By: Omair Alavi Some call it a clichéd story and some term it as a revenge saga, but the truth is that with Jackie Chan playing the anti-hero, you get the worth for your money with The Foreigner. Add Pierce Brosnan to the flick and the excitement of watching the Chinese sensation and the former James…
SAMAA | Omair Alavi – Posted: Oct 18, 2017 | Last Updated: 4 years ago
By: Omair Alavi
Some call it a clichéd story and some term it as a revenge saga, but the truth is that with Jackie Chan playing the anti-hero, you get the worth for your money with The Foreigner. Add Pierce Brosnan to the flick and the excitement of watching the Chinese sensation and the former James Bond together will make you watch go to a cinema near you.
The Plot
Ngoc Minh Quan (Jackie Chan) loses his ‘remaining’ teenage daughter to a bomb blast and wants to know who is responsible, so he can have his revenge. When all else fails, the former Vietnam War veteran approaches the Irish deputy minister Liam Hennessy (Pierce Brosnan) for help, who claims to have no knowledge of the bombing. Quan then goes all Rambo on the minister, stalking him and destroying his high-level security with his special forces training. Does he get to have his revenge or do the bombers go scot-free for being anonymous, watch the film to know more.
The Good
Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan – together! That’s the best thing that can happen to a fan of action flicks, especially of the 1990s. Director Martin Campbell was responsible for introducing Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in the 90s and also bringing back Mel Gibson to films with Edge of Darkness; here he tries the same approach with Jackie Chan, rebranding him as an elderly British citizen instead of his usual Chinese Cop routine. Jackie Chan gives an emotional performance and surprises you with his expressions, something he hasn’t been asked to do in his other Hollywood hits. The pace of the film also keeps you engrossed as to what will happen next, the thrill staying valid until the final shot of the movie.
The Bad
For the fans of Remington Steele in the 80s, James Bond franchise in the 90s and at the turn of the century, Pierce Brosnan was ‘the’ man! However, it was sad to see him just standing there and delivering his dialogues with no movement, a role that even the retired Sean Connery could have played and mind you, he is quite senior to Brosnan. There should have been a showdown between him and Jackie Chan considering they represented different brands of cinemas in their early careers. Similarly, using lesser-known actors in the film didn’t have the same impact as using known actors; some of the characters (playing both sides) don’t get noticed by the audience until it’s too late.
Verdict – 3/5
The Foreigner is an action flick in the league of Death Wish where Charles Bronson becomes a vigilante after tragedy destroys his family, and Taken where Liam Neeson’s daughter is kidnapped and he hunts down those responsible. For a change, Jackie Chan plays an old character – much like Mr. Myagi in The Karate Kid – who unleashes his bad side when everything seems to lead to a dead end. Watching a scared Pierce Brosnan wasn’t something you expected from the film, but yes, the Irish-accented former James Bond was the target in this Martin Campbell thriller for his past associations
