By Le Chou
Her two most recent films achieved a combined $40M at the Vietnam box office. No other producer comes close at the local box office. To put into context, a film in Vietnam is deemed a blockbuster if it grosses $4M (100 billion Vnd). Yet, her name has gone largely unnoticed.
In 2024, Nguyen Huu Tuong Vi cemented herself as one of the top producers in Vietnam with the monumental success of “Mai”, the highest grossing Vietnamese film of all time from director Tran Thanh. To date, the film has amassed $23M+ at the global box office; $21M in Vietnam via Cj Hk Entertainment and $2M+ in North America and Europe via 3388 Films.
But back when she was trying to break into the industry, it wasn't producing what she had in mind. In 2007, Tuong Vi participated in a screenwriting course funded by the Ford Foundation and continued this writing path...
Her two most recent films achieved a combined $40M at the Vietnam box office. No other producer comes close at the local box office. To put into context, a film in Vietnam is deemed a blockbuster if it grosses $4M (100 billion Vnd). Yet, her name has gone largely unnoticed.
In 2024, Nguyen Huu Tuong Vi cemented herself as one of the top producers in Vietnam with the monumental success of “Mai”, the highest grossing Vietnamese film of all time from director Tran Thanh. To date, the film has amassed $23M+ at the global box office; $21M in Vietnam via Cj Hk Entertainment and $2M+ in North America and Europe via 3388 Films.
But back when she was trying to break into the industry, it wasn't producing what she had in mind. In 2007, Tuong Vi participated in a screenwriting course funded by the Ford Foundation and continued this writing path...
- 4/18/2024
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
Vietnam’s economic hub will host the festival’s first edition in April 2024.
Vietnam is set to host the first ever Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival (Hiff) from April 6-13, 2024.
The festival will aim to promote the local film industry while positioning Hcm City, the country’s economic hub, as a “film city” in which to invest. It will be hosted by the People’s Committee of Hcm City and organised by the Department of Culture and Sports of Hcm City.
Hiff is designed to be a large-scale festival, with a red-carpet opening gala and an awards ceremony...
Vietnam is set to host the first ever Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival (Hiff) from April 6-13, 2024.
The festival will aim to promote the local film industry while positioning Hcm City, the country’s economic hub, as a “film city” in which to invest. It will be hosted by the People’s Committee of Hcm City and organised by the Department of Culture and Sports of Hcm City.
Hiff is designed to be a large-scale festival, with a red-carpet opening gala and an awards ceremony...
- 9/22/2023
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
The third feature directed by Vietnamese superstar Ngo Thanh Van — better known to western audiences as actor Veronica Ngo in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and “The Old Guard” — lives up to its title with a furious display of female revenge set in the seedy streets of late-’90s Ho Chi Minh City. Despite a routine plot and some abrasive tonal shifts, this tale of a motherly mentor turning three damaged young women into deadly assassins is packed with exciting action and boasts fine performances from four killers bound by blood, bullets and all manner of deadly weapons. Following a series of rowdy screenings in SXSW’s Midnighters section, “Furies” will stream worldwide as the first Vietnamese Netflix original feature on March 23.
A gritty and often brutal action thriller, “Furies” is reminiscent in tone and texture of old-school Hong Kong heroic bloodshed epics and has a dash of the “indestructible...
A gritty and often brutal action thriller, “Furies” is reminiscent in tone and texture of old-school Hong Kong heroic bloodshed epics and has a dash of the “indestructible...
- 3/23/2023
- by Richard Kuipers
- Variety Film + TV
1920s. Vietnam under colonial French ruling. Anti-French rebellions emerge all over the country to disrupt the foreign occupiers. In response, the colonialist employed units of Vietnamese agents to track and destroy these rebels.
Directed by Charlie Nguyen, Johnny Tri Nguyen stars as an elite double agent tasked with taking down his own country's freedom fighters. However, when he meets a beautiful rebel he rethinks his loyalty.
(Sources: Mubi and Amazon)
The Rebel was a huge box-office success in Vietnam during its year of release, becoming one of the highest-grossing locally made movies.
Directed by Charlie Nguyen, Johnny Tri Nguyen stars as an elite double agent tasked with taking down his own country's freedom fighters. However, when he meets a beautiful rebel he rethinks his loyalty.
(Sources: Mubi and Amazon)
The Rebel was a huge box-office success in Vietnam during its year of release, becoming one of the highest-grossing locally made movies.
- 3/8/2023
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
Vincent Ngo, top screenwriter and Hollywood script doctor, has set up comedy series “Early Risers” in his native Vietnam. Talent behemoth, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) represents the production company Early Risers Media Group and is handling licensing of the series’ distribution rights.
The show, about the lives of American and European expats living and working in Saigon, is set to begin filming under the direction of Zach Merck at the end of this month.
After a prolonged period of Covid restrictions, “Early Risers” is believed to be the first international television production in Vietnam in over two years. Local production is being run by Ace 1 Pictures.
“Vincent has created a series that’s incredibly smart, funny and daring,” said executive producer Peter Toumasis. “It’s a contemporary comedy set against Saigon’s rarely seen expat community, which is full of lovable first-world rejects who had somehow fallen from grace and...
The show, about the lives of American and European expats living and working in Saigon, is set to begin filming under the direction of Zach Merck at the end of this month.
After a prolonged period of Covid restrictions, “Early Risers” is believed to be the first international television production in Vietnam in over two years. Local production is being run by Ace 1 Pictures.
“Vincent has created a series that’s incredibly smart, funny and daring,” said executive producer Peter Toumasis. “It’s a contemporary comedy set against Saigon’s rarely seen expat community, which is full of lovable first-world rejects who had somehow fallen from grace and...
- 4/6/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Viet Film Fest 2021, presented by the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (Vaala), has announced the winners of their Trống Đồng Award for Best Short, Best Actress, Best Actor and Trống Đồng Award for Best Feature. The festival also announced the recipient of the Spotlight Award, reserved for films that highlight an important issue or an emerging filmmaker. All winners were announced at the festival’s first virtual Award Ceremony on Thursday evening, October 28th at 6pm Pst.
“We congratulate this year’s winning films and celebrate the collective talent of Viet Film Fest 2021” said Viet Film Fest 2021 Digital Director, Tony Nguyen. “With our awards, we honor several filmmakers yet we know and must acknowledge that Viet Film Fest has just been made stronger by everyone who has taken part in this year’s virtual celebration of Vietnamese voices and stories in cinema.”
This year’s award winners were selected by the Grand Jury,...
“We congratulate this year’s winning films and celebrate the collective talent of Viet Film Fest 2021” said Viet Film Fest 2021 Digital Director, Tony Nguyen. “With our awards, we honor several filmmakers yet we know and must acknowledge that Viet Film Fest has just been made stronger by everyone who has taken part in this year’s virtual celebration of Vietnamese voices and stories in cinema.”
This year’s award winners were selected by the Grand Jury,...
- 10/30/2021
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Festival also showcases local films as the Vietnam Cinema Department becomes more proactive in film financing.
Iranian director Rouhollah Hejazi’s The Dark Room was named best film at the 5th Hanoi International Film Festival (Haniff), while Poland’s Piotr Domalewski won best director for Silent Night and the jury award went to Serbian director Vladimir Todorovic’s Pale Folk.
A total of 12 international feature films making at least their Asian premieres were in competition. Other award winners include Signal Rock from the Philippines, which won best actor for Christian Bables, and Vietnam’s Summer In Closed Eyes, which took...
Iranian director Rouhollah Hejazi’s The Dark Room was named best film at the 5th Hanoi International Film Festival (Haniff), while Poland’s Piotr Domalewski won best director for Silent Night and the jury award went to Serbian director Vladimir Todorovic’s Pale Folk.
A total of 12 international feature films making at least their Asian premieres were in competition. Other award winners include Signal Rock from the Philippines, which won best actor for Christian Bables, and Vietnam’s Summer In Closed Eyes, which took...
- 11/1/2018
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
LÊ Bình Giang was educated in Film at the University of Ho Chi Minh, but he wasn’t allowed to graduate because the script for his film KFC was considered too violent by the Council of Examiners. Lê didn’t give up on his project and tried to find sponsors. He won the Film of the Future Award at the Vietnamese Autumn Meeting 2013, which helped him get started. After making several short films he finally made KFC (2016), his feature film debut, three years later.
Here are his 13 favorite Vietnamese films, in random order
1. Bi, Don’t Be Afraid
2. Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories
3. The Rebel
4. Touch (Minh Duc Nguyen, 2011)
5. Living in Fear (Bui Thac Chuyen, 2005)
6. When the Tenth Month Comes (Dang Nhat Minh, 1984)
7. Truong Ba’s Soul in Butcher’s Body (Quang Dung Nguyen, 2006)
8. Cyclo (Anh Hung Tran, 1995)
Buy...
Here are his 13 favorite Vietnamese films, in random order
1. Bi, Don’t Be Afraid
2. Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories
3. The Rebel
4. Touch (Minh Duc Nguyen, 2011)
5. Living in Fear (Bui Thac Chuyen, 2005)
6. When the Tenth Month Comes (Dang Nhat Minh, 1984)
7. Truong Ba’s Soul in Butcher’s Body (Quang Dung Nguyen, 2006)
8. Cyclo (Anh Hung Tran, 1995)
Buy...
- 10/17/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Ken Ochiai made his first film at age 12. Immediately following his high school graduation, he left his hometown of Tokyo, Japan, to pursue his dream of becoming a film director in the United States. To date, Ochiai has directed 3 theatrical features, and over 30 short films, commercials, and music videos. His first feature film, “Tiger Mask” (based on a legendary Japanese comic book series), was released in the fall of 2013 in several Asian countries. His second feature film, “Uzumasa Limelight,” was released in 2014. It won the Chevel Noir (Best Picture) and for Best Actor at the Fantasia International Film Festival, the Crystal Heart Award at the Heartland Film Festival, two audience awards at the New York Asian Film Festival, and Camera Japan in Holland. He was honored with the title of New American Filmmaker at the Hawaii International Film Festival, and received the Young Alumni Award from the USC Asian Pacific...
- 9/18/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
It's been several years since the Vietnamese film industry had its moment as the next big thing in martial arts action. Back in the late '00s, led by incredible performer Johnny Tri Nguyen and director Charlie Nguyen, Vietnam was beginning to make a name for itself. Films like The Rebel and Clash were making the festival rounds and even getting picked up for overseas distribution thanks to high octane, inventive action sequences and gritty, real stories that connected with audiences much in the same way that late '80s-early '90s Hong Kong martial arts cinema did. Then, around 2013 with the banning of another Johnny Tri Nguyen/Charlie Nguyen collaboration, the politically charged Cho Lon, everything just kind of died. Cut to five years later and now...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 7/24/2018
- Screen Anarchy
With roles in films like the Bitcoin Heist and The Housemaid, Kate Nhung (Dương Hồng Nhung) has emerged as one of the most recognizable artists from Vietnam. Here she lists her favorite Vietnamese films, in random order.
1. Bụi đời chợ lớn
In the heart of Saigon, there’s a place where promises are still written in blood.
2. Cánh đồng bất tận
The film portrays the life of a family separated from the mainstream of modern society, yet containing within its microcosm the complex layers and dramas of human relationship: conjugal life, sexual trauma, and the failures and bonds of fatherhood, brother and sisterhood.
3. Mùi đu đủ xanh
A little girl, Mui, went to a house as a new servant. The mother still mourns the death of her daughter, who would have been Mui’s age. In her mind she treated Mui as her daughter. 10 years later Mui (now a young...
1. Bụi đời chợ lớn
In the heart of Saigon, there’s a place where promises are still written in blood.
2. Cánh đồng bất tận
The film portrays the life of a family separated from the mainstream of modern society, yet containing within its microcosm the complex layers and dramas of human relationship: conjugal life, sexual trauma, and the failures and bonds of fatherhood, brother and sisterhood.
3. Mùi đu đủ xanh
A little girl, Mui, went to a house as a new servant. The mother still mourns the death of her daughter, who would have been Mui’s age. In her mind she treated Mui as her daughter. 10 years later Mui (now a young...
- 6/4/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Call Charlie Nguyen's upcoming Fan Cuong the reverse Back To The Future. There's no going to hte past to get people together here, nope. Instead, in Fan Cuong, long haired rock and roll fan played by comedian Thai Hoa must travel back in time to prevent the singer of the most important band in Vietnamese history (Johnny Tri Nguyen) from abandoning it all for a woman. The solution, of course, is to land the woman before the singer can. It's a phenomenally silly premise from the entire creative team behind martial arts hit The Rebel and, true to form where these guys are concerned, the production value is absolutely top notch. We shared the first teaser a while back and that has now been followed...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 6/28/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Thai Hoa takes the lead in upcoming Vietnamese time travel rock and roll comedy Fan Cuong and while Hoa may not be familiar to audiences outside of Vietnam the rest of the team here certainly is. Fan Cuong brings together the entire creative team from martial arts film The Rebel and throws them into an entirely new context with director Charlie Nguyen also penning the script here and The Rebel leading man Johnny Tri Nguyen showing up as the feathered haired potential savior of Vietnamese rock and roll. It's all very silly, of course, but actually looks quite well done. Subtitles included on the trailer, so take a look below!...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 4/18/2016
- Screen Anarchy
2Nd Update: : International actuals are in from most of the studios with a few figure shifts. The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies came in higher than projected with a total $54M weekend and a cume of $504.65M. Disney’s Into The Woods, previously at a projected $1M for the weekend, nearly doubled that to take a confirmed $1.7M. In Italy, Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper was above its estimated record-breaking haul with $7.1M on 425 screens and the best per-screen average in the market. There’s also a new local movie record in fast-growing Vietnam — see the key market round-ups below for more on that one.
Figures have been updated throughout for The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies, Exodus: Gods And Kings, Penguins Of Madagascar, Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb, Big Hero 6, Into The Woods, Seventh Son, Taken 3, American Sniper, The Water Diviner,...
Figures have been updated throughout for The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies, Exodus: Gods And Kings, Penguins Of Madagascar, Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb, Big Hero 6, Into The Woods, Seventh Son, Taken 3, American Sniper, The Water Diviner,...
- 1/6/2015
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline
Korean smash hit [pictured] sells to Germany, Latin American and Italy, among others.
Korean distributor Cj Entertainment has sold all-time local hit Roaring Currents to a slew of territories including Germany (Ksm), Latin America (Alebrije) and Italy (Minerva).
Starring Choi Min-shik, the historical naval battle drama also sold to Benelux and Scandinavia (Splendid), Taiwan (Movie Cloud), India (Visual Reality), Turkey (Medyavizyon) and Mongolia (Bloomsbury). Pay TV rights for Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Vietnam went to Popcorn, and in-flight rights to Emphasis.
At Afm, Cj is screening a newly edited international version of the film, 20 minutes shorter to pick up the pace. Cj says this edit was originally started for mainland China censors but was judged to be better for other overseas audiences’ understanding of the film as well. The market premiere screening is on Nov 7.
The company reports Roaring Currents has opened in the Us, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia and Thailand, becoming the biggest...
Korean distributor Cj Entertainment has sold all-time local hit Roaring Currents to a slew of territories including Germany (Ksm), Latin America (Alebrije) and Italy (Minerva).
Starring Choi Min-shik, the historical naval battle drama also sold to Benelux and Scandinavia (Splendid), Taiwan (Movie Cloud), India (Visual Reality), Turkey (Medyavizyon) and Mongolia (Bloomsbury). Pay TV rights for Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Vietnam went to Popcorn, and in-flight rights to Emphasis.
At Afm, Cj is screening a newly edited international version of the film, 20 minutes shorter to pick up the pace. Cj says this edit was originally started for mainland China censors but was judged to be better for other overseas audiences’ understanding of the film as well. The market premiere screening is on Nov 7.
The company reports Roaring Currents has opened in the Us, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia and Thailand, becoming the biggest...
- 11/5/2014
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
The entry of local conglomerate Lippo Group and Korea’s Cj Cgv into Indonesian exhibition looks set to shake up a market that has huge potential but has so far failed to grow.
The Riady family’s Lippo Group is planning to build 1,000 screens over five years across the country under its Cinemaxx brand – initially focusing on second and third tier cities before moving into major metropolises such as Jakarta.
The huge conglomerate – which has interests in retail, media, real estate, hospitality and healthcare – is well placed to expand Indonesia’s exhibition infrastructure as it owns shopping malls and has the deep pockets and political connections necessary for the job.
In recent months it has been signing deals with technology providers such as Masterimage 3D, Dolby Atmos, Gdc and Barco and is also developing its own giant screen brand MegaMaxx. “Our goal is to offer state-of-the-art technology with first-class amenities,” said Cinemaxx...
The Riady family’s Lippo Group is planning to build 1,000 screens over five years across the country under its Cinemaxx brand – initially focusing on second and third tier cities before moving into major metropolises such as Jakarta.
The huge conglomerate – which has interests in retail, media, real estate, hospitality and healthcare – is well placed to expand Indonesia’s exhibition infrastructure as it owns shopping malls and has the deep pockets and political connections necessary for the job.
In recent months it has been signing deals with technology providers such as Masterimage 3D, Dolby Atmos, Gdc and Barco and is also developing its own giant screen brand MegaMaxx. “Our goal is to offer state-of-the-art technology with first-class amenities,” said Cinemaxx...
- 5/29/2014
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Updated - Charlie Nguyen clarified on his Facebook page earlier today that his role on Yuen Woo Ping's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2 will be "mainly as a co-producer and 2nd unit director. Not the action director." We'll bring you more info on who is handling the action on the film as we get it.Right after the wrap of his new comedy Let Hoi Decide, Vietnamese media are reporting that The Rebel director Charlie Nguyen flew to New Zealand to work as the action director for the sequel of Oscar-winning martial art film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Former action director Yuen Woo-ping - originally doing double duty as both director and action choreographer - was initially reported to continue his work as choreographer with Nguyen...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 5/28/2014
- Screen Anarchy
The Golden Kite Award (usually called the Oscar of Vietnam) has officially announced the winner. The Talent (original titled Thần Tượng) by first-time director Nguyen Quang Huy surprised everyone with six awards, including "Golden Kite for Best Feature Film", "Best Director:", "Best Supporting Actor", "Best Cinematography", "Best Production Design" and "Best film voted by the Press".The impresario-turned-director Nguyen Quang Huy also defeated veteran directors such as Charlie Nguyen and Victor Vu. With its story revolving about friendship and rivalry in the music business, The Talent isn't really the taste of the Vietnamese Cinema Department, which always honors war films made by government funding. But that musical drama won anyway, leaving a question mark about the unusual choice of the judges.Here is the full list...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 3/17/2014
- Screen Anarchy
After just 3 days on release, Vengeful Heart (Quả Tim Máu) has broken many cinema records in Vietnam. Taking VND24 billion (Us$1.14 million), equivalent to 300 thousand moviegoers, the latest thriller of Victor Vu has become the highest-grossing movie of all time in Vietnam, smashing records made by Amercian blockbusters like Avatar, Iron Man 2 and even Charlie Nguyen's Young Teo.The records that Vengeful Heart has broken in Vietnam are:1. Biggest opening of all time: VND10 billion (Us$470,000) on the first day, equivalent to more than 100,000 viewers.2. Biggest weekend of all time: VND24 billion (Us$1.4 million) after 3 days. With this astonishing result, Vengeful Heart becomes the fastest film to surpass the Us$1 million milestone in Vietnam.3. Biggest screening number: 721 screenings/1 day.4. Top...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 2/19/2014
- Screen Anarchy
The banning of the Nguyen brothers' Cho Lon caused extreme rage in Vietnam yesterday. And not just for filmmakers or film geeks, but all over the country; I haven't seen anything like this before. Previously banned films came and went quietly, but Cho Lon is now the focus of a national conversation. The public reactions from Johnny and Charlie Nguyen to the verdict definitely fuelled the debate and led many people to vent their disgust at the Censorship Board. After the banning, actor Johnny Tri Nguyen said everything he needed to in just one sentence: "What's more to be said? It's like losing my son."His brother Charlie Nguyen, beloved director of The Rebel and Cho Lon, also felt immense sadness at the news. His response from the...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 6/9/2013
- Screen Anarchy
If you’ve never seen writer/director Charlie Nguyen’s 2007 martial arts flick “The Rebel”, you really should give it a try. It’s a damn fine action movie starring Nguyen’s brother Johnny Nguyen, Veronica Ngo, and Dustin Nguyen (no relation to Charlie or Johnny). Dustin’s moved on to bigger and better things, directing and starring in the very cool looking “Once Upon a Time in Vietnam”, while the Nguyen brothers have re-team on “Chinatown”, a gang film that, from the looks of the trailer, promises plenty of melodrama and action. As for the plot of “Chinatown”, the whole thing apparently concerns a gang war in Saigon’s Chinatown between two rival factions during a 24-hour period. The film’s Facebook Page probably has more on the plot, though of course it would help if you can read Vietnamese. Besides the Nguyen brothers, the film also stars Hoang Phuc Nguyen,...
- 2/12/2013
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
We're acolytes of Johnny Tri Nguyen's brand of ass-whupping here at Twitch, so any time new Nguyen footage appears, we are on it. The most recent film we've been tracking is his gangland martial arts film, Cho Lon, and there is finally some footage to go along with the amazing stills we've grabbed over the last couple of months.The film reunites the team behind The Rebel and Clash, namely director Charlie Nguyen and action star/choreographer Johnny Nguyen. With the massive success those films have had at home, and the inroads that they've built to the outside world who now knows to pay attention to Vietnamese action, I would expect Cho Lon to a solid film. The trailer thankfully showcases some drama to go along with...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 2/12/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Mark my words, international action fans: Keep your eyes on Vietnam. Fans have already taken notice of the output from the southeast Asian nation but 2013 should yield a handful of interesting titles, the most interesting of which are Charlie Nguyen's Cho Lon - check behind the scenes shots here - and Dustin Nguyen's Once Upon A Time In Vietnam.Previously known as Monk On Fire, Once Upon A Time In Vietnam has been a passion project of Nguyen's for years. And given the story revolves around supernaturally powered, motorbike riding, martial arts monks, there's a lot of things to feel passionate about.Nguyen is now just days away from completing principal photography and has released a number of behind the scenes shots via the film's Facebook...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 1/12/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Stepping it up a notch? The team behind Vietnamese action hits The Rebel and Clash are doing a whole lot more than that if the first images from the set of their upcoming Cho Lon - previously known as Chinatown - are to be believed. Johnny Tri Nguyen stars and handles the action choreography on this one with Charlie Nguyen directing and Jimmy Pham Nghiem producing. In the heart of Saigon, there's a place where promises are still written in blood.Cho Lon is a modern day gangster epic with 'epic' being the operative word ... the cast is huge and we can clearly expect some mass fighting sequences. And when your on set, behind the scenes shots look as astoundingly good as these ones do,...
- 12/5/2012
- Screen Anarchy
The gang is getting back together, with writer-star and writer-director brother duo of Johnny and Charlie Nguyen teaming up for upcoming Vietnamese action film Redemption.The Brothers Nguyen made a huge splash in the international action community a few years back with The Rebel, a gorgeous period piece that put the martial arts skills of Johnny - an in-demand stunt performer who fought Tony Jaa in Tom Yum Goong / The Protector and Jet Li in Cradle 2 The Grave and was the man inside the suit in Sam Raimi's first two Spider-Man movies - front and center and instantly made Vietnam a player in the international action market. Johnny followed up The Rebel with a similarly kinetic lead role in Clash and other support...
- 3/24/2012
- Screen Anarchy
[Updated with a stack of new production stills. Tasty.]
Fantastic news here for fans of Vietnamese martial arts film The Rebel:
No, Dustin Nguyen’s Monk On Fire is still not quite up and running - though it’s still in the works - but this has got to count as very nearly as complete a reunion as that one will be. Le Thanh Son - the assistant director on The Rebel - will be making his directorial debut with The Clash, a now-in-production martial arts-action film that reunites The Rebel leads Johnny Nguyen and Veronica Ngo on the big screen.
The Clash (Bay Rong) is the latest project featuring the leading man and leading lady from The Rebel, the news that the two had become a couple after playing romantic leads in The Rebel probably helped the films exposure, and it went onto become one of the biggest hits in Vietnamese cinema history. Their new project could...
Fantastic news here for fans of Vietnamese martial arts film The Rebel:
No, Dustin Nguyen’s Monk On Fire is still not quite up and running - though it’s still in the works - but this has got to count as very nearly as complete a reunion as that one will be. Le Thanh Son - the assistant director on The Rebel - will be making his directorial debut with The Clash, a now-in-production martial arts-action film that reunites The Rebel leads Johnny Nguyen and Veronica Ngo on the big screen.
The Clash (Bay Rong) is the latest project featuring the leading man and leading lady from The Rebel, the news that the two had become a couple after playing romantic leads in The Rebel probably helped the films exposure, and it went onto become one of the biggest hits in Vietnamese cinema history. Their new project could...
- 7/6/2009
- by Todd Brown
- Screen Anarchy
If for no other reason, The Rebel should be applauded for how tightly the fight scenes are integrated into the story. Superbly choreographed and executed, the eye-defying twists, turns, kicks, and punches are delivered with brutal force and deadly intent. The characters are literally fighting for their lives, and we can almost believe that they are reenactments of true events.
On second thought, belief would have to be stretched beyond credulity to think that any of the fight scenes could really have happened. But within the universe that has been created for the film, the action sequences feel authentic. Sure, the performers are glamorized and the choreography comes across very much as an extended showcase for them, but what a showcase!
What enables the film to transcend the appearance of a show reel? Clearly this was a passion project for everyone involved, but rather than be satisfied with churning out...
On second thought, belief would have to be stretched beyond credulity to think that any of the fight scenes could really have happened. But within the universe that has been created for the film, the action sequences feel authentic. Sure, the performers are glamorized and the choreography comes across very much as an extended showcase for them, but what a showcase!
What enables the film to transcend the appearance of a show reel? Clearly this was a passion project for everyone involved, but rather than be satisfied with churning out...
- 8/18/2008
- by Peter Martin
- Screen Anarchy
imdb.1eye.us, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.