“The Search for Ambergris” - An eye-catching action film of Vietnamese cinema

Vietnamese action films currently account for a very small percentage of films shown in theaters, and good films are even rarer. In 2025, after the success of “Fight to the Death in the Sky”, “Search for Ambergris” (currently showing in theaters nationwide) by director Nguyen Minh Chien is a highly rated action film, satisfying audiences with beautiful footage, realistic scenes, and clear messages.

Movie poster.

“Searching for Ambergris” is set in a coastal fishing village in Binh Thuan in 2000. There is a Whale Temple here, especially in the temple there is a block of Ambergris - a waxy substance created from the digestive system of whales, which is very valuable. Many bad guys who wanted to take the treasure were chased away by the villagers. Tam's family was assigned to guard the temple since his father's time and now Tam (Quang Tuan) is the one who takes over. Tam's younger brother Tuan (Ma Ran Do) due to gambling debt stole Ambergris to sell. Tam and Hoang (Hoang Toc Dai) chase Tuan to the city. They clash with Cuong Lieu's gang (Doan Quoc Dam) and have fierce battles to win the treasure. When everything seems to be over, the final boss is revealed, a decisive battle takes place in the fishing village with one side wanting to take over Ambergris and the other side determined to protect the treasure to the end.

The film is a breathtaking and humorous adventure, giving viewers an exciting journey. Action is the main element, so throughout the film there are thrilling and tense action scenes. The setting is constantly changing: from along the coast to the market, in the warehouse, chasing on the road; from hand-to-hand combat to melee... In particular, the action scenes do not abuse special effects, and the camera angles are clear, so even though there are many people, the audience can still recognize each character without being confused. In charge of the martial arts is the Action C group - a group famous for making short films and action comedies - so the fighting scenes are very smooth. Many scenes are highly cinematic and entertaining.

The film's pace is fast, concise, easy to understand, the story's development is layered and has small surprises, enough to create drama and push the climax to be more attractive later. Interspersed with the action scenes are gentle, graceful humorous situations, helping to balance the film's flow. In addition, the story is imbued with the breath of the sea and the custom of worshiping Whale, the Whale Festival - spiritual cultural features that help the fishing village people have more faith in peace in the midst of the storms of the sea.

The brotherhood between Tam and Tuan from the rift to the reconciliation as well as Tuan's repentance and repentance took place in a process and convinced the audience about the character's psychological transformation. The message about solidarity and the villagers' efforts to make a living was also conveyed clearly and reasonably.

The main and supporting actors all fully embodied their characters. In particular, Quang Tuan, who specializes in horror films, is now very suitable for the role when switching to action. Besides his natural and rustic acting, he tried very hard to perform martial arts well, satisfying the audience.

Without telling a big story, “The Search for Ambergris” uses the protection of treasures to convey simple but valuable things. That is brotherhood, neighborly love, and timely forgiveness and repentance will lead to better new beginnings.

Cat Dang

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/-truy-tim-long-dien-huong-phim-hanh-dong-man-nhan-cua-dien-anh-viet-a193908.html