BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

DICK STEEL I suppose one of the best ways to plunge into the cinema of another country, is for action junkies like myself to see what they have to offer for the genre. I haven't seen a Vietnamese film before Clash, so it's anyone's guess how it would have turned out, though there were plenty of positive reviews for other Vietnamese action flicks such as The Rebel, which also starred leading man Johnny Nguyen, a veteran in his part of the world, who also served as the writer of this film. It shouldn't be that bad, right?For the most parts, the film was mighty entertaining, telling the story of a female mercenary code named Phoenix (the stunningly beautiful Thanh Van Ngo) who had assembled a rag-tag group of peers to go on missions, one of whom happens to be Johnny Nguyen's Quan with whom she shares a relationship with. Her objective through these dangerous missions is to ultimately save her daughter from the clutches of her evil employer. So much for mother's love, since Phoenix was a one time prostitute who got taken off the streets to do her employer's dirty work, complete with a quick montage of her training.That's as far as the story goes, with enough twists and turns and double crossings to keep the audience engaged in pretty much a flimsy plot, designed only to keep our characters floating from fight sequence to fight sequence, which is truly the draw of the film, influenced in many ways by Hollywood and Hong Kong action cinema from yesterdays. I have to admit even if there were shades of other films in this, at least this effort had made it through to production with an international crew assisting to spruce up production values, where in Singapore we're still lacking in playing catch up.Killer moves got designed for Phoenix such as her thigh wraparound the enemy's neck or upper body before giving it a final fatal twist, but to get there, the fight choreography for most of the characters can get a little bit dull and repetitive. Everything will start off with the firing of auto or semi automatic weapons, and when the finite rounds get expended, everyone will turn into Jackie Chan - come to think of it most of Jackie's earlier action films were similarly designed - and relies on the punches and kicks to dispatch opponents. And it does get repetitive as mentioned with the usual punch-punch-kick combo moves that one's enemies could predict with every extended fight.But thanks to some of the Mixed Martial Arts sequence, Clash at least attempted some variation, and without the use of wires and CG, the fights all look authentic and as our anti- heroes pit their skills against others they get into a battle with. However the finale was a bit of a cop out, which I suspect could have been influenced by test audiences to give it a more positive spin perhaps, since a plot element of a chunky inventory appears magically when in the first place it called for a more tragic and emotional convergence which had to give way.Still, Clash offers quite a lot especially for action junkies wishing to keep tabs on what's on offer in our neighbour's cinema, and from what I have seen here with its charismatic leads who are not only good lookers but are able to handle their battles with aplomb, we may be in for more treats if more films improve upon what's available now, and could become major contenders for action films that can draw a worldwide audience.

Robert Taylor 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.

chu_ong The briefcase contains a laptop that controls Vinasat (Vietnam government satellite). That's why the undercover cops say that if the laptop falls into the wrong hands, national security could be at risk.The opening scene of the movie is quite confusing. Why were the women executed/ambushed? Or was it just one example of the 10 missions that Black Dragon required Phoenix to complete before he released her daughter?This movie has a little bit of everything typical in an Asian action movie: martial arts fighting, gunfire, mayhem, car/bike chase, betrayal, love, sex, philosophy ...

kosmasp What does matter in this movie? Isn't it the action? You can throw in a nice characterisation too and you have a nice mixture of an Martial Arts movie. What more to expect? The answer to that is up to you. The action choreography is good enough. The group effect and the actors do their best to hold the tight story together.While it mixes a few things in the group dynamic (and a few foreseeable "twists" here and there), it does work as a straight story, if you do not expect too much from it. And the (brief)case should not bother you too much. Or the significance it holds (or doesn't). Even if isn't solved for you, this was meant to be that way. And while that seems a bit too much claim for a martial arts movie, it holds up