The Tuxedo
Kung fu superstar Jackie Chan is most beloved for his Asian films, before eventually breaking through into Hollywood. This has come as a mixed blessing to some fans, who consider his American fare to be lesser. The two Rush Hour films are pretty universally liked, but later films have some fans more divided, particularly The Tuxedo...
Jimmy Tong is a hapless and lovesick taxi driver, whose breakneck daredevil driving impresses secret agent Clark Devlin, who has him hired as a chauffeur. Things go well at first, with Devlin being a charming boss. Things take a turn after enemy attack leaves Devlin comatose, telling Jimmy to put on his suit, along with a muffled clue. The tuxedo quickly shows itself to be a technological marvel, that can grant its wearer advanced fighting skills. Now Jimmy must try his best to finish the mission and save the world from sinister forces...
The Tuxedo is everything you'd expect from a Jackie Chan vehicle. Is it on the lower end of the spectrum? Yeah. Does it pale in comparison to movies like Shanghai Noon or Rush Hour? A little. But I still have a soft spot for this movie. It's pretty good!
The story is fairly basic, with enough Bondian antics to entertain, from dashing superspies, to evil villains plotting world domination. The film gets off to a character-driven start, and it's not too long before the plot really kicks in.
The comedy here is mixed. Not all of it landed for me, and a couple of bits were a bit cringy, but
for the most part it's a pretty funny movie. And even the dumber jokes are pretty harmless. Where the comedy excels is in its portrayal of the titular suit. We get a perfect amount of shenanigans with it (I hope none of those were real antiques!), some cool gadgetry, and even some James Brown dance moves!...That was not my favourite part of the film.
For a change, Jimmy Tong is a Jackie Chan character who's not proficient in martial arts. He's just your average joe, and it's the suit that turns him into the karate star we know and love. He's a likeable enough lead, who manages to get through this situation without dying, and learns a lesson in the process.
Clark Devlin is by far the best character of the film, in more ways than one! First and foremost, he is cool! From his clothes, tastes, and demeanour, he exudes an effortless charm. But also neat is his character itself. He's not a prat, and develops a good rapport with Jimmy, telling him "I've seen the way you drive. You have the same instincts I do. Even the girl at the gallery isn't beyond you". It's humble, and shows that being cool is really a state of mind, and anyone can achieve it, with the right drive. It's a shame Devlin is only present for the start and end of the movie, but he still leaves a good impression.
Del Blaine is a decent supporting heroine. She's a bit of a neurotic mess, and the movie does try valiantly to make Jenifer Love Hewitt into an undesirable nerd (it fails), before her inevitable glow up. Her interactions with Jimmy range from funny to hard-to-watch, but by the end of the film it's ok. The romance is a bit mixed too though. I thought it was nice that Jimmy and Del are just partners, and there's no need for them to get together. Unfortunately his mates stuff up his attempts at asking out the other girl, and he and Del just clumsily get together in the last minute, because why not.
The villain is simple but gets the job done, and has some funny dialogue-"Well we're all vaguely honoured you could join us, I suppose". I liked his obsession with water during the date, and it's funny that it's not a put-on. Del starts rattling off a few 'saucy' water comments and he's hanging on every word, and genuinely disappointed when it turns out she's a spy-"Oh damn." There's also a mad scientist, who makes for somewhat poor comic relief, and the villain's wife, who's vapid and annoying, although kinda sweet in a way. And lastly, there's a one scene wonder art dealer ("You didn't come here for the art, did you." "Who would!"), who has his own amusing reasons for wanting Jimmy to ask the woman out.
The Tuxedo is a well made film, with good locations, fun futuristic sets, pyrotechnics, and good practical moments like the poor sucker who turns to a husk. There's also a bit of CGI here and there, but it's not too bad.
The action here is mostly very good. While embracing its goofy side, it never feels like a big
cartoon, with even the more over-the-top moments not looking
particularly fake. The stunt work is very good too. There's nothing reckless or insane like Chan's amazing stunts of the past, and some of it is aided by special effects, but there are still enough to impress, like the pool splits.
Jackie Chan is a reliably good lead. It's funny how he was actually middle-aged when he'd broken out into America, but still played roles like he was in his 30s. He could still convince in the part! I'm not the world's biggest fan of Jennifer Love Hewitt, but she's fine for the most part. Jason
Isaacs is wonderfully suave in his short but important role, and Debi Mazar's
New Yorkah accent is amusing, along with her comedically hard-edged
character. There's also an amusing extended cameo from king of soul James Brown!
And lastly, the bloopers are a high point. They're alright, but what's most endearing is how much fun everyone's having. That alone is reason enough to like Jackie's later movies. Even if they're not the best, they were still made by a cast and crew who were clearly enjoying themselves.
The Tuxedo might not be a perfect movie, but it's hardly a waste of time, and is a fun vehicle for its star...
The Medallion
Eddie Yang is a Hong Kong policeman helping Interpol find smuggler and crime lord Snakehead. Their quarry takes them to a mysterious temple, housing a medallion, and its young keeper. Eddie foils the plot, but only temporarily, and the search takes them to Ireland. After reuniting with an old flame, Eddie busts in on another plot, and is trapped inside a shipping container. He drowns saving the boy's life, and in return he slips one half of the medallion in his hand. A short time later Eddie comes back from the grave, with strange new powers. And he'll need them if he's to stop Snakehead from acquiring both halves of the medallion, and using its terrible power upon the world...
I hadn't seen The Medallion since it came out in 2003, and my memory
of it wasn't exactly glowing, but not negative either. I remembered as
being alright, pretty harmless, with some terrible acting and special
effects. Now that I've finally seen it again, years later, it really
surprised me!
The plot is well-written, and takes its time setting things up rather than rushing to have a superpowered Jackie right out of the gate. Things progress well, and even though the story is pretty basic, it's never lacking.
The movie really doesn't screw around at times either! From Eddie's death, to when we see the villain committing suicide to get the medallion's powers. It knows when to be
serious, and shows how far this villain's gonna go for his obsession. Then there's a moment in the climax which you know isn't gonna stick. The way it's
reversed doesn't feel like a cop-out though because it all fits with the
established rules we've been given.
The Medallion was originally known by the more oblique name of Highbinders, and was a good half hour longer, with a somewhat darker tone, from what I hear. It could've been cool had these elements remained, but if what we got is missing half an hour and is this cohesive, let alone good. it's probably not a big deal, and maybe for the best. It's as complicated as it needs to be, and the title change makes for a more accessible (if slightly blander) name.
Eddie is your typical Jackie Chan lead, and is a good presence throughout. Likeable, funny, and heroic.
I found Watson to be quite annoying at first, with his mugging, comedy
moments, and meanness. The unfunny moments are intentionally so, but
it didn't really seem to help for me. This eventually gives way by about
the half hour mark, and he becomes much more bearable and
funny, especially after Eddie's 'death', when he loses his mean streak
entirely. I liked his relationship with his wife at all stages, and
found it a sweet and diverse addition to his character.
Fellow Interpol gent Nicole is a nice presence, and some might wish she was the sole co-star. She and Eddie share good chemistry, and I like how she's sweetly pissed off at him at
the beginning. You often see just lovey-dovey or straight up angry, so
it's amusing to see this kind of take on things.
The supporting cast is ok, from mystical kid Jai, to the spiffingly British and awesomely named Interpol boss Hammerstock-Smythe. Snakehead is a good villain, with an evil fashion sense, hairstyle, and way of speaking. He also has some distinct henchmen, including a kung fu entourage, wisecracking British dude (slightly annoying), and a snazzily dressed Asian guy.
Since it takes so long for Eddie to become superpowered, that means the
movie isn't just some effects extravaganza that glosses over Jackie's real talents
just to show him jumping around a green screen for 90 minutes. As for how it portrays him
during that latter half, we get a nice combination, and a passable amount of creativity.
It's amazing the difference context can make. For example I never much
cared for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, with one of the major
distractions for me being why everyone randomly started
flying for no reason! It felt like all wires, no talent, for no real
reason besides looking cool (and failing as far as I thought). Whereas here there's a perfect reason.
The first fight between Eddie and Snakehead is great. It's a little short, but the superpowered combat looks good, as do the giant logs flying (perhaps a bit effortlessly). It's not just a
flurry of mindless effects. The second and final fight,
sometimes looks like immortal slapfighting, but then the scene redeems
itself with fun chain moves, and a great Escher shot.
The direction here is very good, with some creative setpieces, like the drowned shipping container full of glowsticks, to the forest confrontation, and the neat location for the final battle.
It's not all perfect though, because The Medallion has some pretty bad CGI effects! Some of the CG fits pretty well, like the glow whenever Eddie is injured, and the speedrunning isn't the worst. The giant dragons at the end are funny for the wrong reasons. One really odd choice is the weird sound effects used in some scenes, like a familiar stock scream that we're expected to buy coming out of Jackie Chan!
The music is quite good, with some neat incidental tunes, action
pieces, and some decent songs here and there. One is actually a little
misplaced, coming during the first big fight's ending. It felt odd hearing a light rock song while Eddie was getting his ass
kicked. The same song is used a little later to much better effect,
and the song that plays the movie out is nice enough.
The cast here is good. Chan is a fun lead. He starts out sporting his long hair, which is a welcome surprise for his Hollywood days! Unfortunately he cuts it almost immediately. Lee Evans is more mixed, and could depend on the viewer. I found him grating in some scenes, but fun in others. Claire Forlani is nice, not to mention gorgeous. Julian Sands is a deliciously evil villain, looking the part, and delivering his lines very well. The actor playing Jai does mostly well, and his accent is always clear, though some of his lines are a bit weak. The rest of the cast is rounded up by names like John Rhys-Davies, Anthony Wong, Christy Chung, and a small role by Scott Adkins!
The Medallion is pretty on par with the Tuxedo as far as latter-day Chan pictures, maybe a little better! It's a fun action-adventure, with enough fantasy and humour (well, 'humour') to satisfy. Are either of these movies The Myth? No, but they could be a lot worse, and I miss films like this being a regular staple in theatres!...
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