It strikes a bit of a darker tone than Chan’s earlier work, focusing less on physical gags and more on plot-driven action. Less of a comedy film than it is an action flick, Rumble In the Bronx was one of Jackie Chan’s first forays as a bonafide Hollywood action hero. It received largely positive reviews, with Roger Ebert from the Chicago Sun Times declaring that “It may not be possible to film a better fight scene.” Read More The film culminates in a dramatic final fight sequence which is widely considered to be one of the most iconic fight scenes of all time.ĭespite its overseas success, the film wasn’t released in the United States until 2000, when an English-dubbed version was made available. Wong Fei-hung stumbles upon British thieves attempting to steal precious Chinese artifacts and spends the film attempting to stop them from carrying out their plan, often to great comedic effect. The movie's plot is fairly thin, but focuses on Wong Fei-hung, played by Chan, who’s known as the “drunken master” for his ability to gain an advantage in any fight where he is intoxicated- a plot point which, as you can imagine, gives Chan plenty of opportunities for physical comedy throughout the film. Many were surprised by the film’s success, believing the heyday of kung-fu movies to have already passed. The film was a notable success in Honk Kong, breaking several records and soaring to the top of the box office charts. With almost twenty years separating the films, it’s easy to see why the second was marketed as more of a stand alone movie, even though it draws on many of the same characters and premises. Read MoreĪnother quasi-sequel, The Legend of the Drunken Master serves as the follow up to Drunken Master I, released back in 1978. But be aware that you’re likely to cringe- more than once. So if you’re looking for a broader context for how Chan got his start, it’s not one to miss.
#The hit list movie 123 movie#
However, the movie does make clear why Chan was so wary of type-casting later in his career. While the film offered writers an opportunity to break from the old script of two white cops fighting crime together, it ends up reinforcing more stereotypes than it breaks, pitting the two against each other and reinforcing some of the less enviable tropes of late nineties movie-making.
Unfortunately, though the film features great examples of Chan’s stunt work as well as his physical comedy chops, the script is loaded with racially inappropriate dialogue- and more than one instance of flat out misogyny. The film highlights Chan’s impeccable martial arts ability and allows him to perform some high stakes stunts, including an over-50 foot drop from the top of a building. But the two have drastically different styles and end up working against each other as much as they do with each other- a premise that the writers play on for comedic effect throughout the movie. The film follows a basic buddy cop structure where Chan is assigned to join Tucker on a mission to rescue the daughter of a Chinese diplomat.
Released in 1998, the film co-stars actor/comedian Chris Tucker and was directed by the since-cancelled Brett Ratner. But, despite his over 100 wide-ranging films, we’ve narrowed it down to our picks for the top ten Jackie Chan movies.Īfter decades of stardom in his native Hong Kong, Rush Hour was the film that finally launched Jackie Chan into Hollywood fame. He's always refused to limit himself to any one type of movie and his career reflects this, spanning genre, continent, and style. Since the beginning of his iconic career, Chan has fought to differentiate himself by imbuing his performances with a sense of humor, forging a style of cartoonish physical comedy that mimics the eccentric flair of cinema greats like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.
He’s got a Hollywood star, a video game series, his own production series, a recording career, and, in Wuhan, China, a deanship at his own Jackie Chan Film and Television Academy. From his early days as a stuntman in Hong Kong to his more recent appearances as a dramatic actor in American flicks like The Foreigner and Karate Kid, Chan has proved himself time and time again as a mainstay of modern cinema, as much a symbol as he is actor. For decades, Jackie Chan has been chopping, slicing, and roundhouse-kicking his way to big screen fame.
0 kommentar(er)
