The older Jackie Chan gets, the more serious his movie roles get. Known more for his comedic action style in his movies, his latest movie, “The Foreigner”, marks a different Jackie Chan from that actor that we have been familiar with. Still, we get to see his kickass martial arts moves even at the age of 63.
“The Foreigner” is based on the 1992 Novel The Chinaman by Stephen Leather. The movie is directed by “Casino Royale” director Martin Campbell is produced and Chan’s co-stars are Pierce Brosnan, Charlie Murphy, Liu Tao, Orla Brady, and Katie Leung. The story is about a quiet businessman who runs a restaurant in London who goes after those behind a politically motivated bombing that killed his daughter.
Chan, whose name is not exactly Chinese in the video, as he is referred to as Ngoc Minh Quan, which is a a Vietnamese name, approaches Brosnan who plays Liam Hennessy, a politician he believes can lead him to the bombers. He knows that Hennessy has a shady past and has connections to the IRA but he got turned down. He then trails him to further develop his leads as he planned to avenge his daughter.
Almost like “Taken”, Quan has a hidden past and he has specialist skills in close quarters combat, bomb making, and marksmanship. The close quarters combat and death defying stunts are all hallmarks of Chan himself albeit with the additional skills that are required for his role.
There is a bit of controversy regarding the Chan playing the role of a Vietnamese in the movie given the history between the two countries and the recent tension in the South China Sea, accusing the producers of doing something akin to whitewashing. However, it has been explained the he is really Chinese in the role and that there are mysteries and twists behind Quan’s real identity and that he took the name to hide his past and become a quite businessman.
“The Foreigner” is set to be released on the 13th of October 2017.