Clash is as blunt, kinetic and violent as its title suggests. A Vietnamese mixed martial arts action thriller, it follows Trinh (Victoria Ngo), a former prostitute who was taken out of the brothel by gangland boss Black Dragon (Hoang Phuc) and forced to carry out his criminal activities. Holding her daughter as ransom, Black Dragon commands Trinh to carry out a series of missions, for which she has to assemble a team of specialists.
Though it’s generally played straight, the film is often knowingly comic, gently mocking the tough, standard-issue action thriller genre. In that regard, as well as in the full-scale fight sequences that are joyfully inserted at seemingly random intervals in the narrative, it’s somewhat reminiscent of John Woo post-The Killer, though it lacks that director’s engagingly distinctive character. The sleek cinematography goes some way towards compensating for that lack; the steely greys and cool blues lend the visuals a pleasing accent.
There’s little distinctively Asian about Clash, and there’s certainly nothing intelligent about it. Also, the subtitles contain a number of grammatical errors and clumsy turns of phrase, which can be unintentionally funny and therefore quite distracting. But it’s not exactly the kind of film you’d watch for the dialogue. The most important thing is that the fight scenes are always impressive, and the whole thing has an enjoyable, high-octane urgency to it.
Overall Verdict: A solid martial arts actioner, probably best after a couple of beers.
Special Features:
Trailer
Reviewer: Tom René