The Foreigner is not the revenge film as advertised. So for people expecting a Taken like film where Jackie Chan goes on a rampage beating and killing men are going to be disappointed. However there is a seriousness and grittiness to the film that suits the older Jackie Chan and I am hoping he will continue that trend.
As for the movie itself it starts real good. It doesn't waste time to present us the tragedy and how Jackie Chan's character Quan deals with it. Quan's daughter gets killed in a bombing which of course devastates him and beckons him to come into action. He requests the authorities to look for the culprits and punish them. While the people have sympathy for his plight and do seem to be on top of everything they are a little obstructed by politics and other interests. Quan discovers that the Irish deputy minister Liam Henessy played by Pierce Brosnan knows more than he is letting on and pushes him to spill the beans about who is behind the terrorist attack. Up until this point we don't really know how much Brosnan's character knows but like the other authorities don't seem to take Quan that seriously until he makes him. I have to admit that they did a good job of making it seem that Jackie Chan was out of control. His character truly is going above and beyond to do what it takes to get his revenge. For a brief moment you also feel sorry for Brosnan's character because it does look like he is doing what he cans. Except Quan is not buying it. I am not going to lie the darker Jackie certainly is one of the highlights and it definitely is rare to see him like this. And actually it was all I wanted.
But then the film gets too ambitious for it's own good and then focuses on the political intrigue concerning Hennessy which was interesting as a small side plot but nearly not adequate enough as the main plot. It is at this point that Quan becomes a side character and Brosnan becomes the lead in a tale of betrayal and murder that is far too predictable and bland to offer any real surprises. I understand that this film is based on a book so it probably tried to do it justice. But seeing how it's an older book there is some disconnect between current times and the political situation then. Whatever the motivation I found it less compelling than the prospect of Chan going ballistic and taking it real far in order to get his vengeance. The prospect of Brosnan and Jackie being involved some cat and mouse play was far more interesting to me. So why weren't they the main focus?
Despite this huge flaw Jackie Chan does show he is still capable of delivering pain but more so proves that he is indeed a good actor when given good material to work with. I hope we get to see more of this Jackie Chan. So overall well worth your time but it will be a little underwhelming if you were hoping for a Death Wish with Chan in the Charles Bronson role.
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