Air Deathmatch: From Real Life to Vietnamese Action Movie

The actors all acted very well with their eyes in the movie - Photo: Producer

It's real life and part of the setting of Skyfall , the action movie inspired by a true story.

Death battle in peacetime

The hijackings in 1977 and 1978 were chosen to be depicted in the film Deathmatch in the Sky , especially the 1978 incident was chosen as the main storyline. The film shows the wars in peacetime, when the people and the young aviation industry, the security forces in Vietnam had to face danger in the sky.

It is not only a confrontation between different goals, but also a confrontation between those who have lost faith and those who still believe in the future of the country - an important message that the film tries to portray through the fate and dialogue of many characters.

"Just because you lose faith doesn't mean this country has no future" - the message is firmly delivered through the dialogue of guard Binh (played by Thanh Son).

'Death Battle in the Air' is not just a plane hijacking, but a battle between those who have lost faith and those who still believe - Photo: DPCC

Throughout the journey of the hijackers including Long (Thai Hoa), Suu (Bao Dinh), Dan (Ray Nguyen), and Ti (Vo Dien Gia Huy) threatening and attacking the flight crew, confronting the guards, and controlling the passengers, the audience experienced 118 minutes of "tense tension", to the point that many people literally felt suffocated.

The action scenes and sequences take place continuously and last for a long time, with breaks but still full of suspense and excitement.

Many action scenes take place in narrow and repetitive settings such as the flight attendant's cabin, passenger compartment, cockpit... but are still designed to be diverse, not boring with many different fighting styles and different life-and-death situations.

Through the direction of director Ham Tran, most of the large cast (more than 10 people in the main cast alone) have had their acting skills raised compared to their own in other films. The big difference in Sky Deathmatch compared to many Vietnamese films is that everyone acts very well with their eyes, showing that they have deeply delved into their characters and have strong "chemistry" with their co-stars.

Thai Hoa, who has the most extensive and diverse experience in Vietnamese cinema, also has an impressive villain role in his career.

Long makes many viewers feel disgusted with the way he tortures others to satisfy his animalistic desires as an interrogator in the old government.

The delivery of the dialogue is sometimes a bit harsh as the threats are almost whispered but it suits the character as he always wants to strike fear into people.

Acting with Thai Hoa from beginning to end, young actor Bao Dinh (as Suu, Long's son) left a deep impression with the image of a son who is the opposite of his father, still has a bit of kindness but is pushed by circumstances.

Thanh Son and Loi Tran (as Hai) were excellent, exuding the aura of a pillar man - one of the flight security force, one of his family. Tram Anh acted well in the torture scenes. Vo Dien Gia Huy was both scary and pitiful... Many other actors left an impression despite the short time.

In the film, the three characters of Loi Tran, Thai Hoa, Thanh Son constantly confront each other - Photo: Producer

Suu (Bao Dinh) in a scene threatening flight attendant Trinh (Kaity Nguyen) - Photo: Producer

Sky Deathmatch brings together a cast of main characters with fairly equal screen time and roles, so there isn't a clear main role or a character that is the complete focus.

The film is in the action genre and is very loyal to the genre, focusing on tension and drama so there are no emotional moments that make you cry, but as long as the audience can sympathize with the character, that is a success.

Besides, if there weren't the comedy of the age-gap couple (played by Tieu Bao Quoc and Thien Tu) to help ease the most tense moments, the audience might not be able to stand it. The creative team struggled to keep these two characters in the film.

Peace for the sky of the Fatherland

The DC-4 plane model in the movie was built almost 1:1 in scale with the real plane, designed to match the period, color, cabin size and especially has the ability to be flexibly disassembled to serve different shooting angles.

To have the most realistic setting, the crew received a lot of support from the Ministry of Public Security and other agencies.

It can be said that without the participation of state cinema and state agencies, films like Sky Deathmatch would be difficult to produce in Vietnam or would require a lot of effort, which would be difficult to compensate for with revenue.

In Deathmatch in the Air , the historical context and archetypes are briefly mentioned at the beginning and end of the film but have the power to inspire viewers to learn more about real-life hijackings and the reasons behind them. Then they will appreciate more the life in peacetime, a prosperous consumer society, people can rise up by their abilities and the safe and convenient flights of the country today.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/tu-chien-tren-khong-tu-doi-thuc-den-phim-hanh-dong-viet-3376893.html