Once again, Jackie Chan shows why he is truly a master of martial arts. This particular film, released domestically in the United States & Canada in 2000, is actually an older release from 1994. With Jackie Chan's rise in the USA, many of the major department stores (*ahem*) have taken to stocking some of Jackie's first films, usually putting them in their bargain bins. Thankfully, this movie rises above those productions of pure excrement. Obviously, everybody has to start somewhere, but let's watch Jackie as we know him now... not as he was back then, when he was just beginning to master the art of "acting" while bring primarily a martial artist. His acting still isn't the sort to win Oscars, but he is infinitely better than he was back then.
As with many martial arts releases, the plot line here is rather thin. There are more zany scenes and crazy hijinks here to keep the average Naked Gun fan happy. But who cares! I don't watch a Jackie Chan movie for plot... I watch it for the fight scenes! This movie doesn't disappoint!
While not up to the calibre of Enter The Dragon, Jackie Chan shows that he knows his stuff. Of course, you all know that Jackie does his own stunts, blah blah blah, he often injures himself while carrying out said stunts, yadda yadda yadda... and that's what makes him so amazing. Jackie flying through a plate glass window... Jackie fighting off six guys with a broken broomstick... Jackie falling down a flight of stairs... wait, that's Chevy Chase. I'm just glad there were no hovercraft in this film! When all is said and done, the fight scenes in this film are better than those found in most of his other films. They are quick, they are flawlessly executed, and they hit home. This movie doesn't have the big Hollywood multi-trillion dollar budget of Chan's recent films, so it has to rely on bare-bones, white knuckle martial arts.
Keep an eye on Anita Mui as Chan's step-mother. There never was such a kniving and deceptive woman in the history of martial arts films, and yet so innocent and absolutely hilarious at the same time. Excellent stuff!
Don't rent this if you are expecting a blockbuster martial arts film in the line of Shanghai Noon or Rush Hour. Rent it if you enjoy films which display excellence in martial arts, along with the typical martial-arts-style plot-line.
My Rating: 8/10
As with many martial arts releases, the plot line here is rather thin. There are more zany scenes and crazy hijinks here to keep the average Naked Gun fan happy. But who cares! I don't watch a Jackie Chan movie for plot... I watch it for the fight scenes! This movie doesn't disappoint!
While not up to the calibre of Enter The Dragon, Jackie Chan shows that he knows his stuff. Of course, you all know that Jackie does his own stunts, blah blah blah, he often injures himself while carrying out said stunts, yadda yadda yadda... and that's what makes him so amazing. Jackie flying through a plate glass window... Jackie fighting off six guys with a broken broomstick... Jackie falling down a flight of stairs... wait, that's Chevy Chase. I'm just glad there were no hovercraft in this film! When all is said and done, the fight scenes in this film are better than those found in most of his other films. They are quick, they are flawlessly executed, and they hit home. This movie doesn't have the big Hollywood multi-trillion dollar budget of Chan's recent films, so it has to rely on bare-bones, white knuckle martial arts.
Keep an eye on Anita Mui as Chan's step-mother. There never was such a kniving and deceptive woman in the history of martial arts films, and yet so innocent and absolutely hilarious at the same time. Excellent stuff!
Don't rent this if you are expecting a blockbuster martial arts film in the line of Shanghai Noon or Rush Hour. Rent it if you enjoy films which display excellence in martial arts, along with the typical martial-arts-style plot-line.
My Rating: 8/10