Ngo Thanh Van as Phoenix kicks a bad guy in the head in CLASH a film directed by Le Thanh Son. Picture courtesy Variance Films. All rights reserved.
Director:
Screenwriter:
- Johnny Tri Nguyen
- Le Thanh Son
- Ho Quang Hung
Executive Producer:
Co-Producer:
- Jenni Trang Le
- Nguyen Thanh Long
Production Designer:
Editor:
Music:
Distributor:
Production Company:
- Everest Productions
- Chanh Phuong Films
* Most external filmography links go to The Internet Movie Database.
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Clash (2009/2011)
Also Known As: Bay Rong
Opened: 03/11/2011 Limited
| Limited | 03/11/2011 |
Trailer: Click for trailer
Websites: Home, Twitter, Facebook
Genre: Vietnamese Action
Rated: Unrated
Synopsis
Ex-convicts Quan (Johnny Tri Nguyen) and Cang (Lam Minh Thang) are part of a hit squad put together by Trinh (Ngo Thanh Van) to rob a hard drive from French mobsters. Trinh is under the employ of Hac Long (Hoang Phuc), an elusive criminal mastermind, who seeks the hard drive to get control of VINASAT.1, Vietnam's first and only satellite, and kidnaps Trinh's daughter to get her to do his bidding.
But as the mission is about to succeed, Trinh and her diverse team are betrayed by one of their own and the hard drive falls into the wrong hands. Desperate to get her daughter back, Trinh must hunt down the traitor before the hard drive is sold to the Chinese Triad, but can she trust the remaining members of her crew?
Already Vietnam's highest grossing film this year, CLASH is a twisted story of love and deception set against the backdrop of modern Saigon that reunites martial arts masters Johnny Tri Nguyen and Ngo Thanh Van and features the directing debut of Le Thanh Son. The film was released under the title "Bay Rong" in Vietnam.
Director's Statement
In the fictional tale of CLASH, I have set up a chaotic battle in which each character must face and deal with the true emotions that any self-seeker is obsessed and haunted by.
When I was young, my father told me about the visit of Confucius to Lao Tzu. Greatly impressed by Lao Tzu's wisdom, Confucius compared him to a glorious dragon. It was Johnny Tri Nguyen, screenwriter/action director, who asked me to translate CLASH into Vietnamese, and as soon as I read about the wicked antagonist "Hac Long" (Black Dragon), the image of Lao Tzu's Dragon started emerging in my mind. There are always evil and wicked characters in any action film who in the end fall to their demise so that we can prove that good values reign. What I tried to do differently in CLASH was to explore the true emotions and origins of the antagonists' crimes and aggressive behavior.
Ho Quang Hung, my co-writer, once said, "CLASH is definitely a modern contemporary fairytale." I agree wholeheartedly.
The character of Trinh, the "Phoenix," with her uncompromising attitude, fights for freedom by carrying out the last seven missions for Hac Long. When reaching the 7th mission, her final challenge, she happens to meet Quan, the "White Tiger," an arrangement made by destiny.
They have many things in common such as determination and courage, yet their purpose differs. Their final challenge is a turning point for both of them. They are two lost souls trying to find their morality.
The spiritual life seems to be so vague, yet turns out to be the main factor existing and controlling everything, every single value. By her own experience of reformation, Trinh has awakened Quan's strong spirituality, helped him to get rid of his deep guilt from witnessing his father's death, and to regain his long lost faith.
How can we find a dragon in our life? Through a battle, a mission. Beyond that, I would like to invite the audience to experience a point of view that allows you to find out who you really are, to understand the precious values of love, freedom and courage.
--Le Thanh Son, October 23, 2009
Trailer
