Imagine the action of Ong Bak combined with a good story about the french occupation of Vietnam in the 1920's and you will get a feel for the film "The Rebel" starring Johnny Nguyen and Veronica Ngo. Nguyen stars as an agent taking out his own country's people that are fighting for freedom but eventually has a change of heart. This movie has hard hitting and acrobatic fight scenes similar to what we have seen coming out of Thailand recently. What's surprising here is that the story, acting, and cinematography are just as impressive as the fight scenes. You actually care what happens to these characters. This film marks an impressive debut for Veronica Ngo. You would never know that she had no martial arts background before preparing for this role. Very reminiscent of a young Michelle Yeoh. Johnny Nguyen is impressive in the lead as well. You may recognize him from the Tony Jaa film "The Protector aka Tom Yum Goong". "The Rebel" is both beautiful and brutal in the best way possible. Highly recommended.
Review of The Rebel
