Mr. Nice Guy
Review
Format: English VHS
Stars: Jackie Chan, Richard Norton

These aren't the two stars, no. There are tons of idiots in this movie, punks, stupid guys dressed in suits, dumb cops, and irritating women. The cast is worthless outside Jackie, which seems to be the trend in these big time Jackie movies being released in America. Why? Why can't they rent people who can act? And why can't they dress them well? 20 Stooges dressed in suits doesn't look cool. It looks dumb.

That's not a good way to begin a review, but it's not a good movie in my eyes. I've watched it a few times now, and I know what I like and what I hate. This film has most of what I hate. Bad acting, chopped-slow-mo, big time features, and lack of action. Jackie really doesn't do much besides act most of the time. He has a few moments where he kicks a gun or jumps over a fence, but these things are novelties. In the shopping mall was the only part where I was impressed, for a split second too. A whitie comes down the escalator and throws some elbows at Jackie, really useless and energy consuming elbows at that, and does a kick. Is that it? Yes that's it. Norton, who's somewhat capable of action, ties Jackie up with goons holding his arms and legs with ropes, and they move around. Then Jackie drives a big truck at the end (which I liked because of the truck, nothing else). This truck is the one you might have seen on TLC at some time. It's 23 feet tall, the tires each weigh a ton, etc. Perhaps Jackie didn't even drive it, but he gets to climb up onto it, and he slides on the ground while walking on the wheel, an extremely risky stunt I admit. Very well done.... (I'm trying to think of what else). He slides down the middle of 2 escalators in the middle!... ok I could do that. He walks across a plank between 2 buildings. So do some other people.

But the scene before the fight with Norton was ok. Brad Allan was in it too. Jackie uses many props here, including a table saw, ties, and construction tools. Some people throw some very VERY stupid looking punches, but Jackie still looks good.

Something happened that makes me mad. They cut a fight. They.. cut.. a.. fight. Ok, I can understand cutting some plot, which is bad enough. But they removed a fight, and instead left the other BS that made this movie so unbearable. This mistake is unacceptable. It was a fight between Jackie and the whitie I mentioned above, with bleached hair. The only other competent actor, has his scene cut. Rediculous.

The acting is atrocious, like I said. The women can't act. The punks can't act, and all they do is yell. The woman punk is the worst. "Touch her.... and I cut em off.." And Richard Norton, well, he's ok. I think that he looks good on the screen actually. Jackie, as always, outdoes everyone else and does his own thing.

The final scene, even though Jackie (or someone) drives that truck, is stupid. The truck drives into a huge estate, and so many things blow up that you'd think the whole place was a big piece of TNT. My friend and I started making fun of things they could have blown up, things like a flower pot that falls over, a can that hits the ground, and maybe a few bodies that fly around. I don't understand what they were trying to accomplish here.

Entertaining only if you wanna see Jackie. Otherwise, very good example of HK action trying to fit into the American theatre.

4/10 just for Jackie.

UPDATE 10/9 - Rating System Change

2/5 - Decent stunts, but they need other fighters (besides Norton) to fight Jackie in these junkie American productions.

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