AFFD 2010: CLASH Review

I have a problem with Johnny Tri Nguyen. In the last few years, Nguyen has gone from martial arts second banana in Cradle 2 the Grave to leading man with his recent feature, Vietnamese action flick, The Rebel. The problem is that in the mean time he keeps getting stuck in those secondary villain roles, most recently in Tom Yum Goong and Power Kids. Those films are both very entertaining if a bit messy, however, it really hasn't given him much of an opportunity to spread his acting wings. Clash gives him a good start in that direction, and that is only one of several reasons it is worth watching.

The newest of the recent small crop of Vietnamese flicks making noise is Bay Rong (Clash), which features Nguyen in the lead role as Tiger. Returning to his side for Clash is his co-star from The Rebel, Thanh Van (Veronica) Ngo as Phoenix, a hard-assed team leader for some A-Team / Reservoir Dogs / Expendables styled shenanigans. These two have some major chemistry going on, which should come as no surprise since I guess the Vietnamese tabloids have them pegged as an item. But I digress...

Not much about Clash is original, however, I can say that it is very well put together and the end product is a worthy experience for any martial arts and/or action movie fan. The story begins with a sort of uninteresting action sequence involving some speeding cars and samurai swords, the scene tries to set the mood and pace for the film, however, seemed a bit unnecessary in my opinion. Thankfully the film gets well underway with the introduction of Phoenix and her typically motley crew of miscreants brought together to perform a few tasks for a local mob boss. In a scene more than a little reminiscent of Reservoir Dogs, Phoenix gives each of the members of the group nicknames and rules, rule #3 of course, being, no real names. When one portly but rough looking member of the team asks why he must be Ox, we get a taste of Phoenix's real abilities as a fighter as she first knocks the shit out of him and then explains Rule #2, no bullshit questions. Fair enough.

The film is full of twists and turns and an oft-mentioned MacGuffin in the form of a laptop being sought by both the aforementioned mob boss, Black Dragon, and members of a French organized crime syndicate. Explaining the plot is really beside the point, just let me assure you that it provides for many opportunities for ass-kicking that are quite satisfying. After a few initial sequences with the full team attacking some group of baddies or other, we get the feeling that Tiger isn't what he seems, and shortly our suspicions are confirmed. Yes, he's undercover; not really a spoiler, as I'm pretty sure it takes place in the first half of the film. No one knows for a while, though, and the team slowly gets pared down to just Tiger and Phoenix, who really carry the film.

Johnny Nguyen gets to show off some acting chops, as well as throwing down with some serious ball-busting through most of the film. DeNiro he ain't, but when compared with some of the other action superstars out there (a certain freshly shaved Buddhist monk comes to mind), he holds his own quite nicely. There doesn't appear to be a whole lot of pulling punches in this film, either, at least during Nguyen's fights, which makes them all the more exciting. I really enjoy the Thailand / Vietnam / South Korea fight choreography style, a lot less posed and more brutal than most Hong Kong films.

Vernoica Ngo, on the other hand, has some issues to contend with that are, for the most part, not of her own making. Is she impressive to watch? Absolutely, I really think that in terms of her martial arts abilities that she is on par with the best of the new school of female marital artists like Jija Yanin, and again, less posed and choreographed looking than a Cynthia Rothrock or Michelle Yeoh. However, in many of her fight sequences her punches ring sort of hollow. It might be a conscious decision; after all, wouldn't tiny fists make a higher pitched sound when breaking a jaw than a meatier man-fist? However, sometimes the sounds don't match the reactions of the ass-kickee. The other thing she has to contend with is that her character is saddled with emotional baggage like you wouldn't believe. I understand that in order for her character to connect with Nguyen's in the film, she has to show some vulnerability. However, perhaps next time they could pick one event in her past on which to pin her tears, rather than the series they offer. Melodrama is a staple of over the top action, but here it seemed to weaken the story.

Overall, Clash was a great time. The film moves very quickly, it is all done in about 90 minutes, and it flows very well. The cinematography is very gritty, but still artfully done, which should come as no surprise since the director, Le Thanh Son, comes to the film from a DP position on The Rebel. His eye serves both the action and the dramatic moments well, and lends a bit of interest beyond the usual utilitarian approach of many action films. Johnny Nguyen spends most of the film looking surly, and Veronica Ngo spends an equal amount of time looking hard, but together they make a great team, along with the rest of the cast and the director. Fans of The Rebel will really enjoy this, and for anyone who hasn't seen a Vietnamese film yet, you have got to see what these guys are up to! There were a couple of sequences that I had to rewind a couple of times just out of the sheer joy that welled up in me watching Tiger putting a beat-down on some poor unlucky henchman. See it!

Clash (Bay Rong) screens twice at AFFD: 10 PM Sunday July 25th at the Magnolia, and 7:30 PM July 27th at the Angelika. Who knows, I just might make both of those, it was that fun!