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Editorial Reviews
CLASH follows Trinh, a mercenary, assigned to recover a stolen hard drive containing codes to Vietnam's first satellite, the VINASAT.1. She creates an ensemble of specialists to regain control of the hard drive before it is sold to the Chinese Triad. Lies and betrayal unfold as Trinh uncovers the truth behind her squad. Who can she trust?
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
CLASH ("Bay Rong") doesn't try to revolutionize martial arts cinema. Restricted to chump change for its budget, it's got no business aspiring to the lush visual aesthetics of HERO or CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. What it strives to do is to bring the martial arts flick back to the street level, back to its roots. CLASH doesn't engage in camouflaging quick cuts or deceitful CGI, and if there's any wire work done, it is sparse, brother. What we're left with is a lean and gritty, buttkicking Vietnamese action flick. I rate it a better than average 3.5 out of 5 stars.
What drew me to CLASH more than anything is that it reunites The Rebel alums, Johnny Tri Nguyen and Veronica Ngo. They prove that their chemistry in THE REBEL wasn't a fluke. Veronica Ngo (a.k.a. Ngo Thanh Van) plays Trinh, the indentured enforcer of a mob boss nicknamed the Black Dragon. The Black Dragon had abducted Trinh's young daughter and now forces Trinh to carry out the acquisition of a highly coveted laptop which can unlock deep government secrets. Trinh outsources a crew of specialists, numbering among them the mysterious, unflappable Quan (Johnny Tri Nguyen).
CLASH isn't as ambitious as THE REBEL. It's set on a smaller scale. And in its dramatic nuances and plot twists, it won't bowl over any viewer. Of course, not all of Trinh's teammates are on the up and up. Not everyone shares Trinh's motivations. No doubt, there's a bad apple in the bunch just raring to pull a heel turn. This is B-movie filmmaking 101. What distinguishes the movie are the lead actors. And the fight scenes. Johnny Tri Nguyen - who produced and co-wrote the story - deserves credit for attempting to instill heart in the screenplay, except that it's just the same old melodrama (although I did like the climactic five-way stand-off), and the pace is sometimes just off. Still, Nguyen and Veronica Ngo's performances liven things up. There's just enough complexity and emotional depth there that they salvage the storyline. Again, these two are good together. In some tangible way, CLASH acts as a love story between a tragic heroine and a burnt out but still smooth operator.
It's in the action bits that Ngo and Nguyen truly register a vivid presence. The fight choreography is tremendous. I relished the joint fight scenes as the camera frenziedly tracks Ngo and Tri Nguyen as, in several set pieces, they work in concert to dish out punishment on one squad of goons after another. There's a frenziedness to the camera movement, but a clarity as well. The action is easy to follow.
Just how intense is Veronica Ngo? When a thug smashes a beer bottle on the back of her skull, she merely gets irritated. Now, Ngo isn't about to rip the mantle of Most Badarse Female Martial Artist from Jeeja Yanin, but she demonstrates good moves. Johnny Tri Nguyen - who once did stunt work for the SPIDER-MAN film franchise and is a martial arts expert - may not be as explosive as, say, Tony Jaa, but, long-limbed and elegant, he exhibits a smooth flow. His kicks are fluid and whip fast and account for quite a number of his finishing moves. There's one electrifying bit where he leaps in the air and kicks three baddies. He also shows some decent ground work, executing some very nice grappling moves and joint-lock techniques. Naturally, CLASH, being a Vietnamese venture, features the traditional Vovinam discipline. But we also see bits of boxing, Muay Thai, aikido, and jujitsu, all these making for a satisfying eclectic mix. Heck, there's even a bout of tango, an endeavor which - according to Tri Nguyen in the DVD interview - is harder than martial arts.
The DVD's bonus stuff:
- A Conversation (in English) with Johnny Tri Nguyen and Veronica Ngo (00:10:34 minutes)
- Anatomy of a Fight Scene - cast interviews and behind-the-scenes training clips, including the occasional inadvertent bruise and bloodied nose and a side-by-side comparison of a fight rehearsal with the actual film footage (00:05:52 minutes, with English sub-titles)
- Cast of Characters - the actors talk about their roles (00:04:45 minutes, with English sub-titles)
- Music Video: "Tiec" by Little Wings (00:05:13 minutes)
- Original Trailer (English sub-titles available)
What drew me to CLASH more than anything is that it reunites The Rebel alums, Johnny Tri Nguyen and Veronica Ngo. They prove that their chemistry in THE REBEL wasn't a fluke. Veronica Ngo (a.k.a. Ngo Thanh Van) plays Trinh, the indentured enforcer of a mob boss nicknamed the Black Dragon. The Black Dragon had abducted Trinh's young daughter and now forces Trinh to carry out the acquisition of a highly coveted laptop which can unlock deep government secrets. Trinh outsources a crew of specialists, numbering among them the mysterious, unflappable Quan (Johnny Tri Nguyen).
CLASH isn't as ambitious as THE REBEL. It's set on a smaller scale. And in its dramatic nuances and plot twists, it won't bowl over any viewer. Of course, not all of Trinh's teammates are on the up and up. Not everyone shares Trinh's motivations. No doubt, there's a bad apple in the bunch just raring to pull a heel turn. This is B-movie filmmaking 101. What distinguishes the movie are the lead actors. And the fight scenes. Johnny Tri Nguyen - who produced and co-wrote the story - deserves credit for attempting to instill heart in the screenplay, except that it's just the same old melodrama (although I did like the climactic five-way stand-off), and the pace is sometimes just off. Still, Nguyen and Veronica Ngo's performances liven things up. There's just enough complexity and emotional depth there that they salvage the storyline. Again, these two are good together. In some tangible way, CLASH acts as a love story between a tragic heroine and a burnt out but still smooth operator.
It's in the action bits that Ngo and Nguyen truly register a vivid presence. The fight choreography is tremendous. I relished the joint fight scenes as the camera frenziedly tracks Ngo and Tri Nguyen as, in several set pieces, they work in concert to dish out punishment on one squad of goons after another. There's a frenziedness to the camera movement, but a clarity as well. The action is easy to follow.
Just how intense is Veronica Ngo? When a thug smashes a beer bottle on the back of her skull, she merely gets irritated. Now, Ngo isn't about to rip the mantle of Most Badarse Female Martial Artist from Jeeja Yanin, but she demonstrates good moves. Johnny Tri Nguyen - who once did stunt work for the SPIDER-MAN film franchise and is a martial arts expert - may not be as explosive as, say, Tony Jaa, but, long-limbed and elegant, he exhibits a smooth flow. His kicks are fluid and whip fast and account for quite a number of his finishing moves. There's one electrifying bit where he leaps in the air and kicks three baddies. He also shows some decent ground work, executing some very nice grappling moves and joint-lock techniques. Naturally, CLASH, being a Vietnamese venture, features the traditional Vovinam discipline. But we also see bits of boxing, Muay Thai, aikido, and jujitsu, all these making for a satisfying eclectic mix. Heck, there's even a bout of tango, an endeavor which - according to Tri Nguyen in the DVD interview - is harder than martial arts.
The DVD's bonus stuff:
- A Conversation (in English) with Johnny Tri Nguyen and Veronica Ngo (00:10:34 minutes)
- Anatomy of a Fight Scene - cast interviews and behind-the-scenes training clips, including the occasional inadvertent bruise and bloodied nose and a side-by-side comparison of a fight rehearsal with the actual film footage (00:05:52 minutes, with English sub-titles)
- Cast of Characters - the actors talk about their roles (00:04:45 minutes, with English sub-titles)
- Music Video: "Tiec" by Little Wings (00:05:13 minutes)
- Original Trailer (English sub-titles available)
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Cardell
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This movie is a great watch. I would recommend this movie for anyone, even if you do not like martial arts movies.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By BackBone
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
A lot of action in this one, the story line is great also. I recommend you see this one. 5 stars, thanks again.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Butt Kicking Good Time
There are no shortage of Asian crime thrillers out there and, for my dollar, they tend to be more inventive than their American counterparts. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Eric Sanberg
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, And Definitely Worth A Shot
The story is about about a woman(Trinh) who hires several mercenaries to help complete a series of tasks to save her kidnapped daughter. Read more
Published 7 months ago by J.B. Taylor
2.0 out of 5 stars
Vietnamese ripoff of 1998's "Ronin"
The first 2/3's of this film was almost exactly the same as John Frankenheimer's 1998 film "Ronin", starring Robert De Niro, except for Clash's lack of extremely exciting car... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Jeffrey
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fast forward through the romance stuff and it rocks!
Clash is the latest movie by Johnny Tri Nguyen, the star of Force of Five and The Rebel. Or at least it's his latest movie available in the US. Read more
Published 17 months ago by thepete8
5.0 out of 5 stars
Some of the best fight scenes and dialogue ever!
I loved this movie; it was beautifully filmed, directed, and acted.
The fight scenes were VERY exciting and believable (I am shoto-kan belt). Read more
The fight scenes were VERY exciting and believable (I am shoto-kan belt). Read more
Published 20 months ago by Siddhartha
4.0 out of 5 stars
great action... average story... decent movie
....I usually don't watch too many movies because i get disappointed most of the time mainly due to high expectations... Read more
Published 20 months ago by taiu
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Action Sequences
Clash is a simple low budget action movie with both good weapon scenes and fighting scenes,both martial arts action and takedowns. Read more
Published 21 months ago by jony villa
