The Shadow's Edge

I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting much from another Jackie Chan movie with him at 71, but "The Shadow's Edge" genuinely surprised me. This Macau-set crime thriller brings a retired tracking expert back into the game to catch a crew of dangerous professional thieves, and it works surprisingly well.

Tony Leung Ka-Fai absolutely steals every scene as the villain; he's menacing without ever being cartoonish. While Chan is clearly showing his age, the action sequences are solid and less reliant on his typical slapstick comedy. Director Larry Yang gives the whole film a grittier tone than typical Chan flicks, which I appreciated.

The plot is pretty straightforward - cops versus clever criminals - but the execution is tight, and it's no wonder it hit No. 1 at the Chinese box office.

When a group of thieves vanishes into thin air after pulling off a heist. The police have no choice but to call in a retired officer to help them track down the culprits.

This is a classic action-packed Jackie Chan flick. The story has a lot of themes, from cryptocurrency to technology and AI assisting police in surveillance. Unfortunately, the story has too many elements, resulting in a longer-than-necessary runtime and even a few plot holes. The action and stunts are classic Jackie Chan, and his fans will enjoy seeing him still in action. The two-hour and twenty-one-minute runtime is excessive, with many segways and digressions in the story. An excellent stream for Jackie and kung fu fans.

The Shadow's Edge marks what may very well be Jackie Chan's finest film in the past decade. At 70, Chan proves once again that his legacy isn't just built on nostalgia but on his continued ability to deliver electrifying action that feels fresh and sharp.

The fight scenes are the undeniable highlight. With crisp editing and tight choreography, the action flows seamlessly from one sequence to the next. Credit goes not only to Chan's relentless dedication but also to the fight director and camerawork, which cleverly amplify his movements. By relying on very few stand-ins yet framing him to appear faster and sharper than his age would suggest, the team has crafted fight scenes that honor his physicality without hiding his years.

True to Chan's style, the film isn't just about fists and kicks. Sprinkled in are moments of light drama and well-timed comedy, enough to draw out both smiles and tears without overstaying their welcome. The villain, portrayed by Tony Ka Fai Leung adds genuine weight to the narrative, delivering a performance that stands toe-to-toe with Chan's presence.

As for the story, the plot twists strike a solid balance-surprising enough to keep audiences hooked, yet never crossing into corny territory. It's a mature kind of unpredictability that feels fitting for a veteran action star's return to form.

Verdict: The Shadow's Edge is not only a thrilling showcase of Jackie Chan's enduring artistry but also a reminder of why he remains one of cinema's most beloved action legends. It's fast, funny, heartfelt, and easily his best in the last ten years.

After a slew of stinkers over the past couple of years like Kung Fu Yoga, Bleeding Steel, Ride On, and Panda Plan, we all thought that Jackie Chan doesn't have what it takes anymore. Lo and behold we have The Shadow's Edge, a remake of 2007's Eye in the Sky. It promises the showdown we all dreamed of: Jackie VS the legend Tony Leung (who also appeared in Eye in the Sky), but given the stinker streak he got, anticipation and expectations are kept at a lukewarm level.

Surprise, surprise, this is arguably Jackie Chan's strongest film since 2017's The Foreigner. Even in their late 60s, this movie shows why Jackie and Tony are still legends for a reason. The supporting cast are also decent, with excellent performance by Zifeng Zhang in particular. The story is convoluted but fairly easy to follow, with the usual double crosses and in particular, really gritty and brutal action and violence, in particular from Tony Leung side. There are some comedic moments but they're few and far in between, but it doesn't detract an otherwise very serious Jackie Chan movie.

If there's any criticism, it'll be it's length. At over 2 hours, you kinda wish it trimmed down a good 20 minutes or so. The editing also leaves a lot to be desired with aggressive zooms, out of place sound effects, and jumpy quick cuts, very clearly to mask Jackie and Tony's sluggishness in combat (though the credits very clearly shows them doing most of the stunts, as do the supporting cast, so that's definitely appreciated). The CGI for some scenes in the first half is insultingly bad in the first half, which is weird considering how well the rest of the movie looked, and it has pretty shameless sequel bait *and* AI glorification, which I can tolerate the former, but boy does the latter actively detract the movie.

Criticisms aside, The Shadow's Edge is a very competent, very well made movie, that finally leverages Jackie Chan's underrated dramatic acting scenes, and absolutely uses Tony Leung to its maximum potential. It is absolutely Jackie Chan's best movie since The Foreigner, and Tony Leung's best performance in a while. I do hope for Jackie in particular, he keeps this newfound momentum, because after years of stinkers and surrounding himself with CGI animals and slapsticks, I think it's time for him to go all in for the dramatic.

I was very lucky to have this showing on the same day they opened in macau. So I got to see it immediately on a big screen.

The plot is just ok, but it's great to see Jackie still doing his own stunts and the fight scenes are great. So good to see 2 legends acting against each other. So glad that I found this movie!