Jackie Chan is back, ladies and gentlemen! And the political/action/revenge thriller he has chosen as his comeback is a wise choice - action packed, exciting but very, very serious.
Jackie stars as Quan Ngoc Minh (he's called Quan throughout the film) a father of a teenager who is overly protective of her. When his daughter is killed by an IRA terrorist bomb (this is not a spoiler, it was shown in the trailers and happens in the first 5 minutes of the film), Quan turns out to have a "certain set of skills" that will help him identify and hunt down those responsible.
Part TAKEN, part PATRIOT GAMES and part RAMBO, Quan gets caught up in a much larger game of political intrigue and terrorism as he seeks to bring to justice those that harmed his daughter.
Chan is a welcome sight back on the big screen. But be aware - this is a dour, serious Chan - I don't think he breaks a smile throughout the course of this film. His character has a minimal amount of lines and - as we expect from a Jackie Chan film - he is a man of action and not words.
And the action is terrific. Chan, now 63 years old, seems to be doing most of his own stunts and age hasn't slowed him much at all. It was great fun to see him jumping around, beating up the bad guys and flying down drainpipes and over vehicles. Jackie still has it.
Since Chan is silent and dour, the lion's share of the emotion, plotting and energy of this film falls to the chief antagonist - Pierce Brosnan's Liam Hennessy - who just might know more than he is letting on about the bombing. Brosnan has aged gracefully, post-James Bond, and he continues to surprise me with the depth of his performances. He makes a good adversary to Chan.
Also making a comeback, of sorts, is Director Martin Campbell - who Directed Daniel Craig as James Bond in CASINO ROYALE and Brosnan himself as Bond in GOLDENEYE. Campbell hasn't directed a Major Motion Picture since the 2011 flop, THE GREEN LANTERN. It is good to see the practiced eye and steady hand of a veteran Director at the helm.
Be warned - this film is not all action - Campbell spends much of his time on the political maneuvering of Brosnan with Chan jumping in (literally) to spoil plans time and again, so be ready for that type of film, not a RUSH HOUR fun romp. If you do, you'll be rewarded, indeed.
Letter Grade A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
