Vietnamese crime-solving films make an impression.

As of the afternoon of May 7th, director Victor Vũ's film 'Detective Kien: The Headless Case' had grossed over 154.7 billion VND in just 8 days of release (according to statistics from the independent box office revenue tracking unit Box Office Vietnam) and is heading towards the 200 billion VND mark.

The film – considered the first Vietnamese historical crime-solving film on the big screen – surpassed director Victor Vũ's highest-grossing film, * Mắt Biếc* (Blue Eyes), released in 2019, which grossed 180 billion VND. Building on this success, the director has planned a sequel.

Quoc Huy (playing Detective Kien) and Dinh Ngoc Diep (Hai Man) in the film Detective Kien: The Headless Case.

Photo: DPCC

Victor Vũ created an atmosphere of mystery that permeated the entire film, unfolding a captivating plot with many surprises, constantly drawing the audience into Detective Kiên's (Quốc Huy) journey to solve the case after Hai Mẫn (Đinh Ngọc Diệp) asked him to investigate the disappearance of her niece, Nga (Minh Anh). The film becomes increasingly suspenseful towards the end as the disparate pieces begin to piece together into a clear whole. Instead of revealing the killer's identity and resolving the story at the climax, Victor Vũ dedicates the remainder of the film to dissecting the motives, consequences, and connections to each person's past crimes.

The uniqueness is further demonstrated by the fact that all the characters could be connected to the case, such as Hai Man, Mr. Vinh (Nga's father), Thac, Tuyet, Tuyet's parents (the official Liem and his wife, Mrs. Vuong), Teacher Tinh - the most mysterious person in the village, Dong (the isolated resident), Mui (Mrs. Vuong's maid)... allowing the audience to speculate freely, and each person will follow Kien's investigation process while interpreting the story according to their own imagination.

In addition, the enchanting beauty of Vietnam's landscapes, along with the vivid portrayal of traditional costumes, lifestyles, and customs of the old Northern region, also contribute significantly to keeping viewers engaged.

Although some fans of crime-solving films believe that Detective Kien's story isn't "intense enough" compared to famous international works, it's undeniable that Victor Vu has created a crime-solving film with a distinctly Vietnamese identity and one that suits the tastes of domestic audiences. He shared: "This might be the first historical detective film in Vietnamese cinema that combines spiritual and horror elements, a relatively new genre. I'm very happy to receive positive feedback from the audience. If the audience likes the film and likes Quoc Huy's character, Detective Kien, then I will continue my crime-solving journey in the future. When making films, I don't focus too much on revenue; what's more important is how the audience feels the story I want to tell, whether my work touches them or not. That emotion could be suspense, emotion, fear, and a strong impression on the audience."

The strong impressions from the first film show that Vietnamese crime-solving films have great potential to attract audiences, especially as familiar genres like horror and family dramas are showing signs of saturation.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/phim-pha-an-viet-tao-dau-an-185250507200316721.htm