Fantastic Fest 2009

Back in 2006, we were very big fans of The Rebel. With a higher budget than we had seen previously with Vietnamese action films, a great cast (including 21 Jump Street veteran Dustin Nguyen), a great story and lush cinematography, we were all hoping that this would signal an emerging Asian action powerhouse. Flash forward a couple of years and that promise seems to be coming to fruition. Dustin Nguyen has his directorial debut Monk on Fire ready to begin production, and Rebel stars Johnny Nguyen and Veronica are set to roll on The Clash. Meanwhile, Nguyen is back in front of the camera as a mentally challenged young man who might not have much book learning, but certainly excelled in his kung fu stances. Exposed to agent orange when he was an infant, he stopped mentally developing when he was ten years old, at which time he was kicked out of formal school and underwent an 8 year home-school education in one subject: kicking ass.

 

When his mother dies, he is all alone in the world and decides to return his mothers ashes to America, not fully grasping that he canít just walk and take a bus there. Along the way he meets a kindly girl who is unwittingly riding towards a world of pain, torture and humiliation in the hands of a Saigon human trafficking gang. What follows for the next hour is Dustin Nguyen breaking every dirtbag face, back and flower pot that stands in the way of saving his one and only friend in the world.

 

Nguyen is a master of multiple martial arts styles including Muay Thai, Tae Kwan Do, Kali knife fighting, Escrima and Jeet Kune Do, and he lets it all rip in The Legend is Alive. Even more amazing is how the stunted mental state of his character translates through even in the punishing fight scenes. Subtle hand positions, facial gestures and posture are all a part of his martial arts character acting technique. In the states, when a star takes on the role of a mentally disabled person, Oscars rain down from the sky. This must be one of those universal truths, because The Legend is Alive just took down five Golden Kites Awards (the Vietnamese Oscar equivalent) including Best Actor (Dustin Nguyen), Best Director (Luu Huynh), Best Cinematography, Best Score and Best Picture. (Tim League)