Robin-B-Hood

I have to admit, when I found out I had to preview the latest Jackie Chan flick I was very glad. It really doesn’t matter what the film is about or who else might be in it. Jackie Chan is one of those rare actors that you go to any flick he is in. After all the plot is not what draws the audience to his films. This is just the scaffold that holds the movie together between the action sequences. In this particular case the film is Rob-B-Hood. It has the distinction of having more of a completing story line than most of the action comedies that Chan as appeared. There are still the required amounts of action and comedy but there is more, actual drama. The changes in the format are only natural. Mr. Chan is some twenty years older than he was in his hay day. We are all getting older but Chan, now in his fifties, still has it. He can move better now than any of us could in our prime. Apparently he was also growing tired of playing the nice guy in his films. Here he is a criminal, a big difference for him. Over the decades Chan was playing things smart. He looked, listened and learned how to act. He certainly knew the day would come when he would no longer turn a simple prop like a ladder into a ten minute ballet of action moves. Now he has a vehicle that shows his acting ability.

Some younger viewers many only know Chan from his American films like the Rush Hour series. He has been active in movies since most of you were born. Heck, he was doing this before some of your parents were born. Chan has grown from a stunt man to lead actor, fight choreographer, action director to now where he is also a producer and director. He lives for his films and this dedication shows in every performance. If you really want to see grace in action and a human body doing things that defy the laws of nature pick up some of his early Hong Kong flick, even if you don’t like foreign films you will not be disappointed. This film is not without its flaws but it stands up there with the classic Jackie Chan flicks.

Chan plays Fong Ka Ho (Thongs in the English version), a low level burglar and compulsive gambler. His nickname comes from his habit of wearing flip-flop style sandals. One day Thongs and his partner in crime Octopus (Louis Koo) are robbing a hospital. Waiting in a van for them is their other partner, Landlord (Michael Hui). He is a strange thief who never spends his ill gotten gain preferring to store it all in his safe. There target is to empty a safe containing money and some cancer medication. In another part of the hospital a baby is born to the wealthy Lee family. Max (Terence Yin) is the former boyfriend of the mother and thinks the baby is his. He takes the baby but in the confusion of the kidnapping and robbery Max is killed and the baby literally falls into Thongs arms. The hospital guards get the baby when Thongs and Octopus flee in Landlords van. A few months later Landlord’s prize safe is robed of its entire contents. At this time Landlord’s criminal contact, Uncle Seven calls him with a job. It turns out that the baby Thongs saved is the grandson of a powerful Triad boss (Chen Baoguo). He has recently lost his only son and wants the baby kidnapped from its mother. With a reward of seven million Hong Kong dollars Thongs and Octopus are in before they know the details of the crime. Thongs may be a thief and a gambler but he does have some sense of ethics and is reluctant to kidnap an infant. The only thing that gets him to agree is the plight of his good friend Landlord. Thongs and Octopus get the baby and find themselves ad hoc parents as they care for him bonding with the baby in the process. Now both the police and the Triad are after the baby. The reward is now up to ¥30 million but Thongs and Octopus are far more interested in the welfare of the infant. Along the way there are plenty of opportunities for some comical action scenes, male baby bonding and paternity testing. Thong faces the most urgent moral dilemma of his life as he tries to keep the baby safe while running from a whole lot of men with guns.

The first and most serious drawback to this film is its length, clocking in at over two hours long. Tighter editing would have greatly helped the pacing of the film. There are too many dead spots for a true action comedy. Some of this is needed for the more involved than usual plot of the film. Additional time is necessary to provide the exposition for the several sub plots that drive the action. There is enough overlap in these stories to allow a few to be combined or eliminated without affecting the drama aspects of the film. The movie reaches out with ambition and that is admirable but sometimes the full measure of success is just beyond that reach.

Jackie Chan has to be applauded for his willingness to change with time. As mentioned he has branched out more successfully into more aspects of film making than most action stars have done. He is obviously a great fan of cinema and this dedication shows in his work. While his age prevents some the stunts that made him famous he can still keep up with the action. It is also good to see him getting into more plot driven flicks. He has a natural acting ability that allows him to emotionally connect to the audience. With is ‘every-man’ look he allows people to identify with him. This is one of the most flawed characters he has played and a direct result of his ‘Police Story’ character. Thongs is damaged and is to a great extent healed by his contact and involvement with the baby. It is different to see Jackie Chan with a baby in a sling over his shoulder. This is a gentler Chan than most of us are used to. With all the emoting he has to do here he hasn’t forgotten his fan base. There are still enough action packed stunts and comedy to go around. All action stars get older and slower but Chan rises about nature and still gives us what we have come to expect, his best possible performance.

The region one DVD is released by Dragon Dynasty though the Weinstein Corporation and Genius Pcitures. Fans of Hong King Action flicks most likely have several of their releases in your collection. Typical of their DVDs this one does not disappoint in any respect. The video is in a perfect 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer. The colors are vibrant and jump off the screen. The audio has a better selection of formats than most American releases. There are both Cantonese Dolby 5.1 and DTS sound tracks. There is also a dubbed English track in Dolby 5.1. For those that prefer there is an English subtitle track as well. The film has a commentary track featuring director Benny Chan, and Hong Kong film expert Bey Logan. This DVD release has a second disc full of fun extras. First there is ‘Crashing the Hood’, a discussion with Jackie Chan. Then you have ‘The Hand That Mocks the Cradle’, an interview with the director. ‘Baby Boomer’ features an interview with co-star Convoy Chan Chi-Chung. Some of the behind the scenes antics are the focus of ‘Playtime for Adults’. Rounding things off is a basic behind the scenes featurette. This should not be your first look at the films of Jackie Chan but for the rest it is a good action comedy for the family.

Posted 12/14/07