Sadly Over-hyped

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The acting in this movie is really good.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Many guys would praise Mr.Nice Guy (Yat goh hiu yan) as one of the best Hong Kong's action flick during Jackie Chan's era. In my opinion, this was one of his "masterpiece" in his actor's life. What would happened if the normal chef with his unexpected martial arts skill involved with the deadly situation concerning the significant video containing the busted drug selling? Unstoppable, breath taking and over the limit action is a thing that Mr.Nice Guy give us. Jackie Chan showed his stellar performance which can made me firmly believed that he is the best "action hero". He extremely concentrated all of his action scenes even it was very risk. I also surprised that Chan starred this film when he was 43! He could do many risk scenes at this age! The film also proof many critics' comment about Richard Norton's outstanding villain role. He portrayed himself as the heinous, nasty and remorseless Giancarlo who can made the audience curse him "to the deep hell". This wicked guy was the mixture of the aggressive criminal, the merciless mob boss, and the abusive man. I believed that if Mr.Nice Guy is the Hollywood's motion picture, Richard Norton could won the Oscar.About directing, Sammo Hung numerously surprised me when I knew his position as the film's director since he is the iconic actor with the great action skill. (However, Mr.Nice Guy was really his 36th works from his 37 movies he directed.) Hung gave us the quality action film which treated audiences with all of emotion. Funny, comedy, anger and satisfying. Movie's climax scene is the part that I suggested all of you utterly "don't miss" because you will be poped-up and shouted "Oh Hell Yeah!"However, I didn't like some point in this movie. The intense and oftentimes women's beating is the scene that I mostly hated. Even it was necessary to show how bad that a villain was, but Sammo Hung used it too frequent. Maybe it was the Chinese's action film culture, so every director had to do?To sum up, this movie is very good for action movies' fan. However, it's not suitable for children to watch it.

This is a chain of highly dangerous action sequences, done excellently without wires, CGI, or stuntmen. The thing is there is nothing else it ! The plot has been done for at least million times; they watched the bad guy while doing bad thing, then "catch them BADLY !!" which always and forever means : a long chase of a movie, with all the hot action and the attempts to killing. There is no comedy, unless we're talking about slight nanoseconds during the fights, mostly with Jackie's reactions. There is no developing romance. There is no drama. And there is no good line either. So it's only "Jackie Chan's Circus Presents", a dry circus for that matter !As you see, even a real, creative, sometimes too dazzling action can't make a perfect movie. So, for a Jackie fan; this could be satisfying, however for the American viewer, who this movie was aimed at, it's not the same at all. It couldn't score big in the American box office. Hence it quickly joined the list of the English-talking movies that Jackie used to do for about 15 years to get into America, with constantly no great success. Actually Jackie, at that phase, was still searching for the code-breaker of the American viewer. He would find it one year ahead with (Rush Hour), namely the buddy action comedy formula, where he hits and Chris Tucker talks !So this is the best of Jackie Chan a la Honk Kong, not Hollywood. That's why the movie couldn't be a hit in America, despite the woman with the black bikini, the other with the white underwear, and that fabulous climactic scene ! Seriously, the sex tone, for a Jackie movie, is a bit loud this time. Enough to remember the sequence of the redheaded woman where she was running in the streets wearing only her undies, which was obviously forced and went for too long (usually Jackie doesn't need "stunts" of that sort !) But nothing was louder than the climax. When Jackie rides that monster of an earthmover (a 120-ton mining truck), and wipes the villa off the ground, it's unforgettable piece of cinema, being a fit grand finale for his circus's show; entitled "Bringing Down The House" !Nevertheless, in that show some points bugged me. There are too many fighting women, all fight as hot as Jackie himself !! Let alone that he, as a fighting machine, is presented as just a cook ?!! The videotape that the reporter taped for the gang looks shot with many cameras, in different angles, with sharp cutting as well (Do I hear LAAAAAAAAME ?!). And most of all that bizarre visual effect which was overused in every action scene ???? I couldn't understand was that for slowing the image or quickening it ? Did they want a silent movie's flavor ?! Whatever the answer might be, I HATED IT SO MUCH, IT'S TOTALLY ANNOYING !It didn't prove itself as a hit in America. However it's genuine Jackie Chan fun. Though, when the 2 married : the American hit & Jackie fun, we – as the fans of the old and magical Jackie – lost many special merits, with for instance abundance of wires, CGI, and stuntmen. Hmmm, it might sound tacky and timeworn, but it is its right place to be said : Nothing is perfect !

When you see bits of this you expect it to be quite fun, and then when you read the review by critics you can agree with what their saying. Based in Melbourne, Australia, this story sees Jackie Chan as Jackie (LOL), a popular TV cook with great food talents, and knowledge of martial arts. His life is turned upside down when TV Journalist Diana (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick) has taped evidence of a drug lord, Giancarlo 'The Saint' Lucchetti (Richard Norton) doing his "business", and on her way out is spotted, and has to run. She runs into Jackie in the street and they getaway after a little struggle, but it gets worse they accidentally mix up her tape or the crime, and his tape of his cookery show. The bad guys are now after Jackie, who they think has the tape, but what he and they don't realise is that one of Jackie's nephews nicked it. There is also a point where Jackie's girlfriend Miki (Miki Lee, LOL again) is kidnapped and threatened for ransom, so this is when we know, "No More Mr. Nice Guy". Also starring Karen McLymont as Lakeisha, Vince Poletto as Romeo, Barry Otto as Baggio and the director Sammo Hung Kam-Bo as Cyclist. The action, stunt and chase sequences as with most of Chan's films are very fun and quite exciting, including a stunt involving a power saw, but I agree with critics two star (out of five) opinion, because the acting is rubbish, and the story could have used a bit of work too, but it is certainly a film for Chan and stunt fans. Jackie Chan was number 41 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars. Okay!

Jackie Chan is the best actor in "Mr. Nice Guy", which should give you an idea of how shoddy the acting is here. Worse, Jackie Chan is far and away the best actor here by a wide margin, and Jackie never really "acts", he just is affable and charming on camera. Everyone else here is community theater level or worse, which has to be at least partly the fault of director Sammo Hung. Chan films tend to need a lot of highly skilled stunt-men, and the two skill sets (double back flips through a pane glass window vs believable readings of a prosaic line of dialog) are not often found in one actor. But the non-action oriented supporting cast is just as bad. So either Hung didn't know how to get better takes from his actors and stunt-men, or he didn't realize (looking at the rushes) that what he had was bad (at least for Occidental expectations), or he just wasn't interested in the dialog and character interaction, except as an excuse to get to the next action sequence. (I'm inclined to believe it's a combination of the 2nd and 3rd explanations). However, the action sequences are, as usual extremely impressive and engaging, and well worth your time and money to see. What can you say, it's Jackie Chan with a real budget and room to play. However, even here "Mr. Nice Guy" isn't quite up to the level of pieces like "Super Cop", "First Strike" or "Who Am I?" because the action falters a bit at the end. Instead of taking down the chief bad guy and his henchmen in a flurry of furious martial arts action, ***plot spoiler follows*** Chan's character commandeers an earth mover and drives it through the head villain's house. It's quite an amusing spectacle, I'll admit, and I give the movie credit for trying something different. But it just seems like an easy out, and not in the same league as the climaxes to films like "Drunken Master II" or "Project A" or "Armor Of God".***Plot spoiler ends*****Obviously, I am a fan of the man, going back to his "Protector" and "Police Force" days before "The Big Brawl" was first released in the West. So I would say that if you are a fan like me, you'll want to see "Mr. Nice Guy" on general principle, and you'll find lots to enjoy about it. But I think most Chan enthusiasts won't have it in their "Top 5" list of favorite Jackie Chan movies, or even the "Top 10".