LOCAL TALENT: A scene in 'Thanh Sói' (Pain Changes People), an action drama about a female gangster by Ngô Thanh Vân, one of the country’s few female film directors. Photo courtesy of Studio68.

By Thu Anh

HCM CITY — Thanh Sói (Pain Changes People), an action drama by movie star, director and producer Ngô Thanh Vân of HCM City, will open in cinemas during the New Year holiday.

The film is the sequel to Hai Phượng (Furie), a blockbuster by director Lê Văn Kiệt in 2019.

Hai Phượng is about Hai Phượng (played by Vân), a former gangster, who tries to live a quiet life in the countryside with her daughter. Things change when the girl is kidnapped and Phượng starts a journey to save her daughter.

The film earned VNĐ200 billion (US$8.6 million) in its first month of release in Việt Nam.

It was distributed in the US by Well Go USA Entertainment, screening in 600 cinemas in Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, San Jose, Portland, Seattle, and New York. It was also distributed on the streaming service Netflix.

In the sequel, Thanh Sói, a new leader of the gang named Thanh Sói replaces Hai Phượng. The gangster’s tragic life before entering the gang is highlighted.

The film features fashion model Đồng Ánh Quỳnh as Thanh Sói. Quỳnh overcame more than 300 candidates in casting to earn her biggest movie role.

DEADLY BEAUTY: Fashion model Đồng Ánh Quỳnh plays a lead role in 'Thanh Sói' (Pain Changes People), an action drama about a female gangster, which will open in cinemas over the New Year holiday. Photo courtesy of Studio68.

“Ngô Thanh Vân has a lot of experience in the industry. She performed in Hollywood films and has worked with talented Vietnamese and foreign film directors. I believe her film, Thanh Sói, will be the best work of its kind in Việt Nam,” said 27-year-old Quỳnh. “I hope my role in Thanh Sói will meet the taste of moviegoers.”

Movie actress, director and producer Vân began her career in 2004 with a leading role in Rouge, a 13-part TV series produced by international channel MTV Asia after spending years in music and on the catwalk.

Vân performed in several films and TV shows before becoming a director and producer. Her first movie as a producer was the comedy film Ngày Nảy Ngày Nay (Once Upon A Time), a co-production between the artist and her partner, Vietnamese-Canadian director Cường Ngô, in 2015.

Another blockbuster directed by Vân is Tấm Cám-Chuyện Chưa Kể (Tấm Cám - The Untold Story), a fantasy work based on a fairy tale known as the Vietnamese version of Cinderella.

The film was released in 37 cinema complexes in Hà Nội, HCM City and provinces, earning more than VNĐ70 billion ($3.1 million) in ticket sales in 2016.

Vân’s latest work, Trạng Tí (Child Master), was based on Vietnamese folk stories and was released last year. She spent VNĐ43 billion ($1.85 million) on the production.

In the sequel, Thanh Sói, Vân decided to back away from acting to perfect herself as a director and producer.

“My staff from Studio68 worked hard to complete the post-production. We hope our film will entertain audiences during the New Year holiday,” said Vân, owner of Studio68, one of the region’s private entertainment agencies.

Thanh Sói will debut on December 30. — VNS