A detective from Hong Kong teams up with an American gambler to battle against a notorious Chinese criminal. I have to start by saying I have a vested interest: I like breathing.<br/><br/>That said, this movie made me want to stop breathing.<br/><br/>First the two main actors have ZERO chemistry, in fact some scenes look like the are blue screening against each other and it was filmed with each actor in a different country. It really is that bad. Jackie is also looking a little 'tired' - when you see a 62 year old Grandfather in an action movie lead; a little bit of hero status gets chipped away. As for Knoxy, he too was looking a little jaded at 45 he is beginning to look more like 'Max Headroom' (UK Channel 4).<br/><br/>The plot, well, if you take a scene from all JC's movies in the last 20 years, then you get the exact plot of this movie. Only this one is sooooo much worse.<br/><br/>The Director, not wanting to blaspheme and also be sued for libel. I must say the director had plopsy slopsy to work with, but he even made a pigs ear of that.<br/><br/>Even the costumes were clunky and cliché - not purposeful.<br/><br/>Jackie, I have to say you are a hero of mine, please don't do this, you have more to loose than the other starlets or desperados in this movie; I am sorry Jackie, but I cannot lie. Please be true to yourself.<br/><br/>Other than that perhaps this movie could be used as a training exercise…<br/><br/>I only hope that someone was able to retire on the back of that. I have to say, I was shocked to see Renny Harlin's name pop up in the credits, who's best film was, in my opinion, Cliffhanger but is also know for Die Hard 2, Long Kiss Goodnight and Deep Blue Sea. He didn't quit after those, but slowly slipped off the big name notice board in recent years, hence my shock seeing him directing Chan the Man. <br/><br/>I can't help but think Harlin received a lot of creative input from Chan and co, having a strong, distinct Hong Kong cinema feel. However the opening credits is something Guy Ritchie would do, thinking it's more of a show-off instead of suiting the film. I found that a lot with Harlin's films. <br/><br/>I grew up watching Jackie Chan films and I absolutely idolise the man, but, I hate to say it, Jackie appears to lose some of his magic in Rush Hour 3 back in 2007, though Forbidden Kingdom and the rebooted Karate Kid restored my faith, and I have yet to see Police Story 2013. He's not as fast as he once was, he's 62 now, but even though a lot of the action sequences here are copies from a lot of his previous movies, he's still Jackie Chan and delivers the goods. <br/><br/>It's a clichéd storyline of struck-off cop Chan hooking up with gambler low-life, Knoxville in order to catch the bad guy. Johnny Knoxville another man who's not afraid to perform his own stunts. He's come a long way since performing daring pranks in Jackass to now sharing the screen with greats like Dwayne Johnson, Schwarzenegger and now Jackie. I wonder if he looks back thinking "wow" there I was drinking Preston's sweat and boom! <br/><br/>The action isn't always consistent going from being quite impressive to being mediocre and poor, again, a trait I associate with Harlin. The fight sequences mimic a lot of Jackie's slapstick fighting style. But the acting overall is quite terrible, Knoxville being the only believable character here. His wit is actually quite funny and refreshing. <br/><br/>There's some nice touches and funny scenes like the bowling alley and Jackie singing Adele! But a lot of it is silly and totally out of sync, rushing around faster than Jackie's stunt team. however looked like a lot of fun. It even includes Jackie's trademark outtakes at the end credits. <br/><br/>Unfortunately, Harlin doesn't let me down and does what is expected, a film with some great ideas and potential that fails to impress. Not even Jackie Chan's masterful Kung Fu and Knoxville's quick-fire sarcasm can save this film. Still, it's entertaining, brainless fun but certainly not one of Jackie's best, ever. <br/><br/>Running Time: 6 The Cast: 6 Performance: 4 Direction: 5 Story: 5 Script: 5 Creativity: 6 Soundtrack: 5 Job Description: 4 The Extra Bonus Points: 0<br/><br/>46% 5/10 Chan’s English-language dialogue occasionally comes across a bit muffled, but his body language rarely fails to connect. Knoxville thrashes about in a fairly undisciplined manner, but succeeds in providing a sizeable share of the comic relief.
Zengran replied
372 weeks ago