March 22, 1998 -- Jackie Chan, one of the greatest box office stars in the world outside the U.S., has yet to put up the big numbers in this country, but he sure does make entertaining movies. He's done it again with "Mr. Nice Guy," or "Yatgo ho yan" if you prefer the original title.

A trademark of Jackie Chan's films are amazing stunts, done without a stunt double. In one scene in "Mr. Nice Guy" he literally runs up a 12-foot wall. It is an astonishing display of agility. In another scene he grabs a giant turning tire and rides it up to the top so he can climb atop a huge truck. Other Chan stunts simply defy easy descriptions.

Chan is also a gifted comic actor, able to move easily from furious action scenes to slapstick comedy. Since Chan doesn't speak English well and his movies tend to be short on plot, they just haven't done well in this country.

For instance this film, which is more entertaining that some other examples of the Hong Kong style, such as "Face/Off," only managed $5 million in its opening weekend for sixth place. So we'll just have to wait longer to see if Chan, arguably the greatest action hero of all time, can break through in the biggest film market in the world.

"Mr. Nice Guy" is a fairly typical Chan action film, ostensibly set in Australia, Chan plays a guy named Jackie who is a television chef. He accidentally gets involved in a gangland struggle over a video tape of a drug deal. Along for the ride is Miki Lee. There are numerous fights, chases and escapes. It rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 1998 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.