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The film "Underworld Beauty Salon" marks Ngoc Trinh's return to the big screen as a leading actress. In the movie, she plays Thanh, a skilled surgeon despite her young age. Prioritizing her career, Thanh rejects her boyfriend's marriage proposal.
Tragedy strikes when her lover is involved in an accident. To raise enough money for the surgery, Thanh accepts an offer from a mysterious woman named Xuan (Xuan Lan) to work at a secluded beauty salon, a place reserved only for VIP clients. There, Thanh is tasked with performing surgery on a young woman whose face has been disfigured by a criminal.
From that moment on, strange events continuously surrounded her. Thanh was unaware that she was prey to a cruel plot secretly orchestrated by Mrs. Xuan.
A forgettable role
Four years after the success of "Sister Sister 2 ," Ngoc Trinh returns to the big screen as a leading actress. This time, the beauty collaborates with director Nguyen Huu Hoang on a horror-themed project. Previously, Ngoc Trinh had experience in this genre with "Duyen Ma" (Ghostly Love), a film that was considered a disaster by both audiences and critics at the time.
Returning to "Underworld Beauty Salon ," the film has a rather interesting concept, exploring the horror theme of the obsession with beauty, a trap that easily lures lost souls into extreme thoughts and actions. Unfortunately, the storytelling doesn't fully capitalize on that initial advantage.
The film opens with a young doctor being forced to a remote, isolated place – a clichéd and formulaic premise typical of horror films.
It's not just the outdated way the issue is framed. Ngoc Trinh's role is no exception.
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Ngoc Trinh plays the lead role in the film. |
Thanh's character is so vague and boring that her central role becomes a void in the script. The young doctor's personality, life, and fate are only introduced through a few pathetic and brief lines of dialogue. It's difficult to empathize with her reasons for becoming a cosmetic surgeon, or her decision to follow a stranger's advice to a desolate place full of strange occurrences.
There isn't a single moment or detail in "Underworld Beauty Salon" that convinces the audience that Thanh is a skilled doctor, as the film portrays herself. Even without her lab coat, viewers would struggle to recognize Thanh as a doctor. From her professional knowledge and skills to her reactions and communication style, the character appears bewildered and clueless, lacking the intelligence and sharpness typically associated with a highly skilled professional who prioritizes career over love.
Thanh's irrationality becomes even more apparent in the horror scenes. Since arriving at her new workplace, she has constantly encountered paranormal phenomena. Yet, a rational girl like Thanh doesn't leave, choosing to stay because she trusts the words of a strange woman, even though she had just witnessed her performing mysterious spiritual rituals.
This is also when Ngoc Trinh reveals her shortcomings in acting technique. Her performance is monotonous, instinctive, and heavily illustrative. Dozens of jump-scare scenes relentlessly "torture" the audience with wide-eyed expressions and ear-piercing screams from the actress. Ngoc Trinh maintains that same expression for half the film as a form of expressing fear. She fails to convince viewers of the character's psychological development; from confusion and surprise to fear, anxiety, and finally panic, desperation, and despair, there is no change in her emotional state.
Ngoc Trinh's weaknesses
Ngoc Trinh's roles over the years have been quite diverse. However, her performance style is completely the opposite.
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Ngoc Trinh hasn't shown much improvement in her vocal delivery. |
From the orphaned girl with the ability to see ghosts in " Sister Sister 2 ," to the ambitious prostitute in "Underworld Beauty Clinic ," if it weren't for the costumes and the information in the dialogue, the audience would probably have difficulty distinguishing them.
This illustrates that Ngoc Trinh displays an instinctive acting style in most of the projects she participates in. The beauty possesses a striking appearance, but lacks the research and in-depth exploration of the character's nature and identity to find a way to portray the role authentically and convincingly.
One of Ngoc Trinh's biggest limitations lies in her delivery. Her dialogue lacks emotion, and her voice isn't engaging or lively enough. Her delivery, which sounds like she's reciting lines from a script, lacks variation across the years and different characters. Viewers find it difficult to sense joy, innocence, anger, or fear in her delivery.
In addition, Ngoc Trinh also struggled to find the right rhythm and timing with her co-star.
In the film "Underworld Beauty Salon ," she first acted alongside the handsome actor Le Xuan Tien (playing Thuan). The fame of the two actors didn't bring about a beautiful on-screen couple; the result was completely the opposite.
The relationship between Thanh and Thuan is built through absurd and unacceptable situations. The film asserts that they deeply love each other, but cannot be together because of Thanh's career choices. However, the chemistry between Ngoc Trinh and Le Xuan Tien is almost non-existent. The couple's romantic dialogues are cheesy and awkward, like two strangers forced to act out a romantic scene.
Of course, the fault isn't entirely Ngọc Trinh's, as her co-star's acting is stiff and his dialogue lifeless. Because of this, some steamy scenes, like when the two share a kiss, feel awkward because their love lacks prior challenges and development. Furthermore, the illogical script with many plot holes makes Thanh and Thuận's relationship feel like a contrived and tiring performance.
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Ngoc Trinh's new film is facing the risk of financial loss. |
At this point, what matters to the viewers isn't whether they end up together, but when the story concludes.
From the moment she ventured into film with " Waistline 56 "—a project almost tailor-made for her own life—to the present day, Ngoc Trinh is no longer a newcomer, having accumulated nearly 10 films. However, the beauty queen continues to spark controversy due to her unimpressive acting abilities. In most projects, Ngoc Trinh is often remembered more for her striking appearance than her acting talent. This is a worrying sign for an actress who has been in the profession for a decade.
Returning to the film "Underworld Beauty Salon," after more than a week in theaters, it only managed to gross 12 billion VND – a figure that almost accurately reflects the film's quality. Given the current situation, the team faces a high risk of financial loss. This result brings Ngoc Trinh back down to earth and serves as a wake-up call for the beauty queen to seriously improve her acting skills, instead of relying solely on her fame to sell tickets.
Source: https://znews.vn/cu-soc-voi-ngoc-trinh-post1651622.html
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