Vietnamese-American Johnny Tri Nguyen (C) with four Thai actors in the poster for his latest feature – the Thai action flick ‘Power Kids’

Vietnamese-American film star, Johnny Tri Nguyen appeared on Thai cinema screens last week as a bad guy pitted against five pint size Muay Thai experts.

One of them has a bad heart but the hospital where he can get a transplant is controlled by a terrorist group, whose leader is played by Nguyen, the male star in Dong mau anh hung (The Rebel) - a Vietnamese box office hit in 2006.

So there are plenty of opportunities for the Vietnamese-American actor and the young Thai good-guys to fight it out.

Nguyen said at first he was fearful that the children might not be strong enough to perform all the flying kicks and somersaults in the film, “but then I realized they’re so good at martial arts.

“The children are like little Tony Jaa, [the Thai martial arts powerhouse vying to be the next Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan or Jet Li].”

Highlights include a boy flying knees-first at Johnny’s head and smashing through a pane of glass.

Johnny said during the filming, he thought the director of Haa Huajai [Krissanapong Rachata] was “the father and I was the brother of those kids.”

He was offered a role in the film when he went to Thailand for the release of the 2006 martial art film Tom Yum Goong, which starred him and Thai action film star, Jaa.

Nguyen’s returning Vietnam for a local action and romance feature to be filmed next month, he said.

Reported by Viet Phuong