Vietnamese action flick to hit US cinemas

According to Ly Hai, director of the movie, taking his brainchild to international audiences has been a long term plan.

Previously, "Lat Mat 5: 48h" earned VND120 billion ($5.23 million) within 10 days after its domestic release in April. It is set in the Mekong Delta region where a family tries to escape from a gang that is chasing them.

A still from "Lat Mat 5: 48h". Photo by Le Tuan.

The movie has earned kudos from Vietnamese cinema goers thanks to its flight scenes. Ly Hai takes advantage of all types of terrain in the film to set up fights between characters. He even used explosives to sink a ship on set.

"Lat Mat 5: 48h" is the fifth movie in the "Lat Mat" series, including "Lat Mat" (Face Off) in 2015, "Lat Mat 2: Phim Truong" (Face Off 2: Film Studio) in 2016, and "Lat Mat 3: Ba Chang Khuyet" (Face Off 3: Three Disabled Men) in 2018.

The fourth sequel of Hai's series was a horror comedy, screened at 11 cinemas in the States, home to a large Vietnamese community.

Many Vietnamese movies have recently been introduced to international audiences. "Bo Gia" (Dad, I'm Sorry), a drama directed by Vu Ngoc Dang and Ly Hai, became the first Vietnamese film to collect $1 million in the U.S. two weeks after its release.