Finest Fights: CZ12 (2012)

For over two years, Code Redd Net's Finest Fights series has brought you the very best of action cinema available on the web. For real, I mean it, we started this business over two years ago. Finest Fights rolls on this week with a selection from Jackie Chan's latest, and potentially his last, action film.

In limited release today is Jackie Chan's CZ12, aka Chinese Zodiac. Though I haven't seen the version being released to North America, I purchased a copy of the film on DVD from my local Chinatown market. It's not very good. There's about 20 minutes of quality material near the end of the film, but the rest of it is decidedly mediocre. It's not Tuxedo bad, but it's not far off from it either, and at least the Tuxedo was short. CZ12 is overlong, meandering, and childish. This is by far the best scene in the entire film, but it's not nearly enough to save the rest of the film. But I suppose that's what Finest Fights is for: bringing to you the best in action cinema, condensed and filtered for optimum enjoyment. Look for a full review of CZ12 soon.

Jackie Chan in... CZ12 (2012)

Here's the North American release trailer for Jackie Chan's latest film, CZ12 aka Chinese Zodiac. Might be better than The Tuxedo. We'll see.

Classic Chan: The Accidental Spy (2001)

Classic Chan concludes today on a bit of a downbeat, as The Accidental Spy is not one of Chan's best. Regardless, it's been a real pleasure bringing you this series on one of our favorite performers. Chicken Man and I have enjoyed this chance to revisit some of the key films in our history, films that somehow escaped our critical eye. Stick around for more Chan coverage coming your way on Code Redd Net.

Even when Jackie Chan is at his most mediocre, he still brings the goods. To wit: though The Accidental Spy is pretty pedestrian stuff, there's an excellently choreographed fight in a Turkish* bath that saves the film from totally descending into Tuxedo territory. But first, the evergreen wacky plot: Jackie is an exercise equipment salesman who foils a robbery. Some strange old man then approaches Jackie about another strange old man, this one wealthy and on his deathbed. He sends Jackie off on a globetrotting quest for clues of some sort or another, all the while unknowingly working for a shadow American intelligence operation. By even the loosest narrative standards of the genre, The Accidental Spy makes no sense. Why Jackie goes to certain places, why certain clues are deemed important, and why certain characters show up at certain times and do certain things, barely any of it is adequately explained. I suppose it's a bit of a throwback to the oddball political affiliations Jackie dealt with in First Strike, but for all the James Bond-lite intrigue and exoticism of locales, it doesn't add up to anything substantial, let alone anything really comprehensible. Still, though, there's nothing like Chan acrobatics to distract you from the confusing story. The aforementioned Turkish bath bash is a true highlight, as Jackie not only defends himself from his assailants, but also defends the dignity of his naked body from exposure. It's a subtle technique of layering the choreography that Jackie is particularly adept at executing. He doesn't simply fight an opponent or a mob of opponents: often, he also has to contend with the elements, with the environment, with physical restraints (such as handcuffs or that odd rope apparatus in Mr. Nice Guy), with notions of decorum and cultural heritage (recall the complicated vase choreography in Shanghai Knights), and so on. Unfortunately, the dynamism of the Turkish scene isn't present in all the fights, as some of them are fairly bland and lack that trademark Chan structuring. If it's your kind of thing, there's plenty of vehicular stuntwork going on here, especially the impressive tanker sequence that concludes the film. Nevertheless, The Accidental Spy should be ranked fairly low in Chan's oeuvre. I recommend checking it out for the Turkish bath fight scene, but you can snooze through the rest and not miss anything important.

*"Oi, did someone say Turkish? One of me many names it is."

Special Wednesday Edition From the Archives: The Tuxedo (2002)

Jackie Chan's movie's have always have always had a cult following up until Rush Hour, which brought him to mainstream America audiences. More recently, the tremendous success of Rush Hour 2 has signified Chan as a major international star. The Tuxedo, co-starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, is a major departure from the typical Jackie movie. It's also not one of his best. First off, the plot, while just barely adequate, is rather throw-away; it's really too far-fetched. Other than that, the comedy included here is good, and the action scenes are pretty tight. The whole movie is basically a spoof of spy flicks, which is a nice break from the more traditional kung-fu material. But, I found that I enjoyed Chan's more realistic chop-sockey action flicks (such as the terrific Rush Hour movies) more. It seems this movie focused on comedy, and to a lesser extent, action, which killed my buzz in the end. The total package offered here is worthy of your money, although many will feel a little let down, knowing it's potential.