The Rebel (2007)

Truly Dreadful Film

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Until the turn of the century, the martial arts subgenre was mostly dominated by Hong Kong & Japanese cinema. The 21st century saw the advent of Thailand film industry as it made its mark on the global stage with instant classics like Ong-bak & Tom-Yum-Goong.The next one to follow suit was the Vietnamese film industry that brought its own martial arts to mainstream cinema with this very feature though it never attained the success of its Thai counterparts. Nevertheless, The Rebel is a welcome entry in the world of martial arts filmmaking.Set in French-occupied Vietnam, the story follows a Vietnamese agent who works for the French but is struggling with his allegiance. After learning of a sinister plot to capture the leader of the rebellion, he helps his daughter in escaping from her captivity, and eventually finds a cause that's worth fighting for.Co-written & directed by Charlie Nguyen, the 1920s Vietnam setting is recreated in fine detail and the dark, desaturated colour palette aptly captures the mood of that era but the drama isn't entirely compelling, for there are missing ingredients in the script, not to mention that the romantic subplot is overplayed as well.The action choreography exhibits a charged intensity and is often captivating but given the environment its story takes place in, it also feels a bit out of place. Still, it's hard to take the eyes off screen when the characters are engaged in a combat. The leading actors play their dramatic part well, the villain has an aura of mystery about him and he's almost a show-stealer.On an overall scale, The Rebel combines the elements of period drama, action & romance into one patriotic thriller but it fails to connect with the global audience on the emotional scale. The action segments provide a burst of energy every now n then but the story fails to keep up with that and required better pace & editing. The Rebel isn't memorable but it offers a glimpse of untapped talent Vietnamese cinema has in store.

The Rebel is a slam-bang martial arts romp that has pretty much everything you want in a cinematic experience. Excitement, romance, escapes, betrayals and much much more all jammed into just over an hour and a half of breakneck pacing. Set in the seldom used backdrop of France's colonization of Vietnam, the film starts off almost immediately with a chaotic assassination setpiece and doesn't let up from there. The characters are believable and I held a rooting interest for them throughout the running time of the film. Some of the action is so fast-paced and so well-choreographed that you'd swear these crazy guys were fighting for realsies. If you're looking for your daily fix of action, look no further than The Rebel.

Imagine the action of Ong Bak combined with a good story about the french occupation of Vietnam in the 1920's and you will get a feel for the film "The Rebel" starring Johnny Nguyen and Veronica Ngo. Nguyen stars as an agent taking out his own country's people that are fighting for freedom but eventually has a change of heart. This movie has hard hitting and acrobatic fight scenes similar to what we have seen coming out of Thailand recently. What's surprising here is that the story, acting, and cinematography are just as impressive as the fight scenes. You actually care what happens to these characters. This film marks an impressive debut for Veronica Ngo. You would never know that she had no martial arts background before preparing for this role. Very reminiscent of a young Michelle Yeoh. Johnny Nguyen is impressive in the lead as well. You may recognize him from the Tony Jaa film "The Protector aka Tom Yum Goong". "The Rebel" is both beautiful and brutal in the best way possible. Highly recommended.

Action movies generally can't deliver much in the story department. So even a slight/slim story as shown here, that is decent enough is a pretty good deal. A good one to watch and enjoy so to speak. The main actors do their dramatic parts convincingly enough and the action scenes are pretty good too (which of course it the main selling point here too).You might recognize the main actor here from other movies. Especially if you have watched a few Thai action movies. He's doing a great job here, being likable, even when he shouldn't be the one to cheer for. This movie delivers on it's premise, the only question that remains, does this premise suit your taste?