This is a superbly strange film...
On one hand this is an action film that dives into the consequences and effects of all those dope ass action sequences. You know that high-speed chase were literally dozens of cars are demolished or that shoot-out were large groups of people are mowed down?
Well, this film has moments where you see the fallout of that and it's fascinating, inspiring and pretty fucking original. There's an extended sequence where Jackie Chan is struggling to get a dying police officer to a hospital and it's thrilling and Jackie Chan (though he isn't the strongest actor) gets very close to nailing this scene. These parts of the movie are riveting.
Why aren't more action sequences doing this? I'm literally going to write an action film right now because this entire idea is fucking fantastic.
But... the other side of this film is horribly generic and cheesy and horribly directed (not visually, but performance wise) every actor including at times Jackie Chan is awful to watch and hear. Specifically, the main villain, he was performing so over the top it felt like he wasn't even aware of what kind of movie he was in.
The entire script is weak and aimless at times. The characters are two dimensional and boring. So much of this movie is just bad, and it's all the director’s fault because the film just flip-flops through tones and moods like nobodies watching.
Even with all those issues, the film is still visually appealing, again, the more I see celluloid the more I am shocked by how gorgeous and textured it is. The shots and compositions and movement in this film are pretty amazing, some of the choreography is great as well. The structure of action set pieces also flow nicely.
So, in ending.
6.5/10 - Decent
This film is strange, it's bad more often than good, but the good stuff is fun and worthwhile and captivating. Jackie Chan is dope as always; this feels like a John Woo film tbh. I also have a large bias for 'non-American' cinema, so for fans of Jackie Chan check it out!