Classic Chan: Who Am I? (1998)

I hope everyone enjoyed the last review in this series, Mr. Nice Guy, provided in a delicious video format by Thrasher. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly encourage you to give your eyes and ears some much needed nourishment. And not only that, in the next installment of Classic Chan, Thrasher will be thoroughly reviewing one of Jackie's sillier episodes, Gorgeous.

Crazy Legs

One of the outstanding things about Who Am I? is that I feel more of an emotional connection with the struggle of Jackie than I can with most of his other films. In Police Story, we aren't shown the evils committed by the drug traffickers; we are just to assume that they are bad people. The same largely goes for Supercop. Yet, in Who Am I?, Jackie is affronted personally by the villain, a CIA operative who betrayed him and his team of special operators. He is the only survivor of the team and loses his memory in the process. This gives me more of a reason to cheer Jackie on. I want to see him regain his memory and defeat the traitor, whereas I'm left rather indifferent to whether he catches bad guys in the previously mentioned films. But just like before, Jackie provides a variety of action scenes so none of them feel stale or boring. Beyond his amazing martial arts skills, he entertains in an early scene where he displays MacGyver-like qualities, as well as his non-vocal comedy, in treating wounds, creating an IV, and repairing a rallycar. During an interrogation, he escapes with the extra handicap of being handcuffed. And though the car-chase may be an overused situation in the action genre, Jackie uses it sparingly and when he does, it can be a treat. Also of note in this scene is how Jackie's persona has somewhat changed for the American audience. In films like Police Story or Supercop, Jackie wasn't a stranger to firearms and killing people with them. We can see the contrast here when he helps his pursuers when their car is about to drop off the side of a building. Likewise, earlier in the movie the special ops guys used a gun that shot a net. How compassionate and kid-friendly! Overall, the pacing is friendly and it never feels like an action scene is overdue. The tension can be felt mounting, culminating in what is easily one of Jackie's finest fights (shown below). In sum, I feel like Who Am I? is one of Jackie's more memorable efforts, plagued only by some awkward scenes (such as Jackie's shouting of "Who am I?" into the distance) and revelations that make little sense in terms of the plot ("Oh by the way, I work for the CIA."). But Jackie Chan has never been known for dramatic effects. Regardless, Who Am I? excellently demonstrates what he is known for and is a very solid action movie.