The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

For a sixty-two-year old, Jackie Chan is still very much capable of delivering his particular brand of martial arts thrills. Finding himself front-and-center in Martin Campbell’s terrorist-revenge-thriller, The Foreigner- a story based on Stephen Leather’s 1992 novel The Chinaman – there’s something particularly raw and undeniably special to be found in Chan’s latest performance; a feature which manages to elevate this entertaining, but slightly convoluted and dated, political-thriller above mediocrity.

Adapted to the screen by David Marconi, the story is centered on Quan (Chan); a humble restaurant-owning Chinese immigrant living in the United Kingdom whose life is turned upside down when his daughter Fan (Leung) is one of several fatalities caused by a detonation.  Overwhelmed with anger and grief, Quan knows that the only way to make things right is to seek avenge on those responsible, soon going to great lengths to uncover the names of those affiliated with a Northern Irish radical group who like to call themselves ‘the new IRA’.

Making his way to the top, Quan soon reaches out to an Irish liaison in the British government, Liam Hennessy (Brosnan); an ex-IRA member himself who might have an idea of who the perpetrators are. Hennessy however, denies any knowledge of what went down and quickly dismisses the grieving father.  Displeased with the lack of information received, Quan – an ex-military man – soon takes the matter into his own hands.

Having directed two Bond movies in the past, including Golden Eye starring Pierce Brosnan and the franchise reboot Casino Royale, Campbell definitely knows a thing or two when it comes to staging exciting and instinctive action set-pieces.  Providing Chan with a platform to demonstrate his renowned acrobatic skills as well as his acting chops, he is by far the strongest feature of the movie. Delivering one of his most compelling and dramatic performances to date, Chan conveys and balances the grief of a pained father and the wrath of an angry man who, of course, possesses a special set of skills with the utmost conviction; watching him go from a quiet and a reserved man grieving the loss of a child to a relentless cutthroat is exciting and captivating throughout. 

That’s why it’s such a shame that Campbell – who returns to filmmaking after a six-year-long break since the creative failure of The Green Lantern – chooses to keep Chan on the bench for what seem to be long stretches of time while the focus lands on the slightly dated and unnecessarily complex political agenda. Adding a little too much dialogue to what is otherwise a pulsating actioner, The Foreigner is not particularly memorable, but during the course of its running time, it is enjoyable mainly thanks to Chan and his unexpectedly raw performance which makes this already talented and lovable actor even more endearing.