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

Jackie Chan and Claire Forlani in The Medallion (2003)

I liked this movie even though there are way too many holes in the film. If you compare this movie to the Rush Hour movies or Shanghai Noon, you will probably hate this film. I saw this movie with a laidback mind and expecting nothing more than a fun action movie. That is what I got. The story is about a medallion that has two halves. Each half gives superhuman strength to the user, but you have to be dead first. If the halves are combined, you get immortality. Now Chan and his gang of Interpol cops must keep the medallion and the user, a kid away from the people who want to use the medallion for bad. Jackie Chan is very clever in this film. He acts well and adds a bit of comedy. Claire Forlani also did a great job. Lee Evans was so-so. He can be a bit annoying. The special effects sucked. A rule of advice is never add CGI to a Jackie Chan movie. It will make that movie bad. What is the point of the cat meowing? It made the movie even worse. Overall, this is a good family film, even though it&#39;s a bit cheesy. I rate this movie 9/10.

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The Medallion

&quot;The Medallion&quot; is truly an all-time great film starring the legendary Jackie Chan in a pleasant action comedy that requires one main ingredient for keeping this film from making it a must see. Just take a camera, follow Jackie around with it, and let him do what he does best, beat baddies with creative martial arts, give him leeway to perform energetic stunts and most of all, enjoy the every moment he&#39;s on. Sure I may be sugar-coating the rules to directing the typical Jackie Chan but it&#39;s a lot harder than one could imagine. You have to remember a few things that make Jackie Chan the action star that he is. For one thing, his stunt work is graceful like a musical dance scene. taken in the same veins as the likes of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The other main idiosyncrasy that stands Jackie Chan out from other action stars is that his comical energy could rival that of the silent film era stars like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. But under the direction of Gordan Chan and his crew, they are able to see through him and have every trait of his perfectly acknowledged. Any other star, &quot;The Medallion&quot; would&#39;ve been another fine line action film that has Julian Sands once again playing the evil dude, prancing around sporting a dark cloak complete with a hyena fur boa like did a decade ago in the film &quot;Warlock&quot;. But what they got right was that they patented down every move and mindset that Jackie Chan possesses. First we see him at a Hong Kong restaurant feasting down an exquisite food delight, when a stray dog comes right toward him. Feeling bad for the little stray he offers his plate and orders another one for himself. Shifting between Hong Kong and Ireland, &quot;The Medallion&quot; tells the familiar story of a diabolical villain who wants to steal a precious medallion that holds the key to immortality along with more advanced speed, strength and agility. With his menacing blond locks and well educated demeanour, Snakehead (Sands) is a vibrant antagonist, who lives in posh Irish castle with a modern feel to it. Of course the only thing he wants more than anything is to outlive the human race and continue his mission to thrash his ancient castle more. Chan plays the role of Eddie, a Hong Kong detective assigned by Interpol to hunt down this magical medallion. He joins forces with a tough ex-girlfriend Nicole (Claire Forlani) and a bumbling, but courageous British agent named Watson (Lee Evans). The absurdity of the Watson character may not appease to the non-Western audience, but those of the Western audience will enjoy the presence of Watson&#39;s character very similar to Chris Tucker&#39;s character to the &quot;Rush Hour&quot; franchise. And even though the filming is American based, &quot;The Medallion&quot; is clearly designed for a Hong Kong audience, the direction is done by Gordon Chan and the rest of the crew make their homes primarily from Hong Kong. And because of this, Jackie Chan can say he feels like home, in front of his fellow countrymen. And it makes a difference because his people knows what he&#39;s capable of and doesn&#39;t have to be bogged down or watered down just to make an impression towards the American spectrum. Sure he always seems at ease in his surroundings, but unlike films like &quot;Rush Hour&quot; and &quot;The Tuxedo&quot;, his stunts aren&#39;t part of the story, they are the story. Unlike the films where he shares the spotlight to American co-stars like Owen Wilson and Chris Tucker, he has no worries of sharing or upstaging them, because he&#39;s not the sidekick attraction, no here he is in full stardom. The action is definitely all over the place. In one scene while chasing some baddies, a person kicks over some bicycles like dominoes, and Chan just leaps over the seats similar to James Bond in &quot;Live and Let Die&quot; like the crocodile stream scene and it all happens in a span of five seconds compared to scene that could last five minutes. The action scenes are what its all about. What&#39;s special about it is that it never looks superficial. There&#39;s no long takes or quick cuts. It&#39;s Jackie Chan moving naturally the whole 90 minutes of this film. The comic timing adds the right spice to bring this film to life. What more can any action fan want? Forlani is a great partner for Chan. This underrated performer is not only attractive, but she&#39;s tough and intelligent to want to be on any team. She knows that he&#39;s more than just a butt-kicking hero, but a humane individual fighting against all evil and all obstacles. She knows as much as we do what&#39;s he like and how he does it.

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