If "British Showdown" replaced Jackie Chan's protagonist with a Westerner, it would be a standard Western anti-terrorism commercial film, no matter in terms of plot, production or style. The old pair of Martin Campbell and Pierce Brosnan, who brought the 007 series back to life in a "Golden Eye" back then, are now working together again, but in a Jackie Chan movie. The film was set in the United Kingdom, and the atmosphere was harsh and solemn, without the hilarious gimmicks of Jackie Chan’s previous Hollywood works and the black partners who had been forced to please the minority audiences. The lone hero fought to the end, reminiscent of " The Bourne Shadow and the Hurricane Rescue series.
The action scenes Jackie Chan designed for the film are very different from his previous style. Not only does it completely abandon the fancy juggling moves and put authenticity as the first consideration, but it also conforms to the protagonist Guan Ming's seniority status. For the first time we saw our superhero panting for a few rounds, and bending over to support the wall after a few rounds. The wrinkles on the face and the mottled white hair all remind us that this is the most real Jackie Chan we have never seen before. "How long can this old man last?" The life outside the play and the image in the play merge into one, inspiring the most primitive suspense of action movies: "Can justice really conquer evil?" And this has become popular in recent years. The ultimate meaning of "old-age action movies". Hurricane Liam Neeson saves her daughter, Denzel Washington is known as "the avenger", Sammo Hung is incarnation of "agent grandfather", the old guns are old-fashioned, and they start to recruit and go straight to the key, neatly and down. A group of young men hide their lives and names deeply. White hair and wrinkles are the best disguise and the most worrying suspense of the audience. Jackie Chan, who has finally lifted the burden of his idol, may be able to open up a new route and continue his past glory through "old-age action movies". This is naturally what we would like to see.
The subject of Vietnam War veterans against bureaucracy inherited the tradition of Western citizens resisting tyranny, which is easily reminiscent of "First Blood". In addition to urban chases and indoor fights, the action scenes of the film also include a large number of jungle guerrilla warfare, including tracking and anti-tracking, gun battles and close hand-to-hand combat. It can be seen that Avia is still used in some places, but computer special effects are basically abandoned, and there is no slow motion. It is quite clever to rely entirely on real shooting and editing to create urgency and tension. In addition to Jackie Chan's action design, Martin Campbell, the director who has always adhered to this "old school" action scene, obviously contributed. Although Jackie Chan's skill today is not enough to support those difficult and long-shot fights in the past, it can be said that completing this type of action scene will definitely not lose to any Western action star.
Of course, despite so many changes, "British Showdown" still has a certain distinctive mark that can be classified as a "Jackie Chan movie". The first is the strong grass-roots spirit. From the Hong Kong police to the Asian Flying Eagle, the undead little characters have always been the standard protagonists of Jackie Chan movies. Watching how the weak who are pushed to desperation time and time again turn defeat into victory, which has always been the favorite part of the audience. This "British Showdown" is still no exception. Secondly, the role of Guan Ming portrayed by Jackie Chan still strongly continues his previous "overseas Chinese" character set. Apart from the Hong Kong police, the most popular role played by the spokesperson of this "Chinese Dream" is all types of overseas Chinese. From the Spanish street vendor in "Fast Food Truck" more than 30 years ago, to the Australian Chinese chef in "A Good Man", to the CIA agent in "Who Am I", Jackie Chan’s endorsement has never been only Chinese citizens, but also Chinese groups working silently in every corner of the world. Guan Ming, the seemingly decadent Chinese old man in Britain, is the epitome of the Chinese community who have left Britain due to war and livelihoods. The surname "Guan" may be entrusted with the immortal dignity in the hearts of these Chinese people. It is usually hidden in the city, and when the moment of crisis is short, it can allow all kinds of silent little people to see their dreams come true on the screen. Perhaps it is the true meaning of Jackie Chan's movies that have been popular for decades. And this is the "rise of great powers" that Chinese films should show more.
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