If you're looking for the usual light-heartedness and humor found in a Jackie Chan movie, you're not going to find it here. This is pretty much a straight up serious thriller, involving terrorist bombings, and about people with loved ones that have been taken away in tragically violent ways. There are also some political aspects to the story, as well as some commentary on strained relations between different cultures, that gives this movie that extra bit more depth.
Of course besides all the underlying themes and messages that this movie covers, you're really watching this movie for the action sequences. There are action scenes in this Jackie Chan movie that are exciting to see, but they are a little bit more grounded, not as over the top, and not as choreographically elaborate as some of his other works. I should point out that this is not exactly a non-stop action movie, but they are peppered throughout to keep things lively. Those fight scenes are still entertaining to watch at least, and Jackie Chan is always good at playing the underdog and underestimated hero against huge odds really well, which I really like.
Admittedly, just based on the premise alone, this sounds like it's just another throwaway action thriller. In many ways it really is. However as directed by Martin Campbell, he was able to elevate the movie a little bit above just being another throwaway action thriller, by giving it some dramatic weight. I also appreciated that this movie actually makes some effort to acknowledge that these are not just nameless people who die in these movie explosions, and that resonates well to the urgency of the characters.
Watching Pierce Brosnan and Jackie Chan in the same movie is a delight. While Jackie Chan is good at what he does in the action category, Pierce Brosnan carries the movie really well in the more dramatic parts. “The Foreigner” isn't the most original film around and is generally a conventional entree into the action thriller genre, but see it for the two strong leads, and for its condemnation against terrorist acts.
loveditenjoyedit IT'S OKAY itsmehitsterrible
