Furie (2019)

Director: Le-Van Kiet

Notable Cast: Veronica Ngo (Ngô Thanh Vân), Cat Vy, Phan Thanh Nhiên, Pham Anh Khoa, Trần Thanh Hoa 

Veronica Ngo’s (Ngô Thanh Vân) career has been a fascinating one to behold. Truthfully, the first time I really recognized her star power was after both The Rebel and Clash hit US markets, but she’s been doing fantastic work for quite some time. Unfortunately, despite her obvious talents, her big break never really came in the US. She has certainly been in some big films. It’s just too bad that most of the roles she gets are thankless cameos more than anything. Yes, I’m looking at my copy of Star Wars: The Last Jedi right now. However, there has been a lot of hype in the action cinema community for her latest vehicle, Furie. Some impressive trailers and a distinctly neon slathered John Wick meets Ong Bak look to the film did it a lot of favors. The film is even getting a limited theatrical run in the US, courtesy of our friends at Well Go USA, here shortly. If it’s coming to a city near you and you’re an action fan, buy your ticket now. Furie is a wild ride of brutal beat downs, neon-soaked grittiness, and good old-fashioned entertainment. It’s not a film that inherently tries anything new with its story or characters, but impressive execution in direction, fight choreography, and a truly fantastic performance from Veronica Ngo make it a surprisingly vicious and effective little action flick.

Bitcoin Heist (2017)

Director: Ham Tran

Notable Cast: Kate Nhung, Thanh Pham, Petey Majik Nguyen, Suboi, Jayvee Mai The Hiep, Lam Thanh My, Veronica Ngo, Teo Yoo

After the breakthrough films Clash and The Rebel, there was a sense that the Vietnamese film industry was ready to break out into the international market with its brand of high octane action flicks. Yet, after that there wasn’t much from the area that was seeing the light of day for most of us Westerners. A shame really. That is, things seemed quiet until Bitcoin Heist. This latest caper film, directed by the editor of the previously two mentioned films, is the kind of cinema to get the world to take notice of the Vietnamese industry again. It’s big in its scope, slick in its production values, and features a smooth consumable nature that blends the style of the industry with a more international flair. To add to it, Bitcoin Heist is a ton of fun to watch. It’s massively entertaining and impressively executed. Truthfully, I had no idea that the Vietnamese industry could produce a film of this Hollywood-ish style and I have to admit that I was hooked almost immediately. Bitcoin Heist is the kind of film that launches the Vietnamese scene up into the realms of where South Korea and China both reside currently and that’s a statement for everyone involved.