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Craig Younkin
Movie Review
The Foreigner
By Craig Younkin Published October 15, 2017
US Release: October 13, 2017
Directed by: Martin Campbell
Starring: Jackie Chan , Pierce Brosnan
R for violence, language and some sexual material
Running Time: 114 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $33,474,000
Directed by: Martin Campbell
Starring: Jackie Chan , Pierce Brosnan
R for violence, language and some sexual material
Running Time: 114 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $33,474,000
B
This movie still proves that an older Jackie is better than none at all.
"The Foreigner" – It’s Jackie Chan guys, and not just him doing a lot of slapstick like he's been doing for the past more than a decade. This is a real dramatic thriller – which may be bothersome to some because we were probably all expecting another martial arts flick here. But this movie still proves that an older Jackie is better than none at all.
He plays Quan, a man who loses his daughter during a sudden bombing in London. And we see him, he looks haggard and lost, a man whose rough history can be seen right on his face. This is probably the best acting we've seen from him ever, conveying great sadness with very few words.
The bombing was perpetrated by a group calling itself the authentic IRA, a group that may or may not be affiliated with the old IRA which has been dormant for 19 years due to a peace treaty. Pierce Brosnan plays Liam Hennessy, the Irish Deputy Minister in London. Before this post he also had ties to the IRA, ties which he is now trying to correct. Quan believes that Hennessy knows the identity of the bombers and so be begins a full-on assault in order to get the names.
What's surprising about "The Foreigner" is just how much political intrigue the movie has. It unfolds with the twists and turns of a solid novel, which I guess shouldn't be a surprise considering how it is based on a 1992 novel. Nearly every character has a rough or tragic past, even though there is a 19 year peace treaty, that doesn't necessarily mean there aren't still huge grudges. And the connections between people only get more complicated as it goes along.
But I say it's surprising because you just don't consider this much plotting when concerning a Jackie Chan movie. In fact for long stretches, it almost feels more like a Pierce Brosnan political thriller more than a revenge flick. And if you were to name the film's biggest problem, it's that it sometimes feels like it's at odds with itself.
Brosnan couldn't be better here though and when Jackie is on screen, the performance is not only good but even though older, he's still spry and that is definitely something to admire in a 63 year-old man.
He plays Quan, a man who loses his daughter during a sudden bombing in London. And we see him, he looks haggard and lost, a man whose rough history can be seen right on his face. This is probably the best acting we've seen from him ever, conveying great sadness with very few words.
The bombing was perpetrated by a group calling itself the authentic IRA, a group that may or may not be affiliated with the old IRA which has been dormant for 19 years due to a peace treaty. Pierce Brosnan plays Liam Hennessy, the Irish Deputy Minister in London. Before this post he also had ties to the IRA, ties which he is now trying to correct. Quan believes that Hennessy knows the identity of the bombers and so be begins a full-on assault in order to get the names.
What's surprising about "The Foreigner" is just how much political intrigue the movie has. It unfolds with the twists and turns of a solid novel, which I guess shouldn't be a surprise considering how it is based on a 1992 novel. Nearly every character has a rough or tragic past, even though there is a 19 year peace treaty, that doesn't necessarily mean there aren't still huge grudges. And the connections between people only get more complicated as it goes along.
But I say it's surprising because you just don't consider this much plotting when concerning a Jackie Chan movie. In fact for long stretches, it almost feels more like a Pierce Brosnan political thriller more than a revenge flick. And if you were to name the film's biggest problem, it's that it sometimes feels like it's at odds with itself.
Brosnan couldn't be better here though and when Jackie is on screen, the performance is not only good but even though older, he's still spry and that is definitely something to admire in a 63 year-old man.
Craig's Grade: B
Craig's Overall Grading: 340 graded movies
| A | 10.9% | |
| B | 41.8% | |
| C | 31.8% | |
| D | 15.3% | |
| F | 0.3% |
