The Rebel
Kicking ass in colonial Vietnam
Tags: Dragon Dynasty Categories: DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Sep 29th, 2008
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The Rebel is an interesting film, and one that many fans of “Asian action cinema” may find hard to take – not because it’s bad or doesn’t have much action, but because it is so different from what many would expect from virtually every other release under the Dragon Dynasty label. Johnny Tri Nguyen stars as a member of the secret police in 1920’s Vietnam. Growing ever more weary of the French colonization and control of their country, the number of citizens trying to revolt is increasing. Veronica Ngo is the daughter of a rebel leader, captured and tortured by Dustin Nguyen (no relation, and yes, he is the actor from “21 Jump Street”). After a change of heart, Johnny Tri Nguyen and Veronica Ngo’s characters go on the run.
There’s quite a bit more tot the story, but I don’t want to ruin it for those interested. The back of the box actually spoils some of the plot points, which is a shame. While there aren’t any wild twists and turns or major surprises, there are a series of revelations that happen that, while predictable, certainly would have been better had they been able to unfold without prior knowledge.
For a martial arts film The Rebel actually has quite a bit of drama going for it. Actually, in many ways The Rebel is more of a drama than it is an action film. Sure people get knees shoved into their heads or shot at or smacked around through a series of moves that would make a normal person bruised beyond repair, but the story is what takes center stage here and that’s what makes The Rebel so good. While the fighting doesn’t necessarily advance the plot, it does help to serve it and emphasize what is going on and amplify the tension.
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While the drama makes the film enjoyable, it is also part of what makes it hard to take. The Rebel isn’t your typical action or martial arts film with some drama inserted, rather the other way around. For this reason it plays out a bit slow. This requires some patience on the part of the viewer. It should also be noted that the film was quite popular in Vietnam, partly because it’s a good film but also because the story is so nationalistic. Vietnam may not be noted for its cinematic contributions to the world, but there is a small (and growing) industry. The Rebel is the kind of film that has be a showcase as to what the country is able to produce.
The special features start out with an audio commentary that features Bey Logan, as usual, and this time he is joined by the three stars of the film Johnny Tri Nguyen, Veronica Ngo and Dustin Tri Nguyen. This is a lively track that is full of information and insight.
Other special features include a deleted scene, a few minutes of a martial arts demonstration with Johnny Tri Nguyen, and separate interviews with each of the three leads, each lasting a little more than a half hour. Eleven separate behind the scenes snippets showcase how certain sequences were filmed (a “play all” option would have been nice) as well as an actual featurette on the making of the film round out the offerings.
Those of us that have been watching “Asian Action Cinema” for a number of years will appreciate The Rebel for it’s quality. This isn’t just another martial arts film (and a good one at that), but quite possibly a film that could help put Vietnam on the filmmaking map – for all the right reasons.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
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+ Solid story + Some good action that doens't replace plot or character development + Good special features |
8.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
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- I would have liked a "play all" function for the featurettes - As a martial arts film it is a little slow and lackluster |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| A good film that happens to feature some martial arts. This should help put Vitnam on the filmmaking map. | |
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Tags: Dragon Dynasty
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Sep 29th, 2008 and is filed under DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
