrew Lau’s The Stormriders, George Miller’s Mad Max, Sho Fumimura’s Fist of the North Star and Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns. No joke.

The big question is: Does Once Upon a Time in Vietnam join the stellar ranks of The Rebel and Clash? The big answer is: No. In a perfect world, this could have been Vietnam’s answer to a grittier, edgier, more grounded version of a The Stormriders, but instead, it ends up looking more like a subpar version of Sngmoo Lee’s A Warriors Way.

Nguyen’s vision is full of passion, but his execution becomes distorted the process. From a viewer’s perspective, I couldn’t help but notice a sense of lost direction, self indulgence and pretentiousness. Despite meshing all of this influences (Sergio Leone, George Miller, etc.), the final result feels flat and empty.

For instance, there’s a saloon similar to the Titty Twister bar from Robert Rodriguez’ From Dusk ‘Til Dawn. Whereas Rodriguez’ version is flashing with energy and life, Nguyen’s version feels incomplete, generic and in dire need of several more extras per frame.

The special effects are seriously obsolete. Either their computers were low on RAM, or they hired a CG effects guy that has just awoken from a 1995 coma. But honestly, even if the movie had Industrial Light & Magic’s most valuable employee, it wouldn’t have helped because outdated special effects are the least of this film’s problem.

As far as the action scenes, there’s good news and bad news…

First, the bad news: If you’re expecting Rebel or Clash-style fight choreography, turn away and never look back. Considering all the blood, sweat and tears that went into the action – not to mention two experienced martial artists – the hand-to-hand sequences are seriously lacking. The majority of it is over edited, chopped and loaded with pointless slow motion shots. There’s not one fight that stands out. Sure, there’s a second or two of brilliance, but overall, it’s a wishy-washy mess. It’s hard to put the blame solely on the action choreographer (Bui Van Hai), since the issue lies in camera/editing work. Regardless, in this day and age of hyper-kinetic driven martial arts movies, there’s a new standard, and it’s definitely not met here.

Now for the good news: It’s not the most action-packed movie, so you don’t have to worry about overdosing on mediocre martial arts sequences. It’s a damn shame that Johnny Nguyen (The Rebel, Clash) wasn’t hired for his choreography work, because some hard-hitting sequences alone could have escalated Once Upon a Time in Vietnam from being a disappointment. It’s a practice that works for Tony Jaa’s films: Great action + horrible movie = good martial arts flick!

Once Upon a Time in Vietnam shines when it comes to the performances. I’ve always thought Nguyen was a good actor, but after seeing his work in The Rebel, I was blown away by his charisma. As usual, Veronica Ngo (The Rebel, Clash, House in the Alley) is natural when it comes to everything: acting ability, on-screen fighting (with no formal training) and of course, her beauty. Roger Yuan (Black Dynamite) and rest of the cast do a mighty fine job as well.

There’s also no doubt that Once Upon a Time in Vietnam is a good looking movie. The cinematography is beautiful (courtesy of Thai filmmaker Wych Kaosayananda, who is mostly known for directing Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever); the props and sets are impressive; and the costume designs (by Bao Tranchi) are absolutely stunning.

The bottom line: Maybe Nguyen should have made a couple of smaller films before shooting his passion project. He obviously had the ambition, a decent budget and a competent cast and crew; but none of this added up to the final outcome of the project. To put it simply, Nguyen aimed a little too high and missed.

Jeff Bona’s Rating: 5/10

The post Once Upon a Time in Vietnam | aka Lua Phat (2013) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Sword of the Assassin” Theatrical Poster

Director: Victor Vu
Cast: Huynh Dong, Midu, Van Trang, Khuong Ngoc, Van Anh, Minh Thuan, Jaivee Mai
Running Time: 100 min.

By oneleaf

Sword of the Assassin, aka Blood Letter (2012), a Vietnamese language epic period drama/action starring Huynh Dong, Midu, Kim Hien, Khuong Ngoc, and Minh Thuan is directed by Vietnamese film maker and script writer Victor Vu. The film won a number of awards at the 2012 Golden Kite Awards (Vietnam’s equivalent to the Oscars, organized by the Vietnam Cinema Association) including Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Sound.

Vu, a Southern California native is one of the most prolific directors working in Vietnam today. He has worked on a multitude of genres including action, comedy, horror and thriller. His body of work includes First Morning (2003), Spirits (2004), Passport to Love (2009), Inferno (2010), Battle of the Brides (2011), Scandal (2012), Battle of the Brides 2 (2013), and Vengeful Heart (2014).

Sword of the Assassin is a likeable movie though not very original. We have seen a number of films with similar themes of a noble family massacred, the sole survivor training in martial arts biding his time, and later seeking vengeance while trying to clear the family name. Dong stars as Vu Nguyen, the sole survivor of the Nguyens, having been saved by a manservant while he helplessly watched as three generations of the Nguyen clan are executed on orders from the Empress Dowager (Thai Hau) for crimes against the country. Sounds familiar?

Not only was Nguyen saved from execution, he was also fortunate enough to be brought to a monastery where for the next 12 years he trained in martial arts with a priest who was a good friend of his grandfather.

He later learned from the priest that crimes attributed to one of his grandfather’s concubine led to charges filed against his grandfather resulting in punishment for the whole clan. There also is a so called “blood letter” which may prove the family’s innocence and possibly bring down the royal family.

Vu is now on a mission to find the “blood letter” to try making sense of it all. In his quest he met a beautiful lantern vendor, Hoa Xuan (Midu) and her sister Hoa Ha (Kim Hien). Turns out they are kindred spirits (credit julius). The Hoas have also been wronged by the Thai Hau who murdered her whole family. Of course, as the movie progresses Xuan becomes his love interest.

Khuong Ngoc is quite menacing as the main villain and assassin carrying out the Thai Hau’s dirty bidding. I wish there would have been more fight scenes between him and Dong. The fight scenes are very well choreographed by Johnny Tri Nguyen (Clash, The Rebel, The Protector), an expert in Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Aikido and Wu Shu. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon must have been on his mind from his use of stylized slow-motion CGI leaps, jumps, kicks, and weaponry reminiscent of Hong Kong productions.

The lush backdrop of mountains, waterfalls and a number of bodies of water is magnificent and the only gripe I have is that there should have been more included in the film. I did enjoy the movie and look forward to more swordsplay movies coming out of Vietnam.

oneleaf’s Rating: 7/10

The post Sword of the Assassin | aka Blood Letter (2012) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Clash” International Theatrical Poster

Director: Le Thanh Son
Cast: Johnny Tri Nguyen, Veronica Ngo, Hieu Hien, Hoang Phuc Nguyen, Lam Minh Thang
Running Time: 100 min.

By HKFanatic

Hot on the heels of their 2007 martial arts hit “The Rebel,” still the highest grossing Vietnamese film of all time, the creative team behind that movie reunite for another high-octane action film, “Clash.” This time the plot is set in modern day Saigon rather than the colonial era. Actor Johnny Nguyen, who gave Tony Jaa a run for his money at the top of the exotic animal restaurant in “The Protector,” returns as actor, producer, and screenwriter.

To say that Nguyen is talented is an understatement. Johnny’s bread ‘n butter is doing stunt work for high profile Hollywood films like “Spider-Man 2” and “X-Men: First Class,” but I think I speak for most action lovers when I say we’re happiest when Johnny is in front of the camera in a starring role. Even though the story of “Clash” doesn’t resonate as deeply as “The Rebel,” this film is loaded with jaw-dropping martial arts sequences that guarantee a must-watch for fight fans.

The script for “Clash” features plenty of twists and turns that I won’t spoil here. The gist is that Veronica Ngo’s daughter is being held captive by a dangerous Vietnamese gangster known only as Black Dragon. If she ever wants to see her daughter alive again, she’s got to do Dragon’s dirty work. As the film begins Veronica is assembling a team of hired guns for her last mission, which involves retrieving a laptop from some French criminals. In her group is Johnny Nguyen’s chain-smoking bad-ass and the volatile Cang (played by Lam Minh Thang), who may or may not be worthy of her trust. If the characters think snatching a laptop from some Frenchies is gonna be a walk in the park, they soon find they’re wrong as the situation grows out of control and loyalties are tested.

It’s a good set-up for an action movie but the way the story unfolds often left me scratching my head; I have to wonder if part of the blame isn’t on the subtitles. Black Dragon is one of those well-dressed criminals who always seems to talk in philosophical conundrums, like he just got finished reading “The Art of War.” Very little of his dialogue made sense to me, nor did the opening scene where a whole bunch of people are killed in the middle of the road for no discernible reason. The Dragon is set up to be this Zen-like gangster but by the end of the movie he’s just cackling insane and blindly firing a gun like any baddie from a John Woo flick.

Fortunately, the real focus of “Clash” is on Veronica Ngo and her quest to get her daughter back, as well as her budding relationship with Johnny Nguyen. Since Ngo and Johnny are a real-life couple they have chemistry to spare on the screen. Although Veronica is more well known in Asia for her pop star career and dramatic roles, I’m convinced that she needs to keep making action movies for the sake of the genre. Simply put, she is the one of the toughest, most ass-kicking female since Michelle Yeoh left the scene. The only one in her league is Jeeja Yanin (“Chocolate”) but whereas Jeeja is petite and unassuming, in “Clash” Veronica is a leggy 5’8″ and smoldering with rage.

Veronica and Johnny perform many of those full-body takedowns that you might have seen Donnie Yen do in “Flashpoint” – wrapping their legs around their opponent’s neck and then bringing them down to the ground for a submission hold. The martial arts in this film are an incredible blend of traditional fighting like Tae Kwon Do with Muay Thai (lots of elbows to the skull) and MMA-style takedown and submission techniques.

As an action fan, it’s been interesting to witness the dialogue occurring among action filmmakers as they’ve begun to incorporate submissions into their fight scenes. I mean, for over 40 years we’ve had nothing but martial arts movies where the fights always began and ended with the opponents on their feet. It feels like Donnie Yen changed the game with movies like 2005’s “SPL: Sha Po Lang” and the aforementioned “Flashpoint”; MMA-style moves have been smoothly integrated into traditional martial arts movies to the delight of fans. A standout scene for this kind of technique in “Clash” is the part where Johnny and Veronica take on three musclebound French skinheads in a living room.

“Clash” is the first film for director Le Thanh Son. It’s definitely a strong debut. I’m sure the film was made on a low budget but it oozes with style, no doubt helped by all the shots of the characters looking too-cool-to-care while they breathe cigarette smoke out their mouths. Son knows how to film action and his use of wide angle shots and conservative editing means that you get to see every kick and punch in detail. Although I’d like to see Johnny reteam with the director of “The Rebel,” Truc ‘Charlie’ Nguyen, there’s no doubt that Le Thanh Son has a bright future ahead of him in the action scene if he so chooses.

Thanks to “The Rebel” and now “Clash,” I’ve become a lifelong fan of Johnny Nguyen and Veronica Ngo. They’ve got the martial arts skills, there’s no doubt about that, but they also have great screen presence. While I can’t help but feel that some of the film’s story was lost in translation, giving the plot a muddled feeling at times, I can still heartily recommend “Clash” to fans of well-choreographed martial arts films. It looks lovely streaming in HD on Netflix Instant so there’s no reason for action fans not to check it out.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 8/10

The post Clash | aka Bay Rong (2009) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“The Rebel” Vietnamese Theatrical Poster

Director: Charlie Nguyen
Cast: Johnny Tri Nguyen, Veronica Ngo, Dustin Nguyen, Chanh Tin Nguyen, Nguyen Thang
Running Time: 103 min.

By HKFanatic

If you’ve heard of “The Rebel,” it’s probably for one of two reasons. (1.) Upon the time of its release in 2007, it was the most expensive Vietnamese production of all time, with a budget somewhere between 1.5 and 3 million US dollars. (2.) It stars Dustin Nguyen of “21 Jump Street” fame.

Now I knew that this was a martial arts movie but avoided it precisely because I figured: “It’s got the guy from ’21 Jump Street’ in it. How good could it be?” I wish Dustin Nguyen could deliver a spin-kick to my former, ignorant self’s head because I now know that 1.) this movie is bad-ass and (2.) Dustin Nguyen is a bad-ass. Don’t believe me? Watch “The Rebel” and learn.

I finally decided to give this film a shot when I found out it starred Johnny Tri Nguyen, who was in “Tom Yum Goom.” If you recall, he was the guy in fancy snakeskin pants who fought Tony Jaa with some serious kicks at the climax of the famous restaurant scene. Here he breaks out into his own headlining role and he proves to be a compelling lead, though he still most impressive during the film’s many fight scenes.

“The Rebel” is set in 1920’s Vietnam, back when the country was exploited and generally treated like crap by the French. Similar to “Ip Man,” here we have a story about an oppressed people and the heroes amongst them who rise up to take a stand. The French are uniformly portrayed as loathsome, violent individuals who feel forced to shoulder the “white man’s burden” of helping Asian people ‘improve’ their countries. Though one main character admits “the French aren’t all bad,” the portrayal is pretty one-sided. For better or worse, that’s fairly typical of martial arts movies these days.

To its credit, the film’s plot kept me interested more than your average kung fu flick. “The Rebel” is beautifully photographed and, though the twists may be predictable, the story is bolstered by some solid performances. Dustin Nguyen is a real standout as the villain; he actually gets to show a decent range of emotion and isn’t just your usual mustache-twirling bad guy. Thanh Van Ngo really impressed me as the main heroine of the film; she may be a famous pop star and model in Vietnam but you would never know it from how much ass she kicks in this movie. Her martial arts moves seem totally legit. She does these full-body takedowns with her legs wrapped around guys’ necks, the kind of thing I’ve only really seen Donnie Yen do. I was almost ready to peg her as the next Michelle Yeoh after just one flick!

The amazing fight scenes were choreographed by Johnny Tri Nguyen himself and they’re rather plentiful during the film’s 103 minute runtime. The characters appear to fight with a mix of Vietnamese martial arts and other styles like Muay Thai and Tae Kwon Do, all of which Johnny Nguyen is trained in. I promise you’ll do plenty of “Holy crap, did they really just kick that stuntman across the face?!” double takes throughout the movie. I know it’s getting old to compare everything to “Ong Bak,” but “The Rebel” truly does specialize in a similar style of contact-heavy fight scenes. It’s just damn good fight choreography – no wires, no CG bullshit.

My only complaint with “The Rebel”? During the first half of the film, Dustin Nguyen’s character seems to have almost supernatural abilities. Knives can’t penetrate his skin and he can punch straight through a concrete wall without his knuckles bleeding. I kept waiting for some kind of explanation – a mystical amulet of sorts? It stuck out as the one fantastical element in an otherwise very reality-based film. But Dustin is rendered mortal during the final battle and the subject is never brought up again. It’s the one real nitpick I have against an otherwise excellent flick. Regardless, “The Rebel” is well worth watching for fans of no-nonsense action movies.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 8.5/10

The post Rebel, The (2007) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.