Jackie Chan returns to Hong Kong filmmaking in a globetrotting project that laboriously reaches for suspense amid stunts that lack the punch of his earlier works. Chan’s attempt to please an increasingly wider audience may be just the thing that hinders this film the most.
THE ACCIDENTAL SPY is reminiscent of his other international efforts such as ARMOUR OF GOD and MR. NICE GUY. One distinction is the higher level of polish. The acting while never great is better than most previous efforts. Slick cinematography and a complex story is proof that working in Hollywood has rubbed off on Chan’s Hong Kong work. Filming in exotic locations like Turkey certainly provides a visual bonus and Chan uses it well as seen in a bathhouse scene. Stunts and actions scenes are paced evenly throughout the film and executed with Chan’s typical goofball fashion. But not all is well.
What really hurts the film is a story that attempts to create an air of intrigue and mystery and fails for the most part. There are several elements that work as Chan tries to uncover the meaning of the words, “wait for me,” that allude to his goal. Hong Kong film veteran
Eric Tsang, best known as director of the hit, ACES GO PLACES plays an investigator at the beginning of the film and hints of being a more complex individual. But there are problems with the plot. Why would an intelligence agency trust a bungling sporting goods salesman and why couldn’t they nab an Anthrax II virus themselves? The film plays out like a twisted cross between TRUE LIES and FRANTIC, finally dumping traces of both to emulate SPEED for the finale. So a potential thriller with an everyman person caught in circumstances beyond his control ends up being a film that is beyond his control.
Need I say it? Yes, Jackie Chan is starting to get old as an action star. The stunts and fighting are not as exciting as in the good old days. But we all know that in the best moments Chan can entertain without cracking his skull. THE ACCIDENTAL SPY has managed to ignore all of this. Sure, Chan swings through the side of a skyscraper while on construction equipment. Yes, he takes out a dock full of submachine gun-wielding goons, dock and all. Ok, he also manages to crash a motorcycle into an airplane about to take off and even drives a burning fuel truck off a bridge. But as Bruce Lee once said, “You need emotional content.” All these acts lack the personal charm Jackie provided in films such as PROJECT A where the physical danger and acrobatic feats represented an extension of Chan’s personas and were like nothing we had ever seem before.
No effort was made to play up the martial arts in this film as in Chan’s romantic drama GORGEOUS. At least Jackie does get to trade blows with that film’s talented co-star, Brad Allen. In fact, little time was spent building up any of the action scenes and they were quickly passed over for the next, not allowing the viewer to develop enough interest in each scene. For example, when you see a scene in THE MATRIX where Neo and Trinity begin blasting their way through the lobby, the film has been carefully building up to this scene, ultimately showing the surreal weapon selections beforehand. For an attempt at a thriller, this film’s action is too haphazardly assembled and this is as much a reflection of Teddy Chan’s directing as it is of Chan’s desire to please.
In short, THE ACCIDENTAL SPY suffers from a story too broad for the director to control. Chan and his stunts are nothing more than a showcase to keep the audience’s attention. The result is that they neither add to a potentially compelling story nor manage to provide an edge-of -your-seat experience. While a noble notion, incorporating multiple languages, locals and subplots in an apparent attempt at reaching broader audiences ends up taking the wind of this film’s sails.
by Mark PollardRelated Topics:
Brad Allan • Golden Harvest • Jackie Chan • The Accidental Spy (2001) • Tung Wei
