Released: October 2017
Director: Martin Campbell
Rated R
Run Time: 114 Minutes
Distributor: STX Films
Genre: Action/Thriller
Cast:
Jackie Chan: Quan Ngoc Minh
Pierce Brosnan: Liam Hennessy
Rufus Jones: Ian Wood
Orla Brady: Mary Hennessy
Ray Fearon: Commander Richard Bromley
Jackie Chan: The most fearless martial arts actor in the industry. What is it about Jackie Chan that makes him so revered and respected by millions of people all over the world? There’s a lot of reasons. There is his Buster Keaton-style approach to physical comedy that is one of his great trademarks. The enormous amount of work that he has produced in a career that spans over 40 years is nothing short of astonishing. It could also be because of the insane stunts that he was known for. Mr. Chan has broken nearly every bone in his body more than once and has nearly gotten himself killed multiple times just for the sake of entertaining people. If there’s a more dedicated showman in the industry today, I have not seen him or her. Movies like Drunken Master, Police Story, Crime Story, The Shinjuku Incident, Armour of God, Shanghai Noon, and Who Am I? are some of his most memorable films. The stunts that he performed in those movies is unlike anything that you will ever see. However, it’s not just the comedy, action, or the stunts that impresses me about the man, it’s also his range as an actor. Every so often, Jackie Chan gets a movie that allows him to express himself in different ways. It doesn’t always work, but I absolutely admire the man for giving it his all in everything that he does. Now, we have a movie that really elevates Jackie Chan as an actor: The Foreigner.
The Foreigner opens as Quan Ngoc Minh picks up his daughter from school so she can pick out a dress for a prom date. After she walks into the building, a motorcycle explodes killing a number of innocent people, including Quan’s daughter, as well as injuring dozens more. A broken man, Quan seeks out the police for answers, demanding to know the names of the bombers. When that fails, he seeks out the Irish representative, Liam Hennessy. When Hennessy fails to provide the information that Quan seeks, Quan decides to make matters into his own hands. What Hennessy doesn’t know is that Quan is a former special forces operative that was extremely good at what he did. On the surface, what we have here appears to be a by-the-numbers revenge thriller. Once the movie gets going, it becomes readily apparent that there is a lot more going on, and the film evolves into a tight political thriller. Putting Jackie Chan smack in the middle of a feud between Britain and rogue elements of the Irish Republican Army was a very interesting touch. The politics between Ireland and the rest of Britain has been…….strained, shall we say over the past several centuries, with the IRA fighting for Ireland’s independence. It’s a very interesting angle to approach a film like this with. You want to know something? It works. I was thoroughly engaged by the story.
Having a good story is key in a movie like this, but it’s the performances that really help drive it. Jackie Chan is a true revelation here. While he doesn’t get many lines in the film, he doesn’t really need them. His face says it all. The way Chan emotes is extraordinary. We see him going from a caring father to a grieving one. Then we see him get angry. He doesn’t go over the top and go wild, but you can see the pain in the characters and eyes and face, and you know what’s going to happen. He nails it out of the park. Next on the list is Pierce Brosnan. While most people would remember him as the legendary James Bond, there’s a lot more to the actor than most people would believe. This guy is an absolutely fantastic actor, and he’s absolutely incredible. He plays Liam Hennessy, an Irish diplomat who used to be the head of the IRA during the 80s. What we see here with Brosnan as Hennessy is a guy that is not only sympathetic to Quan’s plight, but is constantly being frustrated because of the bombing and not knowing who was responsible. Over the course of the film, we see the two characters really go after each other, not necessarily physically, but psychologically. Who you end up sympathizing with kind of changes periodically over the course of the movie. We see Chan’s character resort to what is arguably the similar tactics that the bombers used, but not as big, just enough to get Hennessy’s attention. I love the fact that the moral ambiguity of the characters’ actions goes back and forth throughout the whole thing. Everybody does a good job, but it’s Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan who steal the show.
If you’re going into this movie expecting your typical Jackie Chan-style movie, you’re not going to get it. For one, the action is very much grounded and doesn’t have a lot of flair. All those fancy flips and tricks that Jackie is known for are absent here. The action here is gritty and surprisingly brutal for a Jackie Chan movie. Yeah, Jackie gets to through some punches and kicks, but it’s done in such a way that is more reminiscent of Taken and The Bourne Identity than Police Story. Most of the action is done without wires and the explosions are all done practically, with barely a smidgen of CGI thrown into the mix. I really love the fact that they chose to make the fights more like brawls. The action is absolutely fantastic. If there’s a real negative with the film, it’s that the revenge and political thriller aspects of the film don’t always come together very well. Jackie Chan also isn’t as present in the film as he usually is in his films, but that’s not really that much of a negative.
Overall, I would have to say that The Foreigner is an absolutely fantastic action film. For fans of both Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan, this is EASILY a must-see film. I have to admit: This is the first Jackie Chan movie that I ever saw in theaters, to my great regret, but you know what they say: Better late than never. It is actually quite rare for a movie of this type to come together so well, and I absolutely love it. I actually want to go see it again. This is easily one of the best action movies of the year. It’s also one of Jackie Chan’s and Pierce Brosnan’s best performances in years.
My Final Recommendation: Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan should do movies together more often. 9/10.