Chinese Zodiac (2012)
THE SCOOP
Director: Jackie Chan
Cast: Jackie Chan, Oliver Platt, Laura Weissbecker
Plot: A man searches the world for a set of mystic artifacts - 12 bronze heads of the animals from the Chinese zodiac.
Genre: Action / Adventure
Awards: -
Runtime: 120min
Rating: PG for some violence.
IN RETROSPECT (Spoilers: NO)
Jackie Chan is my favourite Asian superhero. I grew up on a diet of action films, and I would never miss a JC movie when the opportunity comes. From Police Story (1985) to Rumble in the Bronx (1995) to Who Am I (1998), I have seen quite a number of his pre-Hollywood works and I could possibly describe some of the his best death-defying stunts in detail.
However, that is beyond the scope of this review. What is in the scope of this review is answering the following question: How does this JC movie compare to his earlier movies, and is it worth buying a ticket to?
Chinese Zodiac, or CZ12 as it is called
here in Singapore, is a JC vehicle that reminds us of his considerable talent,
even at 58 years of age. Going back to his roots as an action star, Chinese Zodiac delivers on the action
count as JC performs the kind of stunts that remain invigorating to watch, even
as they are derivative.
In an extended fight sequence in an underground bunker, he squares off
with tens of men and has an exciting one-on-one fistfight with a 'frenemy' on a
couch. This is a sequence that will not look out of place in a 1980s JC movie.
However, we are also reminded that we live in a digital age. Such is
the countless CG effects used in Chinese
Zodiac. It kinda mars the experience, because we are not used to seeing a
non-Hollywood JC film with so much effects. Still, there are moments in stored
that will please even the most ardent of JC fans.
Notice I kept using the initials 'JC'. That is because Jackie Chan is a
brand name. His character in the film is also called JC. In some way, Chinese Zodiac is like a meta-film. It
is aware that an action legend is in the picture.
Strip away its action, including a ridiculous set-piece set in some
jungle in a faraway island, and Chinese
Zodiac becomes nothing. Maybe it becomes a skeleton, but without a spot of
flesh. The story is wafer-thin, the development of characters is non-existent,
and it might win a small award for the most number of cringe-worthy lines in a
single film this year.
But I think the filmmakers don't really care, neither should we. Just
buy a ticket and enjoy the movie for as much as it is worth, for this may be
Chan's last true action film. Well, he is set to appear in The Expendables 3 (2014), but that is not the same.
Chinese Zodiac has an abundance of flaws, but at least the action delivers as we
would expect from Chan. In the movie, JC attempts to retrieve the animal heads
that were stolen by the marauding French from a palace in China some centuries
ago. Not that anyone cares.
When you ask someone about a JC movie, you don't ask about its story. You ask whether the action is good. Yes, it is quite good. Well, not quite
excellent. But it is quite good.
Verdict: Forgive the wafer-thin story and
cringe-worthy dialogue, and you will get an action film that is one of Jackie
Chan's best in a long while.
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