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Rating: ***
Genre: Jackie Chan MPAA: PG-13 for non-stop action Review #: 19 Cast: Directed by...Sammo Hung Kam-Bo Written by...Fibe Ma Written by...Edward Tang Jackie Chan...Jackie Richard Norton...Giancarlo Miki Lee...Miki Karen McLymont...Lakisha Gabrielle Fitzpatrick...Diana Vince Poletto...Romeo Barry Otto...Baggio Rachel Blakely...Sandy Joyce Godenzi...First woman catching food Sammo Hung Kam-Bo...Cyclist Robert Lowe...Giancarlo's Man David No...Victor |
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Review:
I respect Roger Ebert. I really do. I feel that he is really good at his job, and I respect the sheer number of movies that he's reviewed. I rarely agree with him, but I feel that he often makes a lot of very good points. He has said that you have to view Jackie Chan movies in the same light as all of those old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies. The plot only strings together the very choreographed dance routines, and those routines are the entire point of the movie. I completly agree with him. This movie is the finest example that I've seen so far! I've seen some of Jackie's older movies, and I must say that I like a lot of the newer ones a whole lot better. They have so much more action, and much more creativity too boot. A lot of people loved "Rumble in the Bronx", but I'd rather watch this one any day. |
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| As just about all of us know from the publicity for "Rumble in the Bronx", Jackie does all of his own stunts, and what stunts they are! Of course, the movie isn't very serious either. It seems to focus on physical comedy, and really quick jokes. The other amazing thing about Jackie Chan is that any one of the several thousand tiny stunts that he accomplishes in this movie is well beyond my physical ability, and probably yours too. Of course, Jackie is able to use a ton of energy on a throwaway stunt, such as that one with the moving bus on the left, and could probably still power a city using a human-sized hamster wheel. What is the plot? Well, it's something about a drug war, and two rival gangs who both want an incriminating video tape, or something like that. Jackie plays the ultimate TV chef, sort of a "Yan Can Kick Ass". |
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Any one of the stunts that he performs are the kind of stuff you could
expect from Van Damme or Seagal, but where a normal action hero would only
do one or two really impressive stunts, Jackie literally does several thousand.
They are also wildly creative, and it always seems like Jackie is constantly
escaping his enemies by a mixture of fighting, running, hiding, and tons
of luck. He doesn't just overpower his enemies, like most action heroes.
It's easy to see why he's called "The Clown King of Action", he really
is a just a big physical comedian. Remember that movie where Charlie Chaplin
hung onto the hands of a giant clock? It's not difficult to imagine Jackie
doing the same stunt, except that Jackie would probably by hanging from
an actual clock tower.
It's tough to not love this movie. Just sit back and grin. |
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