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Mr. Nice Guy

Mr. Nice Guy

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Underrated Chan flick, my 4th favorite tieing with PS1
Review: I think alot of the critisisim on this movei is unfair. Escesualy the critisism of the plot, geezes! This is a Kung Fu comedy, what do you expect a plot as complexed as Citesen Cane? I on the other hand think the film is great fun with tons of kung fu fighting, unlike any chan film that had be relesed in North America before this one. But I have one complaint: why was there never that one on one battle between Jackie And Giancarlo? I also think that this one wasn't so stupid that it was funny, I though it was a good movie, period. Mr. Nice Guy is rated PG-13 in the US and 14A in Canada for pervasive action violence, some sensuality and drug content (this is the official MPAA reason which I pasted from the IMDB).

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Subtle overtones of Marx's struggles of the working class:
Review: The fact that Jackie Chan's character is a provider of sustanence for the masses (on an extrapolated basis, a TV celebrity chef is able to reach and feed, if only by proxy, millions more than than the average soup kitchen hash slinger) goes on to demonstrate the solid foundation of the working class throughout the world. The villainous gangsters who kidnap Chan's girlfriend are a representation of the oppressive wealth that controls society (there are other gangsters of less means who, even though still representing a contrary force to that of Chan's character, still face with Chan a common enemy bent on monopolizing commerce in a Microsoft-esque fashion...this premise was similarly used in the earlier "Rumble In The Bronx").
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The police, representative of the supposed "order" as provided by government, is portrayed as being incapable (if not completely incompetent) in their attempts to aid Chan (again, he represents society as a whole). The controlling influence of the established bourgeoisie (perfectly housed in an opulent mansion that seems to be more akin to a modern art museum than a home for a single person...this further clarifies the idea that the gang boss is more representative of a class as a whole than his own wants and accomplishments) extends beyond the influence of society as it is taught in primary school.
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The climax of the movie represents the ultimate triumph of the working class in that the (literal) vehicle used to render the afforementioned mansion to kindling is not, as would be expected in an "ordinary" action movie, a military device (helicopter, rocket launcher, Sherman tank), but instead a monstrous dump truck (a Terex Titan, I believe), a larger-than-life representative device used by those who construct, every bit as representative of the working class as a pair of Dr. Martens' steel-toed boots.
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Do I seriously believe any of that? Of course not...it's all art school, smoke-filled screening room crap. This is a simply a very good action movie...not the best Jackie Chan offering, but far from the worst. I rate the fight scenes a cut above "Rumble In The Bronx", but "Rumble..." probably had the better stunts. Seriously, anyone who's seen one Jackie Chan film knows what to expect in any of the rest...ENTERTAINMENT. If you don't like his movies, you just don't like action movies, period. If you've never seen any of Jackie's films, this one isn't a bad introduction. I recommend it as a matter of course to any action fan who seeks a fun movie at a good price.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The inscrutable Jackie
Review: Mr. Nice Guy has a lot of flaws. On the downside, the plot is ludicrous, the acting is terrible, and the camera-work is extremely annoying. The slow-motion video sequences are absolutely awful, and detract from Jackie's incredible movement vocabulary.

On the plus-side, we have daredevil choreography and we have Jackie.

Some of the best stunts involve a tablesaw (reminiscent of the cutting laser aimed at James Bond's crotch in Goldfinger), a cement mixer, a fight inside an A-Teamesque van, and an atypical car chase scene involving a team of horses. Once again, the out-takes show a little of what goes on behind the scenes.

Perhaps Jackie, like Rutger Hauer, purposefully chooses bad films. It makes him seem all the more a diamond in the rough, or a pearl in a pigsty. Yet when he appears in a movie with talented actors and a half-decent script, I don't think it detracts from his charm whatsoever. So why does he act in these horrid little movies? I dunno. I'm guessing he just has a warped sense of humour, and delights in being a B-movie king.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A Nice Guy!
Review: As an Aussie, I cringe slightly whenever I see this movie in English! The Australian actors are SO bad - especially the gang leader of the Demons (who thankfully gets killed early!) By the way, is he Australian? He sounded English to me! This aside, the action and stunts are great - typical crazy Jackie, very fast paced. The cameo with Sammo Hung on the bicycle is also very funny. I must mention that I have also seen the Chinese version of this movie. Believe it or not it is so much better to hear the Canontese dubbing and read the English subs! Covers up the bad acting by the Aussies. The music surprisingly in the Cantonese version is also better, very tense and adds some atmosphere to the story of Miki's kidnapping. I think when the movie was released in the West they wanted to reclassify it for general release, so the movie was "watered down" considerably. Some quite violent scenes involving the women actors getting beaten up were deleted, especially one scene with Miki and Richard Norton, the bad guy. Also, one scene where Jackie was fighting the Demons in the van is a scream but was deleted. Jackie actually BITES one of the bad guys in an unmentionable place on the chest! Ouch!! Good movie for Jackie fans who don't like reading subtitles, but I think the Chinese version is better.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good, but not up to his usuall standards.
Review: The plot of this movie (as with most of them) is simple and easy to follow, although is sometimes veiwed as stupid. Jackie has some good fights and stunts (as with most of his movies), but some action scenes are spoilt by the bitty slow motion they are veiwed in. In spite of this, this movie is entertaining and good fun, worth a rent, and maybe a buy if you are a fan.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Of course the plot is stupid
Review: The plot should be stupid. I think the common misconception about Jackie Chan is that he wanted his films to have engaging plots and failed. Ummm, Jackie Chan is as much a comedian as he is a martial artist. In fact, if you want martial arts without the comedy you'd be better off with Jet Li or *cringe* Jean Claude Van Damme. Ouch, okay now that I've shaken that one off, Jackie Chan is one of the great Kings of B-Moviedom. The most famous are the horror Kings (Bruce Campbell, John Carpenter), but the archetypal Hong Kong action flick of yesteryear was hideously low budget (still is) and the choices are limited. Does one make a high action film with no plot, or a no action film with all plot. These are the two main choices in most of Asia. But I think Jackie has found the best option: Make a funny action movie with a deliberately weak plot and laughably cheesy acting. And voila. A unique and value-budgeted movie.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not up to scratch
Review: I expected better things of this movie after seeing the preview. Jackie might have said that it was good to have his old friend Samo Hung direct this movie but it sufferred badly from being a low budget movie. Judging from the scenery this was filmed in Melbourne, Australia using local actors and it shows. It seems to lack the atmosphere of his Hong Kong films and the glitz and polish of his Hollywood adventures. You only have to compare this movie with 'Who Am I' which was made more or less around the same time to see the difference. Maybe it was Samo - I don't know. If you're looking for a first time Jackie, non-Hong Kong movie you can always go with 'Rumble in the Bronx' or maybe 'First Strike' but not this one.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Non stop action adventure
Review: this movie is ful of action from the opening credits. the only thing keeping this getting 5 stars are the slow motion scenes where samo hung the directer trys to make jackie look like a hero.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This Movie is the best Jackie Chan film!
Review: Definetly one of his best movies. It has superb action and it is hilarious! What more could you ask for in a film.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The action in this movie is DA BOMB!
Review: I loved the action in this movie and it is very funny. The cameo by Samo Hung is the best part. Jackie really does some nice stunts and is a funny character in this one. The reason I didn't give it 5 stars because there is some fake parts where the directer tries to make Jackie a great hero.


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