This is an unexpected turn for Jackie
Chan - dour, downbeat and allowing himself to look his age. I expected this
is to be a Hong Kong Taken but it gets much more convoluted than that and
at times loses its focus. Chan plays an aggrieved father whose daughter is
killed right at the beginning of the film by of all things Irish terrorists
and he wants to see justice done. When the wheels of justice turn much too
slowly, he decides to take matters into his own hands - but in a really psychotic
glum unexpressive manner. No trademark Jackie smiles or goofball antics.
Serious from start to finish. He still shows his martial arts chops and there
is enough action to keep the film moving but it takes a while to get there.
It is as much a political thriller as an action film.
The concept of an older man going full
tilt into action doesn’t feel quite so odd after the Taken films, but this
is actually based on a book by Stephen Leather titled The Chinaman written
in 1992. The film follows the plot fairly closely but I don’t think the Jackie
Chan character is quite as old. Jackie is Quan, a Vietnamese man who runs
a restaurant in London. Bent over a bit, huffs and puffs a bit – not exactly
an action hero. But when his daughter is killed he goes back into action
mode. Turns out back in the day he had training as an assassin from both
the Viet Cong and the Americans.
He still remembers it and puts it into
practice. He focuses on a now established member of the government who used
to be part of the IRA (Pierce Brosnan) to harass. By harass I mean bomb.
It all escalates as the Brosnan character keeps sending men to get him and
then explodes into “He is an old Chinese man! What is wrong with you men”
But the old Chinese man is Jackie Chan. It is absurd on many levels - at
one point Jackie realizes that he is out of shape and spends about one day
working out. That is all he needs to go into the woods and turn into Rambo.
Directed by Martin Campbell who has Casino Royale, Golden Eye and The Legend
of Zorro on his resume. This isn’t up in that neighborhood but he does a
good job with what he has.
