THE FOREIGNER – Review

(Left to Right) Jackie Chan as Quan and Pierce Brosnan as Hennessy at Hennessy’s office in THE FOREIGNER. Photo by Christopher Raphael. Motion Picture Artwork © 2017 STX Financing, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan face off in action thriller THE FOREIGNER. Director Martin Campbell (CASINO ROYALE, GOLDENEYE) helms this suspenseful thriller that has a serious, emotional Chan bent on revenge after his daughter is killed in a politically motivated bombing in London, a man who turns his focused on an Irish-born British official, played by Pierce Brosnan, who may know the names of the bombers.

Although there is a daughter and Jackie Chan’s character does have an unexpected “special skill set,” that is about all this smart, gripping thriller has in common with Liam Neeson’s TAKEN apart from the genre. This revenge-driven action thriller has some surprising twists and provocative commentary on assumptions based on appearance. The face-off between these two men with complicated pasts makes this more than a revenge movie, as well as one of the best Jackie Chan movies of recent years.

However, Jackie Chan (who is also one of the film’s producers) sheds his usual comic persona to play Quan, an unassuming businessman, running a small London Chinese carry-out restaurant and raising his teen-aged daughter alone. His teen-aged daughter Fan (Katie Leung) is picking up her prom dress from a shop when she is caught in a terrorist bombing of a nearby bank. A group calling itself the Real IRA claims credit but the authorities are baffled over who the group is. Heartbroken, Quan daily quizzes the police and other authorities about the bombing, seeking names of the suspects. Eventually, his focus falls on Irishman Liam Hennessy (Pierce Brosnan), a British official representing Northern Ireland. Now a wealthy, respected politician, Hennessy has past links to the IRA, so the British government turns to him in investigating whether the terrorists have links to the actual IRA, who have been quiet since the Irish “Troubles” ended nearly 20 years earlier, and, if not, who they actually are.

Even though Quan is a British citizen who has lived in London for decades, he retains some ways of his native China. The modest man politely bows and formally addresses the officials but he is relentless in his quest, even offering money for information. Quan seems bent and old as he quietly pads into the police office every day. It is easy to see why the police dismiss him, but he will not go away.

With his “foreign” demeanor, the police soon call him the “Chinaman,” although even they wince a little while saying it. The film is based on a novel called “The Chinaman.”Ironically, neither Quan nor Hennessy, the Irishman he confronts played by Brosnan, are native Englishman, making them both “foreigners.” They also share hidden pasts.

Chan and Brosnan are both terrific in this thought-provoking action film. Sporting a thick Irish accent, Brosnan alternating between arrogance and cunning as the Irish political leader. Brosnan’s character is under pressure from several sides, including the British government desperate to block a return of the Irish Troubles and its violence, and his fellow Irishman with their own concerns. Hennessy’s personal life is as complicated as his political one, while Chan’s Quan has a single focus.

Jackie Chan delivers a different kind of performance for him. Dropping his usual manic comic character, everything about Quan is still, sad and quiet. He unabashedly and quietly sheds tears as the police question him as a witness to the bombing, in one particularly moving scene. Chan’s tear-streaked face is so filled with sorrow in that emotional scene, and several others later, it is easy to see why the police are both touched and dismissive of the 60-year-old Quan when he persists with his questions about the suspects. But by the time the mourning father tracks the investigation to the Irish leader, Chan’s Quan is more hardened, and ready for action mode.

The Jackie Chan action sequences are thrilling – of course – but are also done with a touch of realism. Chan plays up Quan’s age, which makes his explosion into action all the more thrilling. Quan’s adversaries repeatedly refer to him as “that old man,” and are startled when he flies into action. While Chan’s Quan has amazing skills and speed, he also groans like an old guy after falling down stairs, gets covered in scratches and bruises, and gingerly tends his wounds.

The story plays with themes of modern terrorism, past conflicts and hidden personal pasts in an unexpectedly intelligent way for an action film. Director Marin Campbell is in top form here, with the right balance of cat-and-mouse suspense and thrilling action sequences. The pace builds steadily and the film never sags yet allows enough time to reflect on these two characters, alike and different. Past experience come back to haunt or help, and sometimes both. The emotional arc of both characters makes this a more interesting film than a standard actioner.

All told, THE FOREIGNER is a splendid, polished action thriller with brain and heart, and a marvelous pairing of two actors, Chan and Brosnan. For Chan fans, it is a wonderful, welcome return of the great Jackie Chan to English-speaking live-action roles.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars