Weinstein Co. nabs 'Rebel' rights

Vietnamese action drama drums up interest

By PATRICK FRATER

'The Rebel' tells the tale of a French government agent who ends up siding with the Vietnamese insurgents he's sent to sniff out.

The Weinstein Co. has acquired rights to action drama "Dong mau anh hung" ("The Rebel"), one of the biggest Vietnamese films of all time.

TWC acquired video rights in six English-language territories including North America, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Lensed in Vietnamese and French by helmer Charlie Nguyen, pic was produced on a record-breaking budget of $3 million by Chanh Phuong Phim and Cinema Pictures.

In a country with fewer than 200 movie theaters, "The Rebel" sold a boffo 400,000 tickets and grossed Dong 12 billion ($750,000).

Set in the French-occupied Vietnam of the 1920s, the action-heavy story focuses on an agent who is sent to sniff out resistance movements but ends up siding with the rebels. Film stars Johnny Nguyen, Thanh Van Ngo and Stephane Gauger.