The story isn’t anything
especially new, but Chan and Knoxville have some good chemistry together and
I found this to be far more entertaining than his U.S. buddy team ups. The
combination of action and comedy work well together in this one, with Chan
still doing most of his physical fight sequences and Knoxville getting thrown
around, being another toy for Jackie to play with, and delivering classic
one-liners. And if you’re wondering, Chan still has it. He’s a little slower,
which can be expected for a man at the age of 62, yet he more than pushes his
body in the fight and stunt sequences. This can be witnessed in the end credits
as he is seen wearing a walking boot on one foot and also takes a hard crash
into a metal walkway. He almost froze to death and nearly drowned trying to get
the perfect take for the director, that’s true commitment. He obviously doesn’t
perform all of his stunts anymore and makes great use of his stunt crew to
stand in for him and the other actors, in order to pull off some excellent battles.
There are also some scenes where special effects are used, but it doesn’t end
up detracting from the movie.
The action is excellent, featuring huge stunts, large scale
destruction, and a nice mix of locations and props for Chan and Knoxville to
work with. The fight scenes that take place in the industrial locations are
truly reminiscent of some of his classic battles during the 1980’s and early
1990’s. There is also a good female fight scene between former WWE diva Eve
Torres and Zhang Lanxin.
 |
| I didn't know this was a Jackass movie. |
Veteran Renny Harlin has shown throughout his career that he
has an innate ability to direct big scale action pictures, with the likes of Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger. This is no different, as he provides the viewer with
large scale crane shots, nice camera angles, big action, and quality camera
placement during the action sequences. The exotic locations and beautiful
scenery only further aided him in creating some stunning looking cinema,
featuring the likes of Hong Kong, Macau, Russia, The Gobi Desert, and several
other memorable events and settings.
This is a solid action comedy that provides the perfect
balance of great fight sequences and hilarious moments and shows that Jackie
still has a lot left in the tank. I very much look forward to seeing what he
has planned next.
Share this review because doing otherwise would be dumb.
Score
-Raul Vantassle