Director: Le Thanh Son
Starring: Thanh Van Ngo and Johnny Nguyen
****
Le Thanh Son makes a striking debut impact in the Vietnamese action film Clash, about expert mercenary and devoted mother Trinh (Van Ngo) who is forced to use all of her skill and knowledge to complete a series of tasks to save the life of her young daughter.
She enlists the help of a fellow soldier of fortune, Quan (Nguyen), who becomes sympathetic to her cause and agrees to help her. The pair embark on a violent and blood-spattered journey together, and as Trinh becomes closer to being reunited with her daughter, she also becomes closer to her new partner.
A fine action film with plenty of spectacular set pieces, slick direction and an unusually strong female lead for this genre. The filmmaker also takes full advantage of the impressive Vietnamese landscapes, with parts of the film looking far more impressive than the micro-budget would suggest.
The style and swagger are backed up with a storyline that is engaging throughout the running time, although the pace does slow down midway through the film, causing it to feel uneven at times. Nevertheless, this is an impressive all-out actioner that fans of films such as Jason Statham's Transporter trilogy will adore.