Jing cha gu shi IV: Jian dan ren wu (1996)

reviewed by
Walter Frith


                        JACKIE CHAN'S FIRST STRIKE
               A film review by Walter Frith
                Copyright 1997 Walter Frith

Martial arts expert turned movie star Jackie Chan has had a number of international hits before testing the production markets over here in North America. 'Rumble in the Bronx' and 'Supercop' came out in 1996 and while the former was an over rated and over hyped disappointment, the latter was decent entertainment. Now in 1997 we are subjected to a movie which has to have Jackie Chan's name in the title. This movie has considerably less action than the previous two films mentioned and the humour is both childish and silly. Chan is working for the CIA in this movie and a trail of suspicious circumstances take him around the world and the movie's main setting is Australia. He is trying to crack a case involving the Russian mafia which could lead to stolen nuclear devices being used as a first strike on the west. It's difficult to criticze these types of movies because you have to accept them in many ways for what they are. There is a terrific scene involving a chase downhill on skis but many of the action scenes are toned down and this leaves the audience begging for more. It has an abrupt ending where you say "Huh, that's it?" This is not like reviewing a movie based on a classic novel or upstanding play or a movie with serious actors. This movie is clearly for die hard Jackie Chan fans only and the rest of us will say, "Well, I can take it or leave it." That's all I can say about this movie which doesn't dignify having much more said about it.

OUT OF 5> * * 1/2  

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