THE FOREIGNER (2017) ***

Jackie Chan has been in the business of kicking ass for over forty years.  With The Foreigner, he shows he is still capable of surprising his fans.  We all knew he could make audience’s laugh in his Kung Fu comedies, but late in his career, he has shown he can deliver wonderful dramatic performances too.  His work in The Foreigner is right up there with his performance in The Karate Kid.  In addition to his acting chops, Chan once again proves he still has some of that old school acrobatic magic left in him.  Sure, his fight sequences aren’t nearly as long or elaborate as the stuff he was doing twenty years ago, but they still pack a punch, mostly because we’re along for the ride with him emotionally.   

The Foreigner is basically a Death Wish-type thriller married with a serious IRA drama.  Chan plays a grief-stricken father who wants answers after his daughter is killed in a terrorist explosion.  Pierce Brosnan plays the politician in charge of the investigation who may or may not have something to do with it.  When Pierce doesn’t deliver the bombers in a timely fashion, Jackie uses his skills as a special forces agent to blow shit up. 

Chan uses his age to his advantage here.  Because the bad guys see him as just another old man, they underestimate him and he's able to whoop their butts handily.  Make no mistake, he may be getting up there in age, but Chan has still got it.  While the fights are smaller and the stunts are less intensive, they remain inventive throughout.  Credit director Martin Campbell (who also directed Brosnan in Goldeneye) for expertly grafting Chan’s strengths into a more adult-oriented setting.  He takes great advantage of Chan’s skills in the close quarters fights.  There’s a brutal stairway fight as well as an intense brawl in a kitchen.  I also enjoyed the extended First Blood-style sequence where Chan sets traps and lays waste to an army of Bronsan’s goons. 

Brosnan is in fine form too as the politician with his own private agenda.  I can’t tell you how much fun it is to see Jackie Chan matching wits with James Bond.  I only wish they had their own fight scene together.  Oh well. 

The drama gets a little bogged down when it concentrates too heavily on IRA politics.  Campbell still does a nice job at trying to keep these potentially dull scenes moving at an acceptable pace.  Despite a few lulls, the performances are strong enough to keep you invested, even when the plot is spinning its wheels.