The Rebel (2007 film)

The Rebel

The film poster.
Directed by Charlie Nguyen
Produced by Jimmy Pham Nghiem
Charlie Nguyen
Johnny Tri Nguyen
Written by Charlie Nguyen
Johnny Tri Nguyen
Dominic Pereira
Starring Johnny Tri Nguyen
Ngo Thanh Van
Dustin Nguyen
Music by Christopher Wong
Cinematography Dominic Pereira
Edited by Charlie Nguyen
Ham Tran
Distributed by Cinema Pictures
The Weinstein Company
Release dates
  • 27 April 2007 (2007-04-27)
Running time
103 minutes
Country Vietnam
Language Vietnamese
French
Budget US$1.5 million[1]

The Rebel (Vietnamese: Dòng Máu Anh Hùng) is a 2007 Vietnamese martial arts film directed by Charlie Nguyen and starring Johnny Tri Nguyen, Dustin Nguyen and Ngo Thanh Van. It premiered on April 12, 2007 at the Vietnamese International Film Festival in Irvine, California. It was released on April 27, 2007 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and played as the Closing Night film at the 2007 VC FilmFest in Los Angeles.

Plot

The setting is 1922, in French-occupied Vietnam, and anti-French rebellions by peasants have emerged all over the country. In response, the French have activated units of Vietnamese secret agents to track and destroy the rebels. One agent is Le Van Cuong. Although he has a perfect track record, Cuong's conscience is troubled by the sea of Vietnamese blood he has spilled. Following the assassination of a high-ranking French official, Cuong is assigned to seek and kill the notorious leader of the resistance. Cuong encounters Vo Thanh Thuy, a relentless revolutionary fighter and the daughter of the rebel leader. She is captured and imprisoned by Cuong's cruel superior, Sy. Cuong suspects that Sy knew about the attack on the French official before it happened, and could have prevented it. Suspicious, he warns Thuy that her organization has a mole, helps break her out of prison and becomes a fugitive himself. Her fiery patriotism inspires Cuong, and he develops feelings for the young woman as well. Meanwhile, Sy is tracking Cuong and Thuy, knowing the pair will lead him to Thuy's father.

Cast and characters

Primary Characters

Secondary Characters

Production

"The Rebel's" cast and crew shot for 80 days in Vietnam, where the local film industry is still developing. They had to deal with a number of obstacles, including crew members who got sick, actors who were injured, and cultural officers who monitored the production's every move. In an interview with Johnny Tri Nguyen, he states that one of the hardest problems in making the film was finding the right actress to play the female lead.

Parts of the film, mainly street scenes in the first half of the film, were shot in the old port town of Hội An (standing in for Hanoi).

Reception

From left, director Charlie Nguyen, producer Jimmy Pham Nghiem and actors Dustin Nguyen, Johnny Tri Nguyen, Ngo Thanh Van, at a press conference during the 2007 Bangkok International Film Festival, where the film was screened twice.

The film premiered in Vietnam in April 2007, where it proved to be a huge success, garnering the highest box office gross for a locally made film up to that point.[2] At the time, it was the most expensive Vietnamese film with a budget of $1.5 million. The Rebel was released in the United States as a two-disc DVD set on September 30, 2008 (from Dragon Dynasty). In the special features, Johnny Nguyen, Dustin Nguyen, and Ngo Thanh Van not only provide audio commentary, but also dubbed their own characters for the film's English language track. It was also featured at the 2007 Bangkok International Film Festival,[1] the Austin Film Festival, the Hawaii International Film Festival, and was the Opening Night screening at the 2007 Mammoth Film Festival.[3]

Honours and awards

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Vietnam latest news - Thanh Nien Daily
  2. VietnamNews Vietnamese film draws record crowds Vietnam News Vietnam News, March 5, 2007
  3. The Rebel film page at Mammoth Film Festival.

External links

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