Rotterdam 2026 Review: FISH, FISTS AND AMBERGRIS Hits All Of Its Targets

The International Film Festival Rotterdam doesn't just do the no-budget debuts of beginning directors, it also allows glimpses of what is hot in other countries. This is the festival where we got introduced to the Korean classics of the past three decades, J-horror, Miike Takashi and Thai martial arts...

Well, this year, the festival hosted a film which was a debut AND an Asian blockbuster: Dương Minh Chiến's Fish, Fists, and Ambergris. A massive success in its home country of Vietnam, this was the kind of bone-crushing acrobatic jawdropper many festival-goers were waiting for.

In Fish, Fists, and Ambergris, a small fishing village in Vietnam has a small temple containing a very valuable statue of a whale, made from ambergris, which is rumored to protect all the fishermen. But days before the annual whale festival is held, the statue is stolen by thieves from Seoul. To prevent panic, the head of the village keeps the statue's disappearance a secret and sends the temple guardians to the capital to retrieve it. Once in Seoul, the villagers get into all sorts of trouble. Can they retrieve the statue in time for the start of the festival, without using any dishonorable methods?

As predictable as they come, Fish, Fists, and Ambergris relies on two pillars to keep it upright: sympathetic characters and kick-ass (literally) stuntwork by its martial artists. And director Dương Minh Chiến wildly succeeds on both counts. A stunt coordinator with decades of experience, this is his first film as a director, and he and his team (the legendary stuntgroup Action-C) throw in everything and the kitchen sink to entertain you. You get Jackie Chan-ish oafishness, country bumpkin humor, incorruptible heroes... and kicks and punches. LOTS of kicks and punches.

Quang Tuan makes for a very likable lead as the guardians' leader, while heartthrob Ma Ran Do plays the wayward brother who (of course) comes to his senses just in time for a few rescues. And oh boy, there is one hell of a boss battle... Is Fish, Fists, and Ambergris this year's Ong Bak? Maybe it is, and how happy does that make us all! Check the trailer below, and you'll immediately be able to tell if this is your cup of tea or not.

Audiences at the International Film Festival Rotterdam loved the film and awarded it a 4.2 out of 5, putting it in the top 10% of the rated titles. In Vietnam, it already conquered the box office and a sequel is being discussed as we speak. To which I say: oh yes, please give us more.


Fish, Fists and Ambergris is currently playing festivals worldwide, and will get theatrically released in several countries.