Saturday, April 24, 2010

Clash (Bay Rong) or Tribeca Day 2 (with a mention of The Trotsky)

A quick note about tonight's film at the film festival, the highest grossing film from Vietnam from last year, Clash. It concerns a woman working for a crime lord who brings together a group of men in order to steal a lap top computer. She needs to get the computer back so her boss will let her and her daughter go.

Good action sequences get lost in dramatic sequences which become more and more over wrought and to many in the audience silly (the looks at the end were making everyone laugh). It's not a bad movie, but it doesn't belong in the film festival. I mean based upon the description in the literature they haven't seen many of the current Asian action films (particularly from China and Thailand) since the film is far from the mind blowing film promised (its similar to any number of okay films I've found in the bargain bins in Chinatown). And of course one of my rules of thumb, when you have to trumpet the amount of money a film makes you're in trouble.

I can't believe I paid for this what I did. Either borrow the eventual DVD from a friend or wait for a possible cable run.
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Addendum
Saw The Trotsky on Tribeca pay per view. Its about a guy who thinks he's the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky as he takes on his family and the school authorities. Its an amusing tale that's well made if a more than a tad one note. Its a film that like its main character that feels it must hit all of the predestined marks for films of this type. While it won me over in some respects, in most others I just wish it did anything other then stay straight on course. Its cable fodder...then again I've seen it a second time thanks to 24 hour free viewings and its growing on me more.I think perhaps a fuller review maybe coming down the line.

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