For those of you who like action dramas - this movie will feel a lot like Ronin (Robert DeNiro 1998). The roles and plot are very similar (that is my spoiler). Watching with (english) subtitles can be distracting at times, but you still get the feel and emotion from the actors.
Johnny Nguyen plays his character with his usual reserve, but it fits very well with the story and his role. He is still very charismatic and as always his display of martial arts is impressive. After the Rebel he was put on my personal list of actors to watch for.
Thanh Van Ngo does a great job of conveying emotion through-out the film and comes across as tough as well - which you would think would be difficult given her lithe figure and pretty face, but this is a talented woman - I hope to see more of her work in the future.
This movie (and the Rebel) shows us that Vietnamese action movies are hard hitting and a nice change from the Chinese Kung-Fu movies which while are artistic and sometimes beautiful to watch, can be over-dramatic and unbelievable. Also (espescially with Johnny Nguyen and Thanh Van Ngo) They seem to take us back to a day when movies where more acting, less special effects. I recommend this movie to those who like good action dramas.
Side note: With the similarity between this and the movie Ronin, It makes me think that international films could be a great place for directors to re-create past works, correct previous mistakes or allow stories to take different directions all-together while maintaining the plot, story line or intent of the film. - Cases in point; Matrix II & III, Jaws II, III, IV, Star Wars, Rambo, etc. If I had the chance to re-make some of those movies (II & III-not the originals) I feel I might have gone a different direction with the story line. We have seen this too many times - A movie that is so ground breaking and fantastic, that tons of money are thrown into sequels without proper preparation. Hey - movie industry - just because someone got lucky with a blockbuster, it doesn't mean that they should be given a green light and become solely responsible for the follow-ups. - Perhaps I am being naive to think that these sequels could have been better - Maybe the originals set such high standards that nothing could follow them up successfully, but then again - These international movie companies could given us a second chance at greatness!
For those of you who loved the sequels - I apologize for any insults you may have percevied - These are strictly my opions and not meant to detract from you enjoyment of those movies.
Johnny Nguyen plays his character with his usual reserve, but it fits very well with the story and his role. He is still very charismatic and as always his display of martial arts is impressive. After the Rebel he was put on my personal list of actors to watch for.
Thanh Van Ngo does a great job of conveying emotion through-out the film and comes across as tough as well - which you would think would be difficult given her lithe figure and pretty face, but this is a talented woman - I hope to see more of her work in the future.
This movie (and the Rebel) shows us that Vietnamese action movies are hard hitting and a nice change from the Chinese Kung-Fu movies which while are artistic and sometimes beautiful to watch, can be over-dramatic and unbelievable. Also (espescially with Johnny Nguyen and Thanh Van Ngo) They seem to take us back to a day when movies where more acting, less special effects. I recommend this movie to those who like good action dramas.
Side note: With the similarity between this and the movie Ronin, It makes me think that international films could be a great place for directors to re-create past works, correct previous mistakes or allow stories to take different directions all-together while maintaining the plot, story line or intent of the film. - Cases in point; Matrix II & III, Jaws II, III, IV, Star Wars, Rambo, etc. If I had the chance to re-make some of those movies (II & III-not the originals) I feel I might have gone a different direction with the story line. We have seen this too many times - A movie that is so ground breaking and fantastic, that tons of money are thrown into sequels without proper preparation. Hey - movie industry - just because someone got lucky with a blockbuster, it doesn't mean that they should be given a green light and become solely responsible for the follow-ups. - Perhaps I am being naive to think that these sequels could have been better - Maybe the originals set such high standards that nothing could follow them up successfully, but then again - These international movie companies could given us a second chance at greatness!
For those of you who loved the sequels - I apologize for any insults you may have percevied - These are strictly my opions and not meant to detract from you enjoyment of those movies.