I arrived late to the Jackie Chan party and martial arts movies in general. Nice Guy when I rented it from my local Video World. No, the first image that sprang to mind was of him punching his way through the videocassette cover of Mr. Well, when John and Georgia took momentary leave of their senses and asked me back as a guest on their wonderful podcast, the first image that sprang to mind wasn’t Jackie hanging from a clock face in Project A in homage to Harold Lloyd in Safety Last (1923) or the awe-inspiring mall climax in Police Story. Nice Guy, one of his mid-period and largely forgotten starrers? Why would I skip past the films that made audiences sit up and pay attention to his unique, comedy driven kung fu, namely Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow, Half a Loaf of Kung Fu or Drunken Master (all released in 1978)? And why, for crying out loud, would I not nominate any of the films he made during the 1980s? I’m talking about the four-punch whammy that is Project A (1983), Wheels on Meals (1984), Police Story (1985 in my opinion, his masterwork as both director and star) or Armour of God (1986)? Why not any of the films that saw him rise to prominence in Hollywood, like the three Rush Hour movies (1998-2006), the Shanghai movies (2000-2003), or even 2010’s remake of The Karate Kid, a film I was surprised to find improved on the Ralph Macchio starring original? Or why not 2008’s The Forbidden Kingdom, the film that brought him together with Jet Li, or his labour of love, the criminally overlooked Little Big Soldier (2010)? Carter sneaks out, locates Soo Yung in the van, and drives it into the building within range of Griffin, preventing him from setting off the vest.Of all Jackie Chan’s films, why would I choose to discuss 1997’s Mr. Griffin threatens to detonate a bomb vest attached to Soo Yung, and demands that the ransom be paid in full, as compensation for the priceless Chinese artifacts he preserved from Lee’s raid. Lee and Johnson realise Griffin is Juntao when Carter recognizes him from the Chinatown surveillance tape. Carter orders the guests to evacuate for safety, angering the FBI, but Lee catches Griffin accepting a remote for the detonator from Sang. Griffin later involves himself in the case, revealing more about the HKPF’s past with Juntao’s syndicate, and implores Han to pay the ransom to avoid further bloodshed.Īt the opening of a Chinese art exhibition at the Los Angeles Convention Center, overseen by Han and Griffin, the now $70 million ransom is delivered, and Carter, Lee, and Johnson enter disguised as guests. Lee arrives and saves Carter from Juntao’s syndicate, but they are taken off the case as the FBI blames them for the botched ransom drop, with Lee sent back to Hong Kong.īut Carter refuses to give up he appeals to Johnson for assistance and sneaks on board Lee’s plane, persuading him to help stop Juntao. Carter goes to the restaurant alone and sees a surveillance video of Juntao carrying Soo Yung into a van. Lee presses Clive into revealing his business relationship with Juntao, whom he met at a restaurant in Chinatown, earning Carter’s trust. Carter’s colleague, LAPD bomb expert Tania Johnson, traces it to Clive, a man previously arrested by Carter. Spotting Sang, Lee and Carter give chase but he escapes, dropping the detonator. The FBI traces the call to a warehouse, where a team of agents are killed by plastic explosive. While arguing with Special Agent-in-charge Warren Russ, Carter unwittingly negotiates with Sang, arranging a $50 million ransom drop. Lee makes his own way to the Chinese Consulate, where Han and the FBI await news about his daughter. Carter takes Lee on a sightseeing tour, keeping him away from the embassy while contacting informants about the kidnapping.
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