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Jackie Chan stars in this action adventure fantasy as Jack, an intrepid archaeologist who is faced with a series of deadly supernatural challenges after he stumbles upon a secret shrine to an ancient Emperor.
This premium value presentation shows action-cinema’s leading icon in one of his best-loved roles. With red-hot supporting performances from sexy Bollywood superstar Mallika Sherawat and Korean beauty, Kim Hee-seon, The Myth takes you on a magical journey to Ancient China and across continents to India, as Jackie battles mystical warriors and ingenious death-traps on a quest to discover the greatest story of all!
Breathtaking action sequences from Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Chow Yun-fat, Sammo Hung and female Thai action sensation, Jija Yanin (Chocolate, Raging Phoenix), round out this invaluable, action-packed introduction to the incomparable World of Asian action cinema.
Film: The Myth
Release date: 28th February 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 117 mins
Director: Stanley Tong
Starring: Jackie Chan, Kim Hee-seon, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Mallika Sherawat, Ken Lo
Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy/Drama/Fantasy/Martial Arts
Studio: Cine Asia
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong/China
DVD Special Features:
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Label featurette
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Trailer gallery
Film: Operation Condor: Armour Of God 2
Release date: 19th November 2001
Certificate: 15
Running time: 102 mins
Director: Jackie Chan
Starring: Jackie Chan, Carol 'Do Do' Cheng, Eva Cobo, Shôko Ikeda, Aldo Sambrell
Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy/Crime/Martial Arts/Thriller
Studio: Entertainment In Video
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong
One of Jackie Chan’s most successful early works, Operation Condor is charmingly humorous with a combined sense of Indiana Jones meets James Bond. Released back in 1991, the film is often forgotten today after Chan’s recent successes, such as the Rush Hour franchise. However, in Hong Kong, the film is known as the biggest martial arts epic ever made, receiving a Best Action Choreography nomination in 1992 from the Hong Kong Film Awards.
Starting on an unknown island in the Amazon, where natives and relics are common place, adventurer Jackie, code name Condor, consciously mimics Indiana Jones in entering a tomb to collect antiquities from some locals. They happily allow Jackie to take their treasure; although unknown to the witty adventurer, it is for a price. In a race to escape their sudden hostility, Jackie assembles a giant inflatable ball and bounces down their island away from danger. Short and sweet, the opening scene much mirrors opening sequences from James Bond films, giving the viewer a taste of who the main character is and what he is capable of. The sequence concludes with Jackie receiving information of a new mission, requesting he go to Spain immediately.
Recruited by Duke, a mysterious financier, Jackie is sent to track down some missing Nazi gold, supposedly buried in the North African desert by a German fleet in World War II. Partnering up with a witty, brazen UN representative, and a humorously scatty granddaughter of one of the German officers involved in burying the gold, Jackie and his team must evade numerous mercenaries, as well as two comedic treasure hunters, in a race to locate and retrieve the German gold...
Jackie Chan often plays the same character in all his films, and Operation Condor is no exception. Condor is a clever, likeable character with the tendency to get into dangerous situations due to those around him - much like Chris Tucker’s character often does to Chan’s in Rush Hour. The comical women in Operation Condor inevitably continue to create hazardous situations of which Chan has to fight his way out of.
Although playing the same character, predictability is not necessarily a bad thing. Chan’s comedic approach to combat and the action genre makes the film more enjoyable for different audiences, and his warm presence on screen allows viewers to become more involved with the character, and therefore the storyline. Chan clearly knows how to keep his audience happy with his own persona, however, the film does lack in other areas.
It is clear to any viewer that when writing Operation Condor, Jackie Chan used Indiana Jones as a template. The desert raids, treasure hunting and damsels in distress are unoriginal in their approach, however, Chan’s choreography and direction makes up for this in the many combat scenes. One in particular is featured in a wind tunnel, which contains some impressive, albeit humorous, stunts and choreography. Like all good Golden Harvest creations, Operation Condor demonstrates advanced cinematography skills in the presentation of combat.
Jackie Chan’s skills as a director are clearly what make the film a success. Much like the original martial arts films of Bruce Lee, close up camera shots of hand to hand combat, as well as wide shot stunts, mean the viewer can see that not only is Chan doing the stunts himself, but also that the hand to hand combat is perfect - choreographed down to the finest detail. They also make the scenes more realistic and enjoyable, rather than an afterthought on a computer, which sadly appears to be becoming a more popular way of portraying combat in martial arts films today.
The parallels to Indiana Jones continue in the villainous characters in Operation Condor. Some are humorous, whereas some are simply cringe worthy to watch. The gluttonous Nazi named Adolf portrays characteristics similar to the Nazis in Indie’s first film, Raiders Of The Lost Ark - only out for what they can get. The inconsistent baddie also, unfortunately, reflects Chan’s weak scriptwriting, as the character appears as though he would be more comfortable in a Sean Connery Bond film than a modern ‘90s action flick.
The scriptwriting as a whole is structurally inadequate, with more focus on creating humour than developing an interesting and original plot. Some characters are almost too stereotypical, like the two comedic treasure hunters Jackie and the girls often run into throughout the duration of the film. Their amateurish characterisation as comedic baddies is slightly awkward, and they even change in character at the end of the film.
The female characters are much better in their portrayal. Although Chan writes them as quite feeble, Eva Cobo De Garcia and Carol Cheng do a fantastic job in creating entertaining co-stars. Playing off each other in rivalry, although they may cause some disappointment to feminist viewers, their comedic approach to being helpless heroines works considering they are up against one of the strongest martial arts experts as the male protagonist.
A diamond in the rough, Operation Condor demonstrates Jackie Chan’s expert ability to combine speedy action choreography with expert direction and humour. With some beautiful scenes in the African desert and entertaining characters, this martial arts film is worth a watch, if only for the brilliant combat scenes. HC
Jackie Chan is revered and adored by audiences and contemporaries alike as the world’s favourite action movie star. His infectious blend of comedy and action has seen him conquer not only the Far Eastern movie markets but also Hollywood’s, bridging cultural divides, and mirroring the incredible accomplishments of Bruce Lee.
Born 7th of April 1954 in Hong Kong to a poor but loving family, Jackie was named Chan Kong-sang. His parents worked for Hong Kong’s French Embassy, and fought to provide their son with better prospects than their own. As with other great names to be borne of the institute, he was enrolled at the Peking Opera School as the age of 7. Signing for a stay of ten years, he met and grew up with Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao - Hong Kong cinema’s ‘Three Brothers’ – as well as other notable talents, such as Corey Yuen and Yuen Wah.
The punishing regime at the respected school is well documented, with regular beatings from Master Yu Jim Yuen, as well as long days of repetitive training and tutoring in various forms of martial arts, as well as acting and singing. These were essential to the craft and performance of the then-dying tradition of Chinese Opera. Chan proved most adept at Hapkido, as well as learning classic kung-fu styles such as Shaolin and even Tae-Kwon Do. Seeing that this art form was no longer held in the public’s hearts, Master Yu Jim Yuen picked his finer students and found them work in film and television as child stars. These include Big And Little Wong Tin Bar, which also featured other members of the School’s Seven Little Fortunes, a troupe of the schools best performers.
Once his stay was over, Jackie, now aged 17, and strapping as well as handsome, found work as a stunt player. Blink and you’ll miss his very early appearances in Bruce Lee classics Enter The Dragon and Fist Of Fury. It wasn’t long before he attracted the attention of producers, and with the off-screen aid of long-time friend and producer Willie Chan, he appeared in 1978 movie Snake In The Eagles Shadow. It was clear that Chan was agile and extremely fast, but what shone through in his earliest films, including breakout classic Drunken Master, was his stunning ability for physical comedy. A thread he’d constantly play up to throughout his extensive career.
The 1980s saw his star not only eclipse that of the supposed heir to the Hong Kong action film god throne, Sammo Hung, but it also saw the west get a delicious taste of the action phenomenon, too. In Hong Kong and Japan, Chan was already a legend, and was an enormous presence on VHS. Whispers of this Hong Kong superstar reached Tinseltown. He took on the lead role in US picture The Protector, but didn’t enjoy his experience. The film featured, as Chan saw it, needless nudity and profanity. Disillusioned, after it proved to be the flop he feared, he returned to Hong Kong. He wouldn’t try his luck in Hollywood again until Brett Ratner helmed Kung-Fu buddy comedy Rush Hour in 1998.
The early to mid-80s saw a slight reversal of fortunes on home turf, too. Dragon Lord, a traditional kung-fu adventure with Chan as the cheeky but agile lead did badly. However, Chan understood the bad reaction and Box Office receipts wasn’t the public’s disillusionment with him; rather it was disillusionment with the tired and frankly dull narratives that Hong Kong had been trotting out for decades. So Chan resolved to devise a break from the cinematic norm. Penning and directing Project A, an absolute riot of action, comedy skits, and Three Brothers interplay, Chan helped to bring about a tremendous change in fortune and revive the story form on the Hong Kong screen.
The success of the movie proved that as well as his solo hits; Chan was not adverse to collaborations. Rather, he thrived on acting and playing with friends and close colleagues. The Lucky Stars series is a prime example. These featured the Three Brothers (admittedly Biao in cameo mode) with such comedy stars like Eric Tsang and Richard Woo (formerly Ng). A group of criminal misfits, headed by Hung, work alongside policeman and former orphanage housemate Chan to bring down heavy players in the Far East’s underworld. My Lucky Stars, instalment two, broke Box Office records.
Chan’s star never looked like dimming, even in the capricious hearts of the Far East cinema-going public. Chan knew what it took to keep them hooked, and his trademark astonishing stunts kept those tickets selling and picture house seats warm. He famously risked death by electrocution in Police Story, and almost met his maker again in the Indiana Jones inspired Armour Of God. A fairly simple stunt, one wall to another via a branch, saw Jackie plummet to the ground and whack his head on a rock. The branch broke under his hand and one trip to Accident & Emergency later and he was in emergency surgery. Chan has a metal plate in his skull from that scrape.
While still churning out a continuous stream of classic movies, Jackie also released albums and worked tirelessly for charity. By his own admission, he was brash and cocky when his star was first in the ascendency. He thought nothing of releasing details of his forthcoming marriage in the press and sporting the odd ingot of ‘bling’. But the suicides of two Japanese fans over his announced nuptials saw Chan retreat and think heavily. From that tragic point onwards, he more than raised his responsibility to the audience he played up to, and has kept his private life and family fiercely private since. Jackie works tirelessly for charity and stops for every fan’s request of a photo and autograph. This altruistic attitude, borne from his sense of loyalty to not only his fans but humanity as a whole, flows from the man in his work and extremely youthful outlook on life.
Professionally, though, Jackie Chan still wanted the western hit that would cement his star with molten gold. Brett Ratner, a confessed martial arts fanatic, thought he’d the perfect vehicle for Jackie’s Hollywood explosion. Teaming up with wise-cracking sharp-suited and fast-talking comedian Chris Tucker, Rush Hour was born. Chan plays Inspector Lee, a dedicated Chinese policeman loyal to the Chinese Consul, Han. When Han’s young daughter is kidnapped in the USA by secretive crime boss Juntao, Lee flies to help get back the little girl. Slick, wonderfully edited and directed, as well as having a cool script, Rush Hour gave Jackie not only a film he could be proud of, but also an American and worldwide Box Office hit. Although the franchise has run out of steam, Rush Hour 3 set in France proved to be stilted and lacklustre; Jackie was finally recognised by the ficklest of gilm buffs. Shanghai Noon, featuring Owen Wilson and Lucy Lui, kept the US hot streak running, as did the sequel.
Lately, however, Jackie has returned home for such films as Shinjuku Incident and Little Big Soldier, and to produce Wushu. He has also reached the level of being able to pre-title his movies, such as Jackie Chan’s The Myth, an effects-laden supernatural adventure. His son, Jaycee Chan, is also trying to carve a career for himself in film and music.
Jackie always had the desire to be a more serious actor and make physical comedy take a backseat, but as he approaches 58, Jackie shows no signs of stopping his exceptional career. As Hong Kong and China’s best loved action star since the legendary Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan’s career is enviable, and his accomplishments as a caring human being will long see his star pulse in the galaxy of film stars. JM
Film: Project A
Release date: 24th June 2002
Certificate: 15
Running time: 101 mins
Director: Jackie Chan
Starring: Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Dick Wei
Genre: Action/Comedy/Martial Arts
Studio: E1
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong
Project A is a defining chapter in the astonishing career of Jackie Chan. Conceived and filmed after the devastating critical and commercial flop that was Dragon Lord, Chan resolved to change his cinematic fortunes. The result, Project A, is a masterful example of amazing martial arts and stunts driven by a solid fast-paced plot with the trademark Chan comedy strain.
The coastguard of Colonial Hong Kong at the turn of the 20th century is being continually humiliated by a gang of fearless pirates led by San-Po (Wei). Dragon Ma (Chan), a boisterous marine, is determined to devastate the Pirate stronghold on the South China Seas. However, the coastguard squad, after a terrible decimation of their fleet, is disbanded, and they fall under command of the police force to be re-trained by Inspector Tzu (Biao).
Dragon is frustrated by the lack of help from his new police colleagues and his former Navy superiors in taking on big-time criminals with heavy links to San-Po. Striking out to take down the cutthroats with help from childhood friend and small-time hustler Fei (Hung), and eventually Inspector Tzu, Dragon initiates ‘Project A’, a final solution intended to defeat San-Po and his gang…
Chan, Hung, and Biao (known as the ‘Three Brothers’) were instrumental in pulling Hong Kong film from the traditional kung-fu to more contemporary themes that helped ignite the 1980s boom period. Chan perhaps saw the disappointing reception of Dragon Lord as a shift in the tastes of the public, and so came up the idea of a pirate movie as a shake-up of the classic young rogue he usually played. This venture was filmed in secrecy to prevent the plot from being stolen by rival studios, and it ensured the Three Brothers, under the directorship of Chan in this instance, became the most-loved actions stars of the era.
Project A is flush with excellent stunts and slices of comedy gold that thankfully do not get lost in translation. The opening fight sees the coastguard take on the police in a local bar. As the teams square up on either side of a stage-cum-catwalk, and bottles are broken, Dragon sees sense and downs his weapons. But a sliding police officer bashes into the gramophone, and with a tremendous blast of classical music, the melee look to the record-player, then to each other, before a classic scene kicks off. Chan and Biao showcase polished acrobatics and martial arts expertise. A much-loved slab of humour sees neither want to lose face after smashing chairs across one another’s backs, and they each slip in a corner to rub at their beaten spines before bravado puffs them up and back out to the riot.
The statuesque support from Sammo Hung gives the viewer a much-appreciated lesson in what it must’ve been like to live, grow, and train together at the Peking Opera School as the Three Brothers did. Due nods are dropped to Chinese opera as Dragon and Fei infiltrate a gun deal. They use masks, face-paint, and sing to disguise their face and voices. However, Dragon and Ma fall out after learning they can’t work together to sabotage the supply line to San-Po. They put aside their growing animosity to brawl side-by-side and move-for-move in a tea house fight scored to opera beats. To see a man as big as Hung move with such agility is always a delight, as well as his incredibly strong acting and comedic support.
Chan’s determination to inject freshness into the kung fu genre is best displayed with his homage to other physical comedians, as well as using fads of the time. A high-octane bike chase through a labyrinthine collection of alleys sees Chan tap into the BMX craze of the 1980s, spinning wheels being used as effective weapons. A rumour is that it’s not Chan who climbs up between two walls and throws his front wheel out to knock-out a hoodlum, but Yuen Biao.
Project A’s most infamous scene sees Chan pay respects to Harold Lloyds role in Safety Last by hanging from a clock hand on a tower. As he loses purchase and falls in front of a huge shocked crowd, he plummets through two sets of awnings to the floor. No crash mats or safety nets here. Replayed again (a motif used in the electrified pole slide in Police Story) shows a different landing. As with Police Story, this doesn’t disrupt the story flow, instead it demonstrates Chan savvy. He understands what pleases an audience, and here it’s a terrific stunt done for real.
Jackie Chan undoubtedly is the backbone of the entire piece, not only in terms of acting but physical action, martial arts skill, and comedy turns. The quite sublime support of Hung and Biao mix to create one the greatest movies in the modern history of Hong Kong film. A genuine classic. JM
Film: Police Story
Release date: 24th September 2001
Certificate: 15
Running time: 96 mins
Director: Jackie Chan
Starring: Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Brigitte Lin, Lam Kwok-hung, Bill Tung
Genre: Action/Comedy/Crime/Thriller
Studio: E1
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong
Jackie Chan is the king of Hong Kong action cinema. The world’s most likeable action star rates Police Story, his movie response to the failure of his 1985 Hollywood flop The Protector, as perhaps his favourite on-screen endeavour. Some of the most dangerous stunts Chan’s undertaken are fused with a solid plot that make Police Story not only breathtaking but also gripping.
Chan plays Chan Ka-Kui, an honest policeman who is part of an operation to bring down a major player in the criminal underbelly of Hong Kong. It looks close to being a success after using subterfuge to try and convince a crime-boss secretary (Brigitte Lin) to testify against her boss. However Ka-Kui and his fellow officers celebrations are cut dead prematurely, and in a dramatic fortune reversal, he finds himself framed for murder.
Ka-Kui fights to clear his name through a series of impressive and heart-trippingly intense fight and stunt scenes, whilst also trying to keep together his relationship with girlfriend May, played by the coquettish Maggie Cheung…
The opening sees an officer displaying stills of suspects on the wall of a dimly-lit station wall. As we move from the stills to see the villains in real time, Chan sets a style of action he’s not known for - gunplay. Just 15 minutes into the film and Chan is chasing a series of drug suspects through the slums of Hong Kong’s New Territories. Famed for his physical action, it’s an oddity to see Chan shooting and running without throwing in a roundhouse kick or wise-cracking line.
The slums were specially constructed to accommodate Chan’s vision. The chase moves to vehicles, and cars plough through the flimsy shanty-town. The destruction and explosions prove to cement the hard-nosed thriller vibe Chan was aiming for. It also segues into a shocking stunt. A double-decker bus, top-loaded with four stuntmen, brakes hard at the wrong time. Instead of the stuntmen crashing through the glass and landing on a specially-built car, they fall nastily onto the tarmac. This sequence alone made it impossible for Chan to gain insurance cover on his future Hong Kong endeavours.
As the story weaves through Ka-Kui’s framing, and the introduction of the beautiful female supporting cast of Lin and Cheung, Chan slips in a few vaguely comedic skits. We’re perhaps needlessly treated to a pie-in-the-face standard, and another when trying to convince Lin she is in awful danger of masked assassins. This segment is tempered by a fight sequence seen as too fast by overseas audiences. The sheer physical energy of the Jackie Chan stunt team and intricacy of the movements is sped along by accomplished editing and wonderfully framed and lit exterior shots. Yet the pace can suddenly drag. An overlong courtroom scene serves to relieve some tension, but it also leaves the viewer impatiently waiting for the next action sequence, as does an awkwardly placed scene of Chan answering a series of phones and getting tangled up in them.
Solid plot aside, this film has been a fan favourite since its release thanks to the literally death-defying stunts. A key-scene sees Chan jump from a high floor of a shopping mall onto a pole wrapped with Christmas bulbs. As he slides down, the bulbs crack, splutter and burn him. It’s a shocking stunt, and just before he throws himself onto the pole, he gives an angry shout. We’re also treated to two full replays, defying the flow and logic of the narrative, but not damaging it – perhaps Chan knew we’d be reaching for the rewind button and saved us the trouble. It’s also notable as the flow of electricity wasn’t reduced in time and Chan really put his life on the line. The skin on his hands was burnt away.
As well as risking death for this movie, he also toyed with paralysis. One jump sees an awkward landing which dislocated his pelvis and very nearly fractured discs in his spine. As well as the obvious physical attributes, Chan also acts extremely well, balancing the stilted comedy spots with pathos. We come to care deeply about the likable Ka-Kui and his quest for justice. His anger and frustration at being wrongly accused isn’t hammed up or overblown as it so easily could’ve been by a lesser performer, demonstrating Chan isn’t just a skilled stunt-player.
The end serves up a staple of a Jackie Chan movie - the outtakes. Littered with rehearsals for the movies stunts, we also see the extreme aftermath of performing them, such as the incredible pain from his injuries.
Police Story spawned a series of sequels and reboots, such as New Police Story. The original deservedly won Best Picture and Best Action Choreography at the Hong Kong Film Awards in the mid-80s, and ensured Jackie Chan’s place in the hearts of hardcore action movie fans across the world. JM
Film: Little Big Soldier
Release date: 8th November 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 96 mins
Director: Sheng Ding
Starring: Jackie Chan, Leehom Wang, Yoo Seung-yun, Lin Peng, Xiao Dong Mei
Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy
Studio: Cine Asia
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: China/Hong Kong
The talented and nimble Jackie Chan gives a commemorative performance in this martial arts comedy caper set in China during the Warring States period, just before the country was unified. Directed by the relatively unknown Ding Sheng, Little Big Soldier sees the kung fu icon return to form, even if it’s the younger members of the cast – including pop star Leehom Wang – who ultimately steal the show.
Much blood has been spilt between two opposing armies, the Liang’s and the Wei’s, and thousands of casualties lay motionless among the battlefield. However, the conflict has spared the lives of two men, Old Soldier (Chan) from the Liang Army, who shamelessly played dead, and a prince (Wang), from the Wei Army.
Unscathed, Old Soldier takes the wounded prince as his captive in the hope of handing him over to his superiors for a reward. But the journey to the state of Liang proves a long and treacherous one with many bandits and barbarians waiting in the wings. The unfortunate twosome also has to deal with the aggressive pursuit of prince’s brother Wen (Steve Yoo) and his entourage, who seek to kill him and take his place as the future ruler of Wei.
Through the formidable circumstances that start to emerge, the pair help one another during the many sticky situations, and come to rely on each other to survive. A tolerance and understanding between the two soldiers emerges, each finding a new respect for the other and a dignity within themselves...
The main script, written by Chan, is relatively straightforward. But beneath the simplistic plot lays a moralistic tale of honour, loyalty and brotherhood. Whatever the film lacks in plot, it more than makes up for in the fine acting capabilities of the cast, especially that of Chan. His portrayal of the seemingly gutless scallywag showcases his brilliance at comedy timing - his acting ability has vastly matured, and takes preference over his skill as a martial artist. Chan and Wang play-off each other very well and make a very convincing pair whose characters are inevitably bound together. Through the events that take shape, Chan’s character, Big Soldier, who is referred to as Small Potato by his hostage, proves to have admirable qualities he never thought he had - supposedly a coward at the start of the film by playing dead on the battlefield to avoid being killed.
The film is laced with subtle metaphors such as the poignant performance on a mountain top by the girl singer (Peng). Dressed in a white rope with long flowing sleeves, she moves swiftly like a bird, possibly signifying a dove of peace flying over the zenith. Although she plays a minor role, Peng’s delicate deliverance as the singer has a beauty that is most welcome, and doesn’t feel out of place or contrived. Even in this small part, Peng shows she has a graceful quality that could potentially take her to the heights of Zhang Ziyi (House Of Flying Daggers) or Xun Zhou (The Banquet). Overall, the film has a great supporting cast, even minor characters like the scholar and his students stand out. In fact, it’s a shame they didn’t have more screen time as they worked really well.
Director Ding Sheng presents us with the vastness of a dry wasteland, incorporating stunning panoramic views of jagged mountains that are used as a backdrop to the narrative; the camera sweeping over the summit giving scope to the terrain, and the environment showcasing the harsh conditions of the journey in which the foot soldier undertakes with his captive in tow. The costumes depicting ancient armour and the rugged look of Old Soldier and that of the barbarians blend in with the scenery, making the overall look of the film a character in itself. Vibrant colours are used sparingly throughout the film but are put to good effect during a dream sequence that has Old Soldier blissfully running through a field of yellow canola flowers.
The soundtrack is also underplayed, not being excessive for the sake of it, or for needless sentimental reasons. Often the score goes unnoticed, but that’s a good thing as it blends in with the whole presentation, never being unnecessarily dominant or distracting.
Chan bounces back from a string of uninspiring Hollywood films with Little Big Soldier in which he brilliantly demonstrates his acting ability that has improved immensely over the years. Although his action sequences emphasise his expertise in acrobatic manoeuvres rather than his proficiency in the art of kung fu, Chan fans won’t be disappointed. Strong performances from a competent supporting cast and genuinely funny successions of comedic moments, as well as striking visuals, makes this a must see film. SLP
Film: The Karate Kid
Release date: 15th November 2010
Certificate: 12A
Running time: 130 mins
Director: Harald Zwart
Starring: Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson, Wenwen Han, Rongguang Yu
Genre: Action/Drama/Family/Martial Arts
Studio: Sony
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: USA/China
This is an English-Language release.
It may now be set in China, with an Afro-American child lead, but there are plenty of similarities for nostalgic fans of the original, as The Karate Kid becomes the latest ‘victim’ of the Hollywood reboot.
Dre Parker’s mother shows zero responsibility and care for her child by uprooting him from his home and friends in Detroit, USA and taking him across to Beijing, China, with minimal notice or preparation, for a standard employment opportunity.
Now alone and feeling lost in a foreign land, Dre takes a shine to young Chinese musician Mei Ying, but this does not impress the local kung fu kid, who, displaying superman-esque strength, gives Dre a thorough ass whooping.
With even less friends now, and a mother too busy to spend any time with him let alone address his ill-manners properly, Dre becomes increasingly isolated and depressed, as the bullying continues.
Looking to get his own back on these young brutes only lands Dre in even hotter water, and it’s left to handyman Mr. Han to save him from a precarious situation - by beating up a group of children.
This angers the children’s sensei, and the only way Mr. Han can think of avoiding more blood spill on the streets of Beijing is to enter Dre into an upcoming martial arts competition. Mr. Han will train him, but he has some unusual methods that will test the patience of the already testy Dre…
Of course, a remake, where so much of the original’s story has been retained (bar a completely new country), of such an iconic 80s children’s favourite will struggle for much goodwill amongst fans of the original, but, given its PG-certificate, this is being targeted at a whole new generation, who have likely never seen the original, and will no doubt relate to the petulant Dre character, and be thoroughly engrossed by its flashy, over-the-top fight scenes and loud soundtrack – they don’t need any emotional weight, moral aspect, or character relation. In fact, had they seen the original they’d no doubt find it tame in comparison, where Ralph Macchio in the role of Daniel Larusso was asked to get off his butt and do a bit of work (we’ll get to this later), whilst holding an elderly fellow in reverence as he passed on words of wisdom.
Unfortunately, for an adult viewing, The Karate Kid raises some serious questions mostly about the desensitisation of children today, who are growing up with intense, and at times fairly violent and aggressive video games and television – and nothing else. Here, in one of the film’s earliest scenes, where Dre is first confronted by his nemesis, we have a character presented as demonic, with power and strength well beyond his years, beating seven bells out of a small child with the slightest frame in a fairly graphic and bone crunching manner – this should be terrifying viewing for any child. For any adult, it makes for uncomfortable viewing, because it’s outright wrong (let’s forget all the racial stereotyping in this critique).
We’ll overlook the fact that the film is called Karate Kid, even though nobody is trained in that discipline, and that they’ve set the film in China, when, had they lived up to the film’s billing, Karate originates from Japan. This is being pedantic, and, of course, makes very little difference to the ‘boy trains to beat up bully’ premise. The biggest question has to be why they opted for such a young lead (perhaps not such a big question when you consider his father’s clout within the industry – Will Smith has a production credit here), which not only raises the aforementioned concerns, but takes the film into the realms of extreme fantasy – how does this compute in a child’s mind. In the original, Ralph was a twenty-something playing the role of a 16-year-old. He was at an age where hormones are raging and romantic interests and conflicts are commonplace; he was fighting against fellow older actors of a sizeable stature, in realistic scenarios; and everything was grounded in moral messages that ultimately fighting is wrong. Here we are expected to believe that someone who looks barely 10 is really going to be all that concerned with the fairer sex – let alone displaying the depth of emotional understanding we are shown during many of the film’s laborious moments – and that the bullies of the piece can fly around the screen with the strength to give Jackie Chan of all actors – still in decent shape - a tough time. The only message coming across is violence is good, and forget respecting anyone else – let alone an elder – unless you quite fancy them.
In fairness, Jackie Chan puts in a solid performance – a far better dramatic display than his much-hyped role in The Shinjuku Incident. But again, all the fun has been taken away. Part of the joy of the original was seeing the podgy, diminutive, elder Mr. Miyagi turning out to be an agile martial arts expert, and alongside his principles that vitally grounded the film’s events, he brought a humour to the part that was so enjoyable for a child viewer (he also disposed of these older, larger adversaries quickly – it wouldn’t have been half as cool if he spent half-an-hour knocking about infants). In this film, we have a dark, breakdown scene where Jackie completely loses it and bears his soul. Apparently, we are now expecting children to take on board such heavy issues - and amongst the fierce carnage that would leave any fully developed mind a little rattled.
As mentioned at the start of this review, fans of the original are going to pick holes, particularly in the initial training, where instead of the pupil being asked to clean and polish his trainer’s car (the infamous wax on, wax off scenes) and paint his fence - and the subsequent joyful enlightenment for both the viewer and the character when the big reveal shows all these menial tasks were actually grounding him in the basics of good karate skills - here the writers thought it would be enough to have him just hang his coat up, put it down, drop it on the floor, on repeat, for what seemed like an eternity. This is before it goes completely over-the-top as he quickly becomes the new Bruce Lee, if compensated for by some spectacular scenery.
That brings us to the running time. Unfortunately, the filmmakers got sidetracked with an unnecessaryily long romantic sub plot, which adds nothing – it certainly won’t impress child viewers where the thought of making out repulses, and who are waiting for their next fix of CGI enhanced kick ass, and neither Jaden Smith in the role of Dre or Wenwen Han in the role of Mei Ying have the acting chops to pull it off. In fact, the only commendable aspect of Jaden’s performance is in his physicality, although it’s uneasy that a child actor so young would be expected to develop in such a way – yet another unhealthy message for its target audience. Also clocking up the minutes is the big ‘visit China’ sell – all the key visitor attractions are enhanced and displayed on the grandest of scales. Whilst it may have helped with the production costs, and no doubt younger viewers will be in awe, it hampers progress of what, ignoring the moral concerns any right minded adult would have watching, is a decent, standard, big budget Hollywood action flick.
There’s nothing here for adults, the characters are too young for older teenagers, who have progressed to blowing people up on X-Box for their amusement, so this is definitely targeted at young children. Given its PG-rating, the choice should (although probably not) be with the parents as to whether they feel their child is ready to be exposed to such levels of emotional and physical distress – if they haven’t been already.
Kids today will lap it up. Fresh from smashing someone through a wall on their latest video game, they can now watch an actual person do it. For fans of the original, all the basic story elements are in place, it just lacks any of that film’s warmth, humour or soul. However, the biggest crime is the complete lack of responsibility Hollywood has again shown as those involved focus solely on boosting their bank balances. DH
Set in the war period in China between 476 BC – 221 BC, Little Big Soldier tells the story of a soldier (Jackie Chan) and a general (Wang Leehom) from opposing states (Liang and Wei), who have very much opposing views on the war and world.
Jackie Chan - in one of his finest performances - plays the soldier from Liang, who survives the war which had left most men killed, by playing dead until the war was over. Lee Hom Wang, who plays the general from Wei, survives the war, but would rather be dead after the bloodshed.
A painful yet comical journey commences when the soldier decides to abduct the downtrodden general and bring him back to his state in the high hopes of collecting a reward. Taking the general home was not as easy as expected, however, as the general attempts suicide many a time, but the soldier insists on saving him for his huge reward - even if that means endangering his own life.
A bonus digital copy of the film will be packaged with the DVD as a special gift from Cine Asia. The disc comes with a specially formatted standard definition digital version of the full-length movie so that you can fully enjoy the possibilities of watching the action-packed Little Big Soldier on your PC!
Film: Little Big Soldier
Release date: 8th November 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 96 mins
Director: Sheng Ding
Starring: Jackie Chan, Wang Lee-hom, Yoo Seung-yun, Lin Peng, Xiao Dong Mei
Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy
Studio: Cine Asia
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: China/Hong Kong
DVD Special Features:
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Audio commentary by Hong Kong Cinema Expert Bey Logan
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Trailer gallery – Including first look at Ip Man 2, starring Donnie Yen!
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Interview gallery
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‘Making of’ gallery
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‘On set report’ gallery
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Behind the scenes
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Jackie Chan music video
Set in the war period in China between 476 BC – 221 BC, Little Big Soldier tells the story of a soldier (Jackie Chan) and a general (Wang Leehom) from opposing states (Liang and Wei), who have very much opposing views on the war and world.
Jackie Chan - in one of his finest performances - plays the soldier from Liang, who survives the war which had left most men killed, by playing dead until the war was over. Lee Hom Wang, who plays the general from Wei, survives the war, but would rather be dead after the bloodshed.
A painful yet comical journey commences when the soldier decides to abduct the downtrodden general and bring him back to his state in the high hopes of collecting a reward. Taking the general home was not as easy as expected, however, as the general attempts suicide many a time, but the soldier insists on saving him for his huge reward - even if that means endangering his own life.
Film: Little Big Soldier
Release date: 1st October 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 96 mins
Director: Sheng Ding
Starring: Jackie Chan, Wang Lee-hom, Yoo Seung-yun, Lin Peng, Xiao Dong Mei
Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy
Studio: Cine Asia
Format: Cinema
Country: China/Hong Kong
Jackie Chan stars as a young man, out to avenge the death of his father, who learns kung fu from a Shaolin master. Many action-packed fight sequences follow (all directed and choreographed by Chan).
Film: 36 Crazy Fists
Release date: 27th September 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 88 mins
Director: Chen Chi-hwa
Starring: Jackie Chan, Tony Leung, Michelle Mee, Lau Chan, Cheng Chiang
Genre: Action/Comedy/Martial Arts
Studio: Cornerstone
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong
Film: The Karate Kid
Release date: 28th July 2010
Certificate: 12A
Running time: 140 mins
Director: Harald Zwart
Starring: Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson, Wenwen Han, Rongguang Yu
Genre: Action/Drama/Family/Martial Arts
Studio: Columbia/Sony
Format: DVD
Country: USA/China
This is an English-language release.
The classic 1984 underdog story gets an aesthetic makeover for the 21st century. Will “Pick up your jacket!” become the new “Wax on, wax off”?
With work scarce in America, 12-year-old Dre Parker (Smith) is forced to move to Beijing with his mother Sherry (Henson), who seeks to grasp opportunities in the ever expanding Chinese economy.
On his first day, Dre falls foul of local boys who belong to an elite kung-fu academy run by the strict, drill sergeant-like Sifu Li (Yu), who encourages a ruthless approach to combat.
Struggling to adapt to his new environment and culture, Dre’s problems worsen until he is saved from a severe beating by the unlikeliest of sources - the enigmatic maintenance man, Mr Han (Chan), who reveals a martial arts mastery Dre never expected.
With an invitational tournament looming, Han agrees to teach Dre the true meaning of kung-fu, so that he can stand up for himself without fear…
With Rocky director John G. Avildsen’s seminal 80s classic being somewhat dated but fondly remembered, there’s little sense of cinematic ‘sacrilege’ with this remake, and not once will an audience ponder what ‘need’ there could be for a new version of The Karate Kid. The original script by Robert Mark Kamen (who is given a thoroughly deserved ‘story by’ credit here) remains one of Hollywood’s most spiritually sound examinations of the values of martial arts - values that should absolutely be promoted in popular culture. To this end, an updating of the story for young 21st century audiences not only makes perfect sense, but is entirely welcome.
The differences between the two films are merely aesthetic: the protagonist is 12 rather than 17; he is uprooted to a whole new country rather than a different coast; and he studies not karate, but kung-fu (the title being a distracting misnomer). Despite all this, this remake sticks almost religiously faithful to its source material, even down to its bloated running time and almost superfluous romantic subplot. Running through the same beat-for-beat narrative, with many an amusing tribute to the original, 2010’s The Karate Kid should delight and inspire a whole new generation of young moviegoers. The classic underdog story is never revised nor radicalised. Instead, this is a purely traditional narrative, perfectly executed - proof that formulas can still thrill an audience if mixed the right way. What worked for the children of 1984 will work for their children in 2010.
Indeed, in this new version, the plight of young Dre is arguably one deserving of more sympathy than that of Daniel, the older teenager played in the original by Ralph Macchio. Where Daniel was a sullen, petulant, somewhat melodramatic character, Dre - as played with natural charm by Jaden Smith - is an instantly likeable boy with little hope of adapting easily to his new surroundings, thus earning an audience’s goodwill from the off. Unlike the original, the protagonist’s arguing with his mother is understandable rather than irritating, his alienation affecting. It helps that Smith - whose comic timing and easy charisma is highly reminiscent of his father Will in his Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air days - has not only the acting ability that Macchio lacked, but also a credible athleticism when it comes to the training and fighting sequences.
Smith is one half of a destined-to-be-classic double act with the venerable Jackie Chan, who shows a determination to grow old as gracefully as possible, bringing to his Mr Han a quiet intensity that differentiates him from the jovial, twinkly-eyed Mr Miyagi played so memorably in the original by the Oscar-nominated Pat Morita. Come ‘awards season’, Chan’s work may be forgotten by academies and critics groups, but that should not detract from his performance here, which is hands-down the best he has given in an English-language film. Building on the sombre weariness exhibited in recent Asian films like The Shinjuku Incident, Chan plays his age, with his body of work and reputation lending a Master’s credibility to his character. If some actors are described as being “born for” certain roles, then Mr Han is surely the role that Jackie Chan has lived for.
This unlikely dream pairing of Smith and Chan is given feisty back-up by Taraji P. Henson as Dre’s mother Sherry, who brings the same matriarchal warmth to this role as she brought to her turn as Brad Pitt’s adoptive mother in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, spiked with an appealing dose of sass and spirit. As Sifu Li, Yu Rwong-kwong might not end up on as many nostalgic T-shirts as Martin Kove’s Sensei John Kreese, but there are few actors in the world who could convince an audience of their martial arts mastery in a role that requires almost no fighting, and Yu is never less than a thoroughly menacing presence.
On the subject of fighting, the action sequences - coordinated by the Jackie Chan stunt players - might not match the creative ingenuity of his best Hong Kong work, but are certainly on a par with Chan’s Hollywood output. With the man himself having only the one fight sequence, it falls to the younger actors to thrill an audience with their martial arts prowess. Though the characters are blessed with exaggerated physical capabilities - a combination of wire, trampoline and computer effects gives the Chinese bullies preternatural grace and agility - that could undermine believability, the fights are perfectly staged, and the stakes of each fight perfectly raised. And if the action is more bone-crunching and hard-hitting than the original - early scenes feature Dre getting hit with kicks and punches that should, by rights, put him in hospital - the aforementioned stylised approach tempers any sense of gratuitousness or sadism.
This is a bona-fide American/Chinese co-production, as evidenced by not only the dual-language closing credits, but also the filmmakers’ commitment to showing off the cultural and architectural wonders of contemporary Beijing, and the natural scenic beauty of China in general. It is a testament to the engrossing nature of the story that director Harald Zwart can pad a training montage with shots of Mr Han and Dre training on a Great Wall of China curiously devoid of tourists and not leave his audience alienated with eye-rolling incredulity. That said, a sequence with Dre’s class on a field trip to The Forbidden City (making this, after The Last Emperor, only the second international production to be granted permission to film there) adds nothing to the narrative, and is symptomatic of what is really the only flaw in an otherwise fine, classy production - running time.
During a scene involving violin prodigy Mei Ying - the object of Dre’s chaste affections, their mild flirting being what attracts the bullies to Dre in the first place - practising for an all-important audition, she is told by her stern tutor that she should “play the pauses.” This is a motto Zwart and screenwriter Christopher Murphey seemed to have taken to heart, regularly putting the brakes on a narrative that should, when aimed at a young audience, be fast and energetic. While the sojourns to mystical temples and mountains are pleasing on the eye, and the subtle (if slightly clichéd) master-student/father-son relationship between Dre and Han is packed with moments of genuine emotional power, Dre’s courting of Mei Ying feels like needless padding. Indeed, it is questionable how invested this film’s intended audience - ‘tween’ boys - will be in a gentle romance that seems to delay the action scenes rather than add weight to them. Among the many virtues Mr Han teaches Dre is the importance of focus - it is ironic that the filmmakers don’t seemed to have taken this on board themselves.
But this is a minor notch against a well-made, well-intentioned film that is not only uplifting, exciting and inspiring, but also shows a cultural sensitivity uncommon to Western films taking place abroad. It may not have quite the same impact on popular culture as its source material, and it may not spawn as many sequels, but The Karate Kid is one of the better summer event movies to come out of Hollywood in 2010.
A very pleasant surprise, and a near-perfect underdog story for children who will surely cherish it and compare it favourably to the inevitable remake in 2034 - even if its title makes no sense at all. JN
Film: The Shinjuku Incident
Release date: 22nd February 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 114 mins
Director: Tung-shing Yee
Starring: Jackie Chan, Daniel Wu, Naoto Takenaka, Masaya Kato, Xu Jinglei
Genre: Crime/Drama
Studio: Cine Asia
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Hong Kong
Jackie Chan takes his biggest step outside his comfort zone in this bleak crime fable with an arresting socio-political subtext. How does the undisputed king of action-comedy fare in this stripped down, character-driven drama?
To escape the poverty of rural China in the early 1990s, tractor mechanic ‘Steelhead’ (Chan) makes for Japan, which he enters illegally by sea with scores of other desperate Chinese.
Narrowly escaping the police, Steelhead arrives in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, where he is accepted into the Chinese ex-pat community, and forges a friendship with Jie (Wu) - a well-intentioned younger man with a habit of making destructively bad decisions.
Steelhead wants nothing more than to earn a living and be reunited with his fiancée, Xiu Xiu (Jinglei), but the dual discovery that opportunities are scarce and that Xiu Xiu is now the wife of Yakuza boss Eguchi (Kato) nudge the weary and desperate immigrant towards a life of crime.
Before long, Steelhead finds himself mired in a web of violence and betrayal, caught in not only the crossfire of a Yakuza power struggle, but also of his own internal war - how to remain an honourable man in the face of such ruthless and deadly enemies? And can crime be excused if one seeks only to look after one’s community?
About twenty minutes into The Shinjuku Incident, the film sets up a scenario we’ve seen before - dozens of times. Jackie Chan - playing an ‘everyman hero’ - happens to be in the right place at the right time as an innocent is set upon by baddies or thugs. Never one to stand by, Jackie runs to the rescue, using an inanimate object that happens to be to hand (in this case a conveniently placed stick). But where Jackie’s everyman hero should twirl and whirl said stick with ruthless, athletic grace, he simply swings it chaotically, never making contact. In place of the actor’s lifetime of training is the crude, desperate action of an unskilled ordinary man who masks his own fear with frenzied aggression, hoping to scare off his opponent before he has to inflict or receive any physical damage. He even calls out for help. If audiences had not cottoned on before this scene, it now becomes very clear: this is not a ‘typical’ Jackie Chan film.
Jackie Chan’s is one of the most carefully managed and scrupulously maintained cinematic personas of this, or any other, era. We take as given that Jackie’s character - who will often be called ‘Jackie’ or, in his earlier Hong Kong days, ‘Ah Lung’ (playing on his Cantonese stage name ‘Sing Lung’, ‘Lung’ meaning ‘Dragon’) - is an honourable man, who does not back down from a challenge; we know that ‘Jackie’ will use - often stylised, spectacular - violence to right a wrong, but we know that minimal blood will be spilled, and that any gunshots fired will almost certainly miss before the guns are flung aside in favour of fists and feet. In perhaps no career in any country’s cinema has one man shown such a keen awareness of his audience (the paucity of love - or even kissing - scenes in Chan’s filmography was almost necessitated by the extreme reactions of his female fans, with one Japanese woman committing suicide upon learning of his real-life marriage to a Taiwanese actress), and such reluctance to unsettle them (the list of ‘risky’ projects turned down by Chan include the gay love interest of Leslie Cheung in Farwell, My Concubine, and the historically controversial figure of China’s First Emperor in Zhang Yimou’s Hero). Any revision of this persona has instant cinematic impact, from the older brother of a mentally ill man struggling with his responsibilities in 1985’s Heart Of The Dragon, through to the alcoholic detective in 2004’s New Police Story. But even those characters contained the key, comforting ‘Jackie-isms’ - the fighting ability, and the indomitable spirit, dormant but retrievable upon the plot’s demand. The Shinjuku Incident’s Steelhead shares only a desire to be good with the basic Jackie Chan template. In every other respect, this is brand new territory for the leading man.
And he does rather a fine job in it, too. Having made his name in popular Hong Kong cinema - which, by definition, required a very expressive style of acting - Chan perhaps does not have the career’s worth of experience to draw on in order to convey his character’s inner turmoil and existential malaise with particular subtlety. So he does what he has always done - rely on his connection with an audience. Chan’s face - handsome, off-set by a pug nose that was the butt of so many easy script jokes in his early career, and almost as flexible as the rest of him - has always been the most effective weapon in his acting arsenal; but where he once mugged incessantly in aid of conveying physical pain or comedic angst, he now casts off once and for all his typical boyishness, and lets all the weariness of late middle age show. It is almost as though Chan is no longer pretending that nearly forty years of action scenes, blown stunts and broken bones haven’t taken their toll. Director Derek Yee underlines, perhaps for the first time, just how fascinating Chan’s looks have become with age, and the actor seems to relish the more subdued, restrained style of acting. Gone is the showy wailing of New Police Story, and in its place is a quiet (in)dignity which, though perhaps not as subtle as a Tony Leung may have managed, is all the more impressive for being so unexpected.
Of course, there is more going on in The Shinjuku Incident than Jackie Chan stepping outside his comfort zone. Much more, in fact. So what of the rest of the film? Almost frustratingly, the script contains little to match the surprise of its central performance, steaming through gangland movie clichés at a rate of knots. What starts as an intriguingly slow-burn insight into the illegal immigrant communities in Japan soon overburdens itself with the web of deceit and power plays within the Tokyo underworld that is at first only tangentially connected to the emotional story at its heart. The central characters all have compelling relationships with each other (Steelhead is employed by, and eventually grows to like and respect the Yakuza boss now married to the girl he came to find), and arcs ripe with dramatic potential (Jie’s reaction to humiliation and mutilation in a gangland incident is to take up with drug-dealing, nihilistic cyberpunks), but the filmmakers too often pull their punches when it really matters. Despite several scenarios that feel fresh and new, the characters ultimately make the same old choices when it really matters.
Yee’s film simply spreads itself too thinly - its socio-political character study at war with its commercially desirable gangland thriller plot. The script’s wealth of character arcs and subplots - Steelhead’s lost love, his friendship with a weary-yet-idealistic cop (Takenaka), Jie’s struggle to assert himself in a world run by ruthless men - suggests a sprawling epic story crammed into a running time of just under two hours. Indeed, as characters make story-turning decisions that occasionally have insufficient build-up, the film sometimes plays like a three hour epic that’s been hastily edited. Ultimately, the characters are shepherded to a chaotic finale that feels like a quick-fix to a script that got out of control - its conclusion unsettlingly abrupt. It’s a measure of how the film eventually disengages its audience that the fact the plot’s resolution centres on a glaringly anachronistic detail becomes impossible to overlook, regardless of our emotional connection to the characters.
A nice change of pace for its star, and a well-made crime drama in its own right. Even if it does not ascend to the level to which it aspires, The Shinjuku Incident is still a mostly compelling piece of Asian cinema that touches on an issue perhaps unfamiliar to overseas audiences. JN
