Highbinders (2003)
"The Medallion" (original title)

A Hong Kong detective suffers a fatal accident involving a mysterious medallion and is transformed into an immortal warrior with superhuman powers.

Director:

Gordon Chan

Writers:

Alfred Cheung (story), Bennett Davlin,

Stars:

Jackie Chan, Lee Evans, Claire Forlani

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jackie Chan	...	Eddie Yang
Lee Evans	...	Arthur Watson
Claire Forlani	...	Nicole James
Julian Sands	...	Snakehead
John Rhys-Davies	...	Cmdr. Hammerstock-Smythe
Anthony Wong Chau-Sang	...	Lester (as Anthony Wong)
Christy Chung	...	Charlotte Watson
Johann Myers	...	Giscard
Alex Bao	...	Jai (as Alexander Bao)
Siu-Ming Lau	...	Antiquerium Dealer (as Lau Siu Ming)
Diana C. Weng	...	Undercover Woman (as Diana Weng)
Chow Pok Fu	...	High Priest
Tat-kwong Chan	...	Monk
Wai Cheung Mak	...	Monk (as Mak Wai Cheung)
Anthony Carpio	...	Guard Monk

Storyline

Eddie, an indomitable Hong Kong cop, is transformed into an immortal warrior with superhuman powers after a fatal accident involving a mysterious medallion. Eddie enlists the help of British Interpol agent Nicole to determine the secret of the medallion and face down the evil Snakehead who wants to use its magical powers for his own nefarious plans.

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Plot Keywords:

medallion | warrior | hong kong | interpol | superhuman speed | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Action | Fantasy | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for action violence and some sexual humor

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [hk] Sony Pictures [us]

Country:

Hong Kong USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 August 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Highbinders

Filming Locations:

Dublin Castle, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

$41,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$130,927 (Japan) (18 June 2004)

Gross:

$130,927 (Japan) (18 June 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Emperor Multimedia Group (EMG), Golden Port Productions Ltd., Living Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to tour guides at Dublin Castle in Ireland, Jackie Chan hopped onto the throne during filming of Highbinders. This made him the first person to sit on the throne since King George V.

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Goofs

Interpol has no investigative branch/field agents. The investigative police of the European Union is called Europol. Interpol solely compiles and distributes intelligence gathered by local and federal EU member state police agencies, much like the US NSA, except the NSA has field agents to also gather information and investigate crimes.

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Quotes

[Looking at his own corpse]
Eddie Yang: Is my nose really that big?

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Crazy Credits

Outtakes from the film are shown during the closing credits, ending with a shot of Eddie and Nicole flying through the air away from the castle.

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Connections

References Lee Evans: So What Now? (2001)

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Soundtracks

"Twist and Shout"
Written by Bert Russell & Phil Medley
Performed by Andy Summers y Los Musicos

User Reviews

Too Painful to Watch, Too Loud to Sleep Through

In 3 words, awful, awful, awful.

I began watching Jackie Chan movies because it was SO cool that anyone could move like that. He didn't need the stuntmen, he didn't need the CGI, he was just that good. Plus, his movies had a sense of humor that was subtle enough to be funny without feeling you were being hit in the head with a 2x4.

And now this travesty of a movie. The action scenes? CGI'd up to the point that Ben Affleck could pull 'em off. The comedy? Lame, and forced.

As I sat in shell-shocked silence at the end of the movie (having tried desperately yet unsuccessfully several times throughout to go to sleep), all I could wonder is, what was Jackie Chan thinking? :(