The Vietnamese anthology film series, Lật Mặt, known in America as Face Off, has just released its sixth installment, Face Off 6: The Ticket of Destiny. The groundbreaking franchise is helmed by husband and wife duo director Lý Hải and producer Minh Hà.
Each film has broken records globally, creating an international buzz for Vietnam in a way that has never been done before. The first film, made in 2015, was the number three movie of the year, grossing 3 million dollars in the US. In this thrilling movie, Khai and Thang, two diamond miners, uncover three valuable rough diamonds they are forced to share with their boss, Dung, and his wanderer group. However, Dung schemes to take all the diamonds by plotting the murder of Khai and Thang, which is where chaos ensues. The movie turns into a series of wild events that unravels into a climactic showdown, AKA face-off.
This is the theme that ties these films together. The idea for a film anthology series, each with a new cast, has never been done before, and it has made the franchise the most successful to come out of Vietnam. While Hải and Hà plan to roll out a few more installments in the next couple of years, right now, the focus is on number six, which was released only in theaters in the US on May 26.
Face Off 6: The Ticket of Destiny follows the theme of over-the-top scenarios revealed through an escalating series of events. This time, the movie centers on a group of friends who make a bunch of bad decisions as they embark on a quest to claim a massive lottery jackpot. As imagined, this leads to delightful chaos and unexpected twists.
After the friend who was holding the ticket suddenly dies, the group is sent spiraling. The longtime friends who we see quickly turn on each other in a dime are all good-intentioned, revealing the underlying message that greed can get people to do some really messed up things. What sets Face Off 6 apart is its ability to seamlessly weave between multiple ideas, propelling the story into a whirlwind of increasingly ridiculous situations. What makes the film captivating is how it can challenge the audience’s perception of these characters at every turn.
For anyone unfamiliar, the Lật Mặt franchise is an excellent introduction to Vietnamese films. Face Off allows American audiences to immerse themselves in the beautiful backdrop of Vietnam while enjoying a diverse mix of zany well-rounded characters in outrageous situations that play nicely on the big screen.
All of this has me wanting to revisit the other installments. Face Off: The Studio (2016) was the year’s number-two movie, grossing $3.5 million in the US. The third, Face Off: The Imperfect Trio (2018), grossed $3.7 million in the US and was, again, the number two movie of the year in Vietnam. Face Off: The Walking Guests (2019) was the first of the franchise to really soar. Based on a group of friends who end up witnessing some “mysterious” moments, the movie made $2.7 million four days after opening in theaters. It was the number-one Vietnamese movie and the highest-grossing in the film’s history. It was the number four movie in 2019, coming in at 5.3 million dollars.
Number five, Face Off: 48H (2021), was number one at the box office in the first two opening weeks. It was the number two movie in Vietnam in 2021, banking $7 million. The film became the top 10 highest at the box office in Vietnam of all time. It earned Lý Hải the Global Action Director Award at the Asan Chungmugong International Action Film Festival. It’s no wonder the sixth installment held the record for the most admissions sold pre-launch, coming in at 120,000 tickets. Lật Mặt 6: Tấm Vé Định Mệnh is now the third highest-grossing Vietnamese film of all time.
Face Off 6: The Ticket of Destiny is a testament to Lý Hải and Minh Hà and their place in the international community as groundbreaking filmmakers. After cementing their status in Vietnam as rising stars, repeatedly proving they have the formula for success, they continue their streak as they make their foray into the US market. The films are a treat for US audiences, giving cinephiles a delicious taste of what Vietnam movie-making offers.
Face Off 6: The Ticket of Destiny is in theaters now. Click here for tickets.
The film stars Quoc Cuong, Trung Dung, Huy Khanh, Kim Hai, Huynh Thi Diep Bao Ngoc, Tu Tri, Ta Lam, and Quynh Nhu.
Watch our interview with the filmmakers below:
