You have to admire Jackie Chan for not turning his back on his homeland for a Hollywood career. For every film he makes in the US he returns to Hong Kong to make two or three movies in between. The creative freedom this allows means he is able to make more personal films at home giving him more control to try different genres and not have to follow the ‘fish-out-of-water’ clichés that have become his Hollywood signature. ‘Robin B Hood’, released in the UK on DVD and Blu-ray this month, is a great example of how much Jackie Chan’s Hong Kong output differs from his films overseas. Taking on the roles of co-writer, producer, action director, leading man as well as singing the theme song over the closing credits he has an obvious passion for his art.
Chan stars as Thongs, a burglar and skilled safe cracker working with his partners in crime Landlord, played by veteran Hong Kong comic and Chan’s co-star from ‘The Cannonball Run’ Michael Hui, and Octopus, ‘Flash Point’ star Louis Koo. When they accept a mission to kidnap a cute baby for an eccentric underworld tycoon their lives are turned upside down. Instantly the hardened criminals become matronly protectors of their young charge forcing them to take stock of their own lives, discovering their consciences and realising that perhaps the safety of the child is worth more than their biggest payday to date.
The film, made in 2006 a year before ‘Rush Hour 3’ finally reaches these shores presumably to cash in on the release of Ridley Scott’s ‘Robin Hood’. Aside from the film’s title it bears no resemblance to any tale of the Nottingham based outlaw. The only connection is that Jackie Chan’s character is a burglar with a heart, stealing from the rich to give to the poor, his own family living in squalor. The film is more like a Hong Kong re-working of the 1987 hit ‘Three Men and a Baby’ with a strong emphasis on the comedy.
If you are a fan of Jackie Chan but have only seen his Hollywood movies you may have a hard time with this film. It is probably closest in style to 1999’s ‘Gorgeous’, predominantly a love story with a couple of fight scenes and action sequences thrown in to keep the martial arts fans happy. Having said that ‘Robin B Hood’ does not disappoint in the action stakes, there are a number of very well executed stunt scenes, the stand-out sequence being a car chase with the baby’s pushchair hooked up to a truck with Jackie and his team in hot pursuit, ending with a jaw-dropping stunt from Chan shown several times from differing angles. The climax of the film sees Chan dodging a speeding rollercoaster while holding the baby and at one point has him hanging from the track as the cars thunder overhead. Visual effects place the baby right in the midst of the action and work surprisingly well.
Jackie Chan has made no secret of his admiration for Buster Keaton so it comes as no surprise that he incorporates the slapstick style into his work here. What does come as a surprise, however, is how broad the comedy is throughout the film, graphic toilet humour involving soiled nappies and enough ‘Gay’ jokes to make Adam Sandler envious. During a comedy montage we are treated to the sight of the baby trying to breastfeed on Jackie Chan’s nipples and a baby in the washing machine routine. At the end of the day ‘Robin B Hood’ is a comedy and while it may not be the most original and some of the humour may be lost on a Western audience, it certainly has enough amusing moments to be a success.
The baby at the centre of the film contributes to the majority of the comedic set-ups but it also provides a deep emotional core to the film. The baby is responsible for turning the trio of kidnappers into paternal carers over the course of the movie making them go to extraordinary lengths to protect the child. Jackie Chan taps into an unseen acting ability and allows his character to break down, shedding tears in a couple of emotionally charged scenes. It is quite unusual to see Chan so vulnerable when he has spent most of his career showing how unbreakable and tough he can be.
As always the film ends with an outtake reel and once again proves that Jackie Chan will put himself in all kinds of danger to get a perfect take. At the age of 51 during the making of this film he was seriously injured when a stuntman wearing the wrong kind of shoes accidentally kicked him in the chest damaging cartilage, an injury that still affected him when he was hit by a table in the same place a few months later while filming ‘Rush Hour 3’. During the outtake reel we hear the crew begging with him to go to hospital for an x-ray following the mishap.
The film is released by Cine Asia on two-disc DVD and single disc Blu-ray with a widescreen ratio of 1.85:1 which differs from the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. This proves a little annoying in places as the image is obviously cropped and losing information in a number of scenes. There is also a choice of the original Cantonese soundtrack with English subtitles or an English dubbed track. I personally would advise that you avoid the dubbed version. Even though dubbing has improved since the early days of the Martial Arts movie, they still seem to insist on using mostly inappropriate American voices and even have an American doing a bad Jackie Chan impression for Chan’s character.
There are no shortage of extra features on this Ultimate Edition, probably the most interesting of which is ‘Crashing The Hood’, an extended interview with Jackie Chan. Conducted in English, he discusses his frustration at being perceived only as an action star internationally and that he wanted to change public expectations by taking on different roles, even going to extent of setting up his own production company to make more personal projects. He also talks about his reluctance to keep making sequels to his most popular films and his enthusiasm for fresh ideas. In ‘The Hand That Mocks The Cradle’, director Benny Chan, who previously directed Jackie Chan in ‘Who Am I’ and ‘New Police Story’, reveals the origins of the screenplay. More interviews and behind the scenes footage continue in ‘Baby Boomer’, ‘Playtime For Adults’ and ‘Robin B Hood: An Original Making Of’ all totalling up to a running time of 110 minutes of additional content.
Initially I was unsure what to think of ‘Robin B Hood’, I generally prefer Jackie Chan in his action roles and while those films usually have an element of humour, the idea of him branching out more into comedy than action was worrying. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the film and found much to enjoy, it was at least a lot better than his recent Hollywood output, ‘The Spy Next Door’.
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