Jackie Chan is an icon of action cinema. Whether it’s light comedies or intense thrillers, the Chinese actor has starred in many films and impressed with his stunts. A highly recommended thriller that isn’t even that old can currently be watched for free, but you should hurry.
Which movie is it about? Jackie Chan has starred in an enormous number of films throughout his career. He was especially known for his stunts, which he combined with Kung Fu and even performed himself with his own team. Many know him from comedies, but he is also known for more serious films.
In such a film, you could see him in 2017. The Foreigner tells the story of the old restaurant owner Quan, played by Jackie Chan, who loses his only daughter in an attack by an Irish terrorist organization.
After the police fail to find the terrorists, Quan takes matters into his own hands and finds a clue in the past of a politician, played by Pierce Brosnan, who is known as James Bond. A cat-and-mouse game develops that reveals the past of both.
Jackie Chan as a grieving father
What makes the film so good? A major aspect of the film is Jackie Chan himself. If you mainly know his funny films, you really have to empathize with the grieving father. He has lost everything, and that drives him to a limit. Jackie Chan portrays this quite convincingly.
Driven by his feelings of revenge, Quan decides to search for the terrorists himself. He is not a classic hero. He uses highly immoral methods, and that’s what makes it exciting. As you see in revenge films, you catch yourself rationalizing the brutal actions of the hero.
He also has a parallel with the villain of the film. Both have tried to shed their past, but it returns now. Whether in the story of the film or in the thrilling fights.
This creates a nice contrast, as the hero has nothing left, and the villain can lose everything he has built because of an angry man.
An aging Jackie Chan with beautiful action
The visual highlight is, of course, the fight. True to Jackie Chan’s style, you can look forward to cool choreographies. These are less creative but more brutal. Jackie Chan also fights with weapons, and it’s clear here that he lives only for his revenge.
The mix is further enriched by survival elements and the motto: One man against all
. Although these are familiar ideas, they are still fun in this context.
The beauty of The Foreigner is also that you can tell from the choreographies that Jackie Chan has aged. Like in the film itself, he is not a young, resilient super soldier. He is a trained fighter who has to compensate for his physical disadvantages with clever ideas.
The Foreigner doesn’t really do anything new, but in this case, that’s not a bad thing. It does not tell a highly complex story, but simple revenge. The film could be a little shorter, but if you want to see an aging Jackie Chan with good choreography and brutal fights in action, you should check out The Foreigner.
Where can you watch the film? Currently, the film is available for free in the ZDF Mediathek. But you should hurry, because the film is only available until November 20, 2024. Since the film is rated 16 and over, you need to watch it after 10:00 PM or verify your identity. If you have Netflix, then this thriller might be for you: A new thriller rated 16 is currently number 1 on Netflix and will make you sweat
