POSITIVES…
Easiest description would be that this is the Vietnamese Female version of “Taken” and “John Wick.” That’s obviously a big compliment for fans of action movies.
Veronica Ngo is amazing as Hai Phuong. The Mother you don’t want to cross because she can and will kick your ass.
Cat Vy also deserves credit for playing Hai Phuong’s daughter; Mai. Gotta love her spunkiness.
Besides the ass-kicking, Veronica Ngo actually gets to showcase a whole range of emotions in her acting. Incredible performance here.
From chase scenes, hunting scenes, to those hand-to-hand martial arts scenes, this movie is an exciting action thriller, that is oh so enjoyable to watch.
The plot is admittedly not that unique or deep, but it serves its purpose to string along the fight sequences.
Besides the simplicity of the story, it has a really strong thematic message that I really appreciated.
NEGATIVES…
There are some scenes that I felt were kinda manipulative.
There are definite moments of plot conveniences and situations that require a heavy dose of suspension of disbelief.
There are also some scenes that I thought embarrassingly panders to the audience.
There’s a certain character in this movie that I thought embodied a predictably familiar plot device that this movie could have lived without.
P.S….
Even after all these decades watching action flicks, this might actually be the very first Vietnamese martial arts movie that I’ve ever seen.
lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible
