News
Johnny Tri Nguyen: Filmmakers must find creative freedom within historical contexts
Báo Tuổi Trẻ
27/08/2026
16:19
For Johnny Tri Nguyen, "The Guardian: The Mystery of King Dinh's Tomb" is not just a large-scale feature film, but also an experiment in storytelling that blends history and martial arts with a distinct Vietnamese identity.
Johnny Trí Nguyễn "cân trọn" 2 vai trò trong Hộ linh tráng sĩ: Bí ẩn mộ vua Đinh - Ảnh: LAN HƯƠNG
As of 11:00 PM on August 26, "The Guardian: The Mystery of King Dinh's Tomb" grossed over 1 billion VND for the day, bringing its total box office revenue to over 4.24 billion VND—a figure still far from the break-even point. After two days of early screenings, the film has received mixed reviews and some disappointment from audiences. Johnny Tri Nguyen accepts these results with a positive attitude, as for an artist like him, box office revenue is not the sole measure of a film's value.
In "The Guardian: The Mystery of King Dinh's Tomb," Johnny Tri Nguyen takes on two crucial roles: he is both the Right General (Huu Tuong Quan) and the film's action director. According to Johnny, the opening siege sequence and the final scene were the most "exhausting" parts to edit. The siege scene took about a month and a half to complete, while the final scene was time-consuming due to the complex action sequences occurring across different spaces, each with its own rhythm and emotional tone.
Despite pouring so much effort into the action sequences, Johnny Tri Nguyen admits that upon watching the final cut, he still identified many things he wished he had done better. To him, this is a common state of mind for an artist, because "an artist never says they are satisfied with everything."
Regarding revenue, Johnny Tri Nguyen believes that an artist's success does not necessarily have to be measured in money. The audience's appreciation for the film, the role, or the character is what he values most.
"Before making a film, I don't prioritize the financial aspect. What matters is the audience's enjoyment. When the audience expresses their love for a film or a character within it, that is the true success of an artist," Johnny Tri Nguyen shared.
Hộ linh tráng sĩ: Bí ẩn mộ vua Đinh nhận về nhiều lời khen chê ngay sau khi ra mắt - Ảnh: ĐPCC
Nevertheless, he admits he still hopes for better box office performance because, looking at the bigger picture, the results can impact the opportunities for future historical projects.
Johnny Tri Nguyen believes that a commercially successful historical film can pave the way for more works in the same genre. He draws a parallel to how hit comedies or horror films can set the next production trends. For him, "The Guardian" is therefore viewed with a significance that goes beyond mere revenue.
"The Guardian" had early screenings starting on the evening of August 25. By the morning of August 26, social media was quickly flooded with mixed feedback. Alongside praise for the action sequences, many viewers expressed disappointment regarding the script, the editing pace, and the actors' delivery of dialogue.
Phim hiện đã cán mốc 4 tỉ đồng doanh thu sau 2 ngày chiếu sớm - Ảnh: ĐPCC
Johnny Tri Nguyen says he has read some of the audience's feedback and believes that praise and criticism are inevitable. "If expectations for a film are too high, it is very easy to encounter things that don't align with those expectations. That is also a risk for 'The Guardian,' as the film is being highly anticipated," he noted.
Johnny Tri Nguyen has always been passionate about creating martial arts films with a strong Vietnamese identity. So, with "The Guardian," has he achieved that? The actor affirms that one of the most important aspects of the film is the experiment in building a martial arts style with a Vietnamese identity. From the opening siege scene, the crew chose a realistic approach rather than incorporating the familiar wire-fu and magical techniques seen in Chinese martial arts films.
"Our martial arts are practical. They have specific techniques; they aren't flashy or ornamental. We see many Chinese martial arts techniques that look beautiful for performance, but applying them in real combat is different," Johnny Tri Nguyen explained.
According to him, every film industry has its own way of expressing action. China, Hong Kong, and Thailand have all established their own marks. Therefore, Vietnamese cinema needs to find its own language instead of continuing to follow existing models.
Johnny Tri Nguyen observes that Vietnamese cinema still has many historical stories yet to be explored, where historical gaps can become material for filmmakers to innovate.
Johnny Trí Nguyễn kỳ vọng có thêm nhiều phim lịch sử Việt Nam trong thời gian tới sau Hộ linh tráng sĩ - Ảnh: ĐPCC
Creativity in historical films still needs to be based on research into the era, human life, and the social setting. Elements already recorded by history must be respected, while the way stories are constructed between events can be expanded through a cinematic lens.
Johnny Tri Nguyen calls this "creative freedom within a historical space." This is also why he views history as a vast source of material for Vietnamese cinema. "That is exactly what makes historical stories more compelling. The gold mine of Vietnamese cinema lies right there," he concluded.
RELATED NEWS
