Coming to the cinema during the holiday of 30.4-1.5, Flip Side 8: Sun Rings by Ly Hai had a worthy competitor when Victor Vu released Detective Kien: The Unforgettable Project.
A year ago, Xuan Lan had to release "The Price of Happiness" early in March to avoid having to face Ly Hai's "Flip Side 7". It can be seen that for a long time in the film market, Ly Hai has been a name that can create overwhelm at the box office.
In the first days of release, the screening of Flip Side 8: Sun Hands was significantly more than Detective Kien: Ky an Khong trai. According to experts' predictions, the revenue of "Flip Side 8" may go far, reaching the target hundreds of billions faster than "Detective Kien: The Unforgettable Project".
However, if we consider it fairly, Detective Kien: Ky an khong dong is a new mark of Victor Vus directing skills, while Lat mat 8: Vong tay nang is a step backward for Ly Hai.
"Detective Kien: The Unforgettable Project" released in theaters amid the scope of Vietnamese films with few scripts in the investigative and crime-solving genre. This is another genre that is considered the strength and passion of director Victor Vu.
After the "fall from the horse" criticized for the script in the most recent project "The Last Wife", director Victor Vu showed more effort and hard work in the script when investing in "Detective Kien: The Unforgettable Project".
Detective Kien: The Unforgettable Project has a relatively tight and solid script. The film is invested in setting, costumes, creating a quite interesting "istorious atmosphere with ancient colors" - considered in the entire scope of Vietnamese films.
"Detective Kien" owns many beautiful camera angles. The way of storytelling creates highlights, pushes the climax, and is dramatic.
However, Detective Kien: Ky an Khong dau also has its own difficulties, when the audience has approached the investigative and solve the case genre with top-notch works of the US and Korea on digital platforms, compared to world cinema that has advanced far with this genre, the plot of Detective Kien is still somewhat predictable.
Above all, Detective Kien is a meticulous, invested work, with a new mark from the way of directing to handle Victor Vus script.
In a "opposite" position, although temporarily leading in terms of revenue and screenings (in some theaters), "Flip Side 8: Sun Hands" is considered a step backward by director Ly Hai, compared to the original "Flip Side 7".
Flip Side 8 is not only in Ly Hais safe zone, but also shows old-fashioned perspectives and old-fashioned approaches to family topics.
The film script lacks valuable details, the storytelling is somewhat cumbersome, the tragedy is pushed too much - more than necessary.
The biggest plus point of "Flip Side 8" is the natural acting of the young cast with many "amateur" faces.
"Flip Side 8: Sun Hands" also shows investment and attention to the setting.
As of the morning of May 1, according to figures from Box Office, Flip Side 8 has reached the 80 billion VND revenue mark, while Detective Kien has only earned 69 billion VND.
