Clash (2009) User Reviews

A very solid feature from many points of view

[kluseba · 7/10 · 12 October 2012]

Bay Rong or Clash is more than just a fast paced action movie with solid fighting scenes, rough shooting sequences and a few car and motorcycle chases even though these elements are very present in this worthwhile flick.

The movie also has a story line that seems to be quite thin at first sight but it gets more and more developed as time goes by. One even gets a few twists towards the end that keep the pace of the movie high until the end. With a little bit more than ninety minutes, the movie hits a nearly perfect running time for a flick like this.

The good effects caused by the well elaborated story is also due to some major character development. While some characters seem superficial at first sight, they get more and more important as the story goes on. Especially the main characters played by a charismatic and cool Johnny Tri Nguyen and a tough and powerful woman with a breakable side portrayed by the amazing Thanh Van Ngo really impress and are well chosen for their roles. They also develop a convincing partnership and later on love story that develops logically and without too many stereotypes throughout the movie. Only the villains are less convincing as their side of the story is not very well explained and the movie wastes some potential on here as the main villain is intriguingly portrayed.

The movie is overall very well done and should please to fans of action movies of all kinds and maniacs of Asian cinema in general, too. On the other side, the movie somewhat lacks of impressive moments. There are some well done emotionally charged parts, the action choreography is professional enough to convince and the story also has its highlights but nothing truly stands out or will make you keep this movie in mind for a long time. It's a flick that I would definitely watch again with my friends as it's profound enough to grip your interest but also entertaining enough to be watched during a party without paying that much attention. That's why this movie is just situated between a seven and an eight point rating for me but as it lacks a little bit of identity, I ultimately chose the lower rating.

Quite enjoyable and with lots of action...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 21 June 2012]

I must say that Vietnam is actually making a good jab at the martial arts movie market, and "Clash" ("Bay Rong") is an enjoyable action/martial arts movie.

The story is about a group of people who have to steal a laptop from a group of French people. But there is a traitor in the ranks and the laptop becomes an object that several groups of people come to chase after.

The movie wasn't really a character-driven story, obviously, it was without a doubt driven by the sheer action and in-you-face martial arts. And that worked out well enough, so you shouldn't expect to see a lot of award-winning acting here though.

"Clash" had some nicely choreographed martial arts and it was well executed. I must say that Johnny Nguyen (playing Quan) is truly a rising Vietnamese martial arts start and I assume we will see much more of him in the future. I have seen him in 3 movies that I can remember, and have been impressed so far. But Veronica Ngo (playing Trinh) also did some nice martial arts in "Clash".

I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the action and the martial arts in the movie. There were a couple of laughable moments though, such as where they were hiding behind a couch to protect themselves from the fires shot from an AK47, or using a wooden table for protection. That just wasn't very well thought through. But in overall, then the movie proved to be rather enjoyable. If you like martial arts movies with lots of action and adrenaline, then you should definitely sit down to watch "Clash". Especially the final showdown was enjoyable, lots of gunfire, kicking and throwing punches here.

I had never heard about this movie prior to buying it from Amazon, and it was bought simply because it was a Vietnamese action movie and I wanted to see how well the Vietnamese would pull this off. And I must say that I am impressed.

Expandables & a case

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 28 December 2010]

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

A Nutshell Review: Clash

[DICK STEEL · 27 September 2011]

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.

Hong Kong Style Vietnamese Martial Arts Movie

[bemyfriend-40184 · 6/10 · 28 April 2021]

Romance, action, mystery, suspense, humor; and all the persistence the Vietnamese are known for. Not bad at all. Seen on Tubi, the free streaming site.

Old Hong-Kong action movie style from Vietnam

[phanthinga · 7/10 · 24 August 2018]

Clash or Bay Rong is an action movie made in Vietnam marked the second collaboration of Johnny Tri Nguyen and Veronica Ngo the queen and the king of action movie from Vietnam after the impressive The Rebel that put Vietnam on the list of Asian country that can produce bad-ass movie but unlike The Rebel the plot of Clash is too convoluted and mellowdramatic for it own good.The movie trying hard to make the audience care about Quang and Trinh as a character but forget it just a simple cops and robbers story and a bad one.The cinematography is ugly and most of the time poorly lit when the characters standing in the dark but to be honest as soon as the bad stuff go away you will feel rewarded by the action cause it freakin deliver.If you looking for an action movie with a heart choose The Rebel but if you already saw The Rebel choose Clash it a good to waste time

Good action scenes lost in a soap opera

[dbborroughs · 4/10 · 24 April 2010]

Attended the first screening of Clash at the Tribeca film Festival. It was billed as the "international premiere". The place was packed, the director was in attendance and there was an expectation of seeing something special. By the end of the film things had turned less happy.

The plot of the film has a woman code named Phoenix assembling a team of men to help her steal a lap top from a group of French men. She has to complete several missions in order to win freedom for herself and her daughter who is being held hostage. But things don't go right from the start and only get more complicated as people die and traitors appear.

I've just over sold the film. Its nowhere near as exciting as I make that out to be. Actually there isn't much of anything until we get to the action sequences that punctuate the film. The action is very good, with a couple of nice small twists, but it is not at all ground breaking nor does it match the description in the film festival write up (and one has to wonder about any film where you have to draw attention to its box office take).

The trouble in the film comes in major three places.

First the film is terribly soapy. There are longing looks and measured breaths and any number of soap opera like touches that are used to heighten the dramatic parts. Frankly by the end of the film the audience was laughing at the over cooked nature of the longing looks. Its dull and boring and people around me were snoring.

Secondly the film insists it has style and attitude. It has an amped up soundtrack like many Hollywood films. It is often filmed in a style that apes the many better, and worse, Asian films floating around. Those films pull off the attitude by actually backing the material up with a grittiness lacking here. Yes, the action has what it takes, but the rest feels like dress up.

The last problem, and its a killer, the film makes no sense. Nothing or very little is explained. Things just happen. There is an exchange early on where our heroine insists that no one ask questions. She might as well have been talking to the audience as events transpire with out rhyme or reason. For example we get part of a talk about a raid on the French men's house and what plan to use and then suddenly they are in motion on a plan set up by a guy who never said anything. (Forgive me I want to give a second example of the nonsense of the plot but find that none of it makes any sense in the details) The action is worth seeing but wait for a point where you can borrow a copy from a friend.

Not up to the standard of "The Rebel"

[chrichtonsworld · 4/10 · 23 April 2011]

After "The Rebel" one would expect a movie starring Johnny Nguyen would at least offer the same experience action wise. Sadly somehow they found it necessary to put in focus on drama. While sometimes it does help intensify the action, in this case it doesn't help at all. It even distracts from it. Some directors have no clue what is important. Being pretentious with a story this bad is never a good idea. All this would not matter if the action sequences were up to par of those in "The Rebel". Sure there were some nice moves by the main characters but rarely were they exciting enough to be interesting. There is a joke in the movie about this being like a Hong Kong movie. While I admire their spirit and ambition in no way comes it even close to that. They wish!

Passes the time, but average at best

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 31 March 2014]

I picked out CLASH from the shelves on the strength of it being a Vietnamese martial arts thriller – and knowing the calibre of recent Thai fare in the same genre, I was hoping it would be up to the challenge. Sadly, it turns out to be a bit of a lacklustre effort, one that's hampered by a low budget and a lack of creativity and freedom in delivering the action.

As soon as the central team are holed up in a dilapidated, run-down old country house as their base of operations, I knew this would be a shot-on-the-cheap kind of movie. And so it turns out to be. Strangely, the plot seems to be virtually copied from the Frankenheimer movie RONIN, right down to the hotel stakeout, the double cross, and the reveal of one character's background at the end. Needless to say, it doesn't hold a candle to that movie.

Instead, this is the kind of predictable and slightly cheesy fare that appears to have been done on the cheap. The script is poor and the performances are nothing to write home about, which leaves us with the martial arts to contend with. I can report that the fights are pretty well staged, if not reaching the same level of greatness that we saw in ONG BAK, for example. Johnny Nguyen is a great fighter, but the camera doesn't love him like it loves him in WARRIOR KING and it's all just a little bit by rote. The same goes for Ngo Thanh Van – she's arresting, but only on a B-movie level.

The result is a film that's average at best, and which feels a little bit stale and past it's sell by date. Nevertheless, I plan to check out a few more Vietnamese movies to see what they're capable of delivering.

Who cares about the briefcase...

[AsianTalentHollywood · 8/10 · 15 November 2010]

Expectations for any martial arts action film are usually the same: be entertained by lots of great fight scenes. Johnny Nguyen's martial arts expertise doesn't disappoint in Clash, but the film fortunately goes deeper than just that which places it in an elite category of martial arts action films.

Thanh Van "Veronica" Ngo plays Trinh/Phoenix and creates a beautiful, brutal, yet warm and caring lead character that is the centerpiece of the film. When she fights it is masterful, and when she breaks down over those she loves it is touching. Being able to believe in her diversity of actions and emotions shows her mastery of the character.

Johnny Nguyen wrote the story and has created a role for himself, Quan/Tiger, which not only has him taking a back seat to Trinh, but has created a complex character who has secrets, who has emotions beyond being angry at the bad guys, and of course who can grace the scene with his amazing fight sequences. As the dutiful right hand man of Trinh he follows orders, yet does so with a protective eye at every turn. It is obvious as the film progresses that Tiger is developing feelings for Phoenix and at the moment they are finally alone and safe from the chaotic world outside he expresses how he feels by saying, "I don't wanna call you Phoenix anymore, I want to call you by your real name." A subtle way of expressing his feelings that is easily understood by Trinh who made it clear that Rule #1 is never use your real name so you remain an anonymous person. Their moment doesn't degrade into a cheesy roll in the hay but becomes a conversation about the complexity of their lives while acknowledging the mutual feelings and finally the love scene (aka "roll in the hay"). A beautifully conceived scene.

And with the great acting and the complexity of the characters, there are some brief moments of genuine humor (not bad one liners), Christopher Wong's original adrenaline rush score and of course plenty of martial arts fight scenes that don't disappoint, in particular, raiding the house and fighting the "Frenchies." And all that leads to a conclusion that is not what you would predict (thankfully) and yet lends itself perfectly to the hard truth about the complexity that will continue to be their lives beyond this one mission.

If there is a downside to the film, it is the "briefcase." The item that everyone wants is never defined as to it's importance both in it's content and what it has the capability of doing in the wrong hands. From the beginning of the film the depth of the mission is unclear and the briefcase becomes just a prop with no tangible value. However, when you only expect action from a martial arts film and you get so much more with the development of the characters, who cares about the briefcase!

Average film at best

[chu_ong · 5/10 · 4 February 2011]

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 ...

Mediocre but not awful

[andymcc_80 · 12 August 2011]

I watch quite a few foreign language films(from all over the world), and find that many of the most original and entertaining films being made today are not coming from Hollywood. Korea is producing some astounding drama/action films and Vietnam and Thailand are making some of the best out and out action films of the last few years. Tony Jaa opened the worlds eyes to the type of films that haven't been made since the early days of Jackie Chan, Chocolate showed that female leads can match or outdo many male stars in the genre. I say all this because going into Bay Rong I had hoped the film would be a combination of the best bits of Asian cinema, sadly I was disappointed. The acting is not really all that bad but as someone else has mentioned feels like it belongs in a soap opera at times. If the action is good I can overlook some bad acting, I'm thinking of the Warrior King and the brutal fight scenes it had but dire acting. This film never seems to reach the heights(or depths) that would make it stand out, the action isn't bad but it isn't great either, the fights felt very choreographed and didn't have the brutal and dangerous feel of films like Ong Bak or Merantau. I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone but at the same time there are far worse films out there. If you like Asian cinema and can see it cheaply it might be worth seeing, I gave it 5 out of 10, I didn't hate it but didn't love it either.

Bay Rong gets it wrong.

[BA_Harrison · 4/10 · 30 July 2021]

For martial arts crime drama Clash (AKA Bay Rong), Vietnamese director Thanh Son Le aims for the look and feel of a John Woo heroic bloodshed movie, but where Woo's style always felt natural and seemingly effortless, Le's swagger is laboured, his film almost laughable in its desperate attempts to appear cool. Clash features slow-motion (natch), is colour graded to within an inch of its life, and whenever a 'poignant' scene interrupts the kicking and punching, the pounding techno music stops and operatic music plays on the soundtrack. Try-hard much?

An utterly confusing pre-credits scene immediately sets alarm bells ringing, but thankfully the main plot to this nonsense is actually very simple: in order to gain freedom for herself and her young daughter from crime boss Hac Long AKA Black Dragon (Hoang Phuc Nguyen), sexy mercenary Trinh (AKA Phoenix) must do one last job, assembling a crack team of tough-guys to steal a valuable lap-top. The clichés come thick and fast, with gang member Quan (Johnny Nguyen), who becomes Trinh's love interest, revealed to be an undercover cop, leading to mixed emotions and divided loyalties (and more operatic singing).

The film's simplistic and predictable plot, and even its self-important style, might be excusable if the action was exceptional, but it isn't: the fighting is hard-hitting and well executed, but there is very little variation in the choreography, and the shoot-outs lack the chaotic, bloody majesty of Woo's gun-fu classics. It's certainly not enough to save the film from mediocrity.

3.5/10, generously rounded up to 4 for IMDb.

Good Movie - More Drama than action - but enough of both to keep all entertained

[taylor4169 · 8/10 · 13 February 2011]

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.

Awesome movie

[ellanchikkumar · 10/10 · 2 November 2020]

I watched it during my childhood. I want to watch it another time. But I don't know where to watch. Anyone please help

Why did not the Line Producer have in Cast and Crew?

[sonstarfilm · 24 November 2022]

I was line producer this film. Today I find it in here. It is pity I can not find my name in "Cast and Crew" How can we miss the important position in here. I was worked so so hard for this film. From pre to shoot, I think we should respect all of positions,

Sorry find this issue too late in here.

Through the shooting time, I was hard to find the good location and manage crew. You know, it was afflicted to shoot the action film in Vietnam in 13 years ago.

Shortly, if it was miss from IMDb in the typing "Cast and Crew" part. Please look the poster again to fill in this part "Cast and Crew". My name is Nguyen Thi Minh Son or shortly in MINH-SON NGUYEN. Necessarily, this is the legitimate interests of film maker.

Thank you!

Son.