Jackie Chan seems like a nice guy doesn’t he?
He hasn’t exactly solidified that ‘bad boy’ image that’s for sure! Well, in this Sammo Hung directed film, Jackie plays ‘Jackie’, a guy living in Australia who is known to most of the people around him as… well, a nice guy.
Oh, and he’s a famous cook on TV! That’s bad ass.
This nice guy gets caught up in some mischief as a young reporter is filming a drug deal and is spotted by the men she’s filming. During her chase and attempt to escape they all come colliding with Jackie who reacts by defending himself and helping the woman. During their escape she switches a tape with him (without Jackie knowing) and they split up.
Naturally the cheesy bad guys want the footage back so they can stay out of the reach of law enforcement!
So they go after the tape, discover it was in Jackie’s possession and kidnap his girlfriend until he gives the tape back – only he doesn’t know where it is! Poor Jackie! So he decides to track them down and beat them up.
Because beating people up solves all of his problems 😀
Classic 90’s Jackie
You’ve seen the movies that were released in the 90’s with Jackie Chan – especially the ones targeted at English speaking Audiences. They have a certain feel about them.
This movie is no different, the comedy and every aspect of the film is very light hearted. Jackie is, well, the nice guy who doesn’t want to hurt anyone and he’s not exactly killing his opponents – just hurting them.
What a wonderful guy!
What I find a little off-putting is that the villains and gangs in these films (especially this one) are more like bumbling bad guys from an afternoon kids cartoon show. They don’t swear, they wear cheesy suits, they’re not even really that mean and they trip over themselves like a complete morons. Perfect if you’re 12 or under but it gets a bit old.
The actual unfolding of events isn’t too bad though and this film proves to be one of the better of his cheesy 90’s films as things are kept relatively interesting. The situational comedy surrounding Jackie, his girlfriend and the women around him is funny as they play on the language barrier between all of the women.
But mostly it’s the frequent action that makes it entertaining to watch.
Action and Martial Arts?
There’s some nice action in this film, but the martial arts is a bit watered down.
I’m always a little disappointed when the fight scenes are less fighting and more acrobatic techniques but only because I’m a little unhealthily obsessed with martial arts fights scenes. Seeing Richard Norton listed in the cast got me excited because of his martial arts abilities but they ultimately go unused besides a few quick flashes and fancy kicks.
But the Jackie Chan style of general action is what separates him from the rest! He puts himself in danger with his stunts – I enjoyed watching the chases in this film as he jumps from place to place and through tight spots with such precision. Even the level of timing used in some of the less physical scenes is nothing short of perfect. He’s the man!
But as mentioned earlier, this film is still better suited for kids than adults. The bumbling bad guys and silly situations take any serious edge off of the film and make it a bit silly, there’s even a gag scene in which Jackie is being chased and he’s slipping in and out of various door ways to escape – it’s all a bit silly. (How many times did I say ‘silly’?)
Jackie goes a little team ‘Hollywood’ at the end of the film though, (spoilers) driving a massive truck through a house destroying it – and being banned from filming in that area of Australia again (yeah, in the real world).
The Verdict?
Not a bad movie, but very ‘childish’ in nature. A perfect film to show young children the awesome physical abilities of Jackie Chan – despite a few drug references and adult themes.
Used to hate this movie. Thought it was Jackie’s worst. But it has recently grown on me. Prefer the similar WHO AM I? which has better action and similar female co-stars.