Jackie Chan in His Mid-50s: THE SPY NEXT DOOR and SHINJUKU INCIDENT

by August West

The opening credits of Jackie Chan's latest Hollywood film, THE SPY NEXT DOOR, is a montage of previous stunts and fights from his POLICE STORY and ARMOR OF GOD franchises, plus a few other select films. These old clips set up the background for Jackie's character, a retiring spy named Bob Ho. When the opening credits end, we know that Bob Ho is a man who leads a life of danger. Then, in the film's first scene, Ho wakes up in his suburban tract home, dons some Clark Kent glasses to assume a nerdy alias, and attempts to live a normal life. Thus begins what IMDB lists as Jackie's 102nd film. It's a telling scene. At fifty-five, Jackie has paid his dues to the martial arts film world. He's risked his life more than any other actor in history, just for our entertainment. Now, he's taking on much safer roles in Hollywood with family fare like THE SPY NEXT DOOR.

However, with spies, all is not as it seems. Sun Tzu's ART OF WAR dedicated its last chapter to spies and with good reason. The Hollywood version of Jackie Chan is just one of Jackie's many masks. If an American audience judges Jackie today based solely upon THE SPY NEXT DOOR, it will be another example of vacuous media oversimplification.

It was over three decades ago when Jackie emerged from the shadow of Bruce Lee. After putting kung fu films in the international spotlight, Lee died in 1973. Beyond the countless Bruce Lee impersonator flicks released in his wake, a wave of costume kung fu films arose from Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest studios. The kung fu stars of those days were David Chiang, Ti Lung, Alexander Fu Sheng and Gordon Liu. Kung fu films were mostly costume pieces, set in the Qing dynasty period (1644-1912 CE) as Ming rebels fought off Manchu oppressors. Those were the parameters of kung fu film back then, either a Qing Dynasty fighter or a Bruce Lee impersonator.

With thirty films already to his credit, including the lead role in NEW FIST OF FURY (sequel to Bruce Lee's FIST OF FURY, which reunited almost the entire original cast), Jackie was trying to find his niche. In 1978, Jackie delivered five costumed period films (that's right, five - Hong Kong was a grindhouse for kung fu cinema). Two of those films would change martial arts cinema forever. His first that year was SNAKE IN THE EAGLE'S SHADOW, which established Jackie's signature style of kung fu comedy and smashed the box office across Asia. The fourth was DRUNKEN MASTER. Though represented by only two films (and the sequel didn't come about until sixteen years later), this remains Jackie's first and most cited franchise. Americans know of Jackie's Hollywood franchises: SHANGHAI NOON, RUSH HOUR and the coming sequel KUNG FU PANDA. Jackie had several other successful film franchises in Asia, such as LUCKY STARS, PROJECT A and the aforementioned DRUNKEN MASTER, POLICE STORY and ARMOR OF GOD. And now, there's already talk of a THE SPY NEXT DOOR sequel.

THE SPY NEXT DOOR is 100% a kid's film. It's being compared to Vin Diesel's THE PACIFIER and Schwarzenegger's KINDERGARDEN COP, but that's slightly unfair. Both Diesel and Schwarzenegger built their careers on acting macho. Jackie reached stardom through self-deprecating humor. His insane fight scenes and hair-raising stunts were macho, not his characters. While other actors used stuntmen and acted tough, Jackie's characters were stereotypically reluctant heroes, but he did his own stunts. There's a huge difference between Jackie's work and the juxtaposition of the machismo of Diesel and Schwarzenegger against kids. Kids know Jackie. Jackie has already been established as a kid's cartoon character in JACKIE CHAN ADVENTURES for a decade now. Jackie's cartoonish choreography is tailor-made for kid's films today.

THE SPY NEXT DOOR pits Jackie's Bob Ho against Boris and Natasha-like Russian villains, Poldark (Magnús Scheving) and Creel (Katherine Boecher). Fighting Russian spies is dated, as dated as the twangy James Bond riff of its Secret Agent Man theme song, but kids don't care about that. They just want to laugh and be entertained. On Jackie's side are agents Colton James (Hannah Montana's dad, Billy Ray Cyrus) and Glaze (a woefully underused George Lopez). And of course, there are three newcomer kids, Farren (Madeline Carroll), Ian (Will Shadley) and Nora (Alina Foley). What would a kid film be, if not about kid empowerment? Jackie's ex-spy character Ho tries to woo their mom, Gillian (Amber Valleta) and winds up babysitting the kids as the Russians attack. Hilarity and fight scenes ensue. It is innocent fun, far more wholesome than ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL. ALVIN is the biggest kid film at release time, and it references pole dancing and Hannibal Lecter. Give me cartoon kung fu over those helium-huffing rodents any day.

In interview, Jackie has been quick to point out that Ho actually gets to kiss Gillian. It's a subtle point, but again, very telling. In most Jackie Chan films, he never gets to kiss the girl. In 1980, in Jackie's debut American release, THE BIG BRAWL, his character romanced Kristine DeBell, and that was shockingly revolutionary to see an Asian male lead coupled with a Caucasian female back then. Some felt it was scandalous enough to negatively affect box office sales. It just shows how far Jackie has come in thirty years.

As for the action, Jackie happily uses wire work and stunt men now, just like every other actor in the business. While much of the action is still Jackie, he hands over the stunt work to younger men. To a Western audience unfamiliar with Jackie's legacy, his action scenes are fresh and inventive. But for those of us in the know, it echoes previous work. THE SPY NEXT DOOR includes a bicycle fight scene, but if you want to see some serious bicycle choreography, check out Jackie's 1980 film, PROJECT A. THE SPY NEXT DOOR also has an odd mall stunt, but if you want to really get your mind blown by a Jackie defying death, see his 1985 film, POLICE STORY. Some might label this re-hash, but those original scenes were over a quarter century ago. We can't expect Jackie to deliver that level of action now anymore than we can expect Joe Montana to secure another Superbowl ring. Looking forward, in the trailer for Jackie's anticipated remake of THE KARATE KID with Jaden Smith, Jackie trains Jaden's agility by making him dodge tennis balls. Mako did the same thing to Jackie in THE BIG BRAWL. Even in their watered-down stuntman versions, it's still entertaining kid's fare. Those amazing fights and stunts could only come from the inventive mind and agile body of Jackie Chan. And in THE SPY NEXT DOOR, Jackie still offers a fresh twist on his crazy kung fu choreography: a fight scene with a kid clinging to his leg.

Another invention of Jackie's was the NG. NG is short for "No Good," and outtakes are the signature conclusion for Jackie Chan films during the ending credits. The NG endings have been poached by Pixar, and even in Barbie Direct-to-DVD films. Back in the day, NGs were absolutely gripping. We were privy to the stunts and fights gone wrong. We'd witness Jackie taking bone-shattering falls and near-lethal accidents. We'd see our hero crumple. We'd see the ambulance crews. With his Hollywood franchises, we see line flubs, usually Jackie tripping over English, and cell phones ringing in mid scene. It's funny for kids, but pales to what the Jackie fans of yesteryear saw. Back then, we'd see Jackie bleed for us.

Obviously, Jackie's real blood is completely inappropriate for kids. It's outside the goofy kung fu comedian role into which Hollywood has pigeonholed Jackie. And it's a challenge for any actor to escape being typecast. Many Westerners are surprised to hear Jackie sing in THE SPY NEXT DOOR. On a promo tour for the film, Jackie serenaded Ellen Degeneres with Elvis's "Can't Help Falling in Love" and she was stunned. However, anyone who knows Jackie knows he was trained to sing. His childhood training was in Chinese Opera. In Asia, Jackie is a major recording star too. Westerners only see Jackie's comedy kung fu face. In the east, he's much more diverse.

But more inappropriate for kids, and perhaps for westerners accustomed to the Hollywood Jackie, are his Asian films. Last year, Jackie starred in two Asian films that have yet to get theatrical release in America. The most recent, THE FOUNDING OF A REPUBLIC, was released in September 2009 as part of the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. It has been labeled a propagandist film in the West. Every major Chinese star is in it. The PRC is the world's largest film market, and it restricts film distribution, so refusing to participate would have been cinematic suicide. With so many stars, most of the heavy hitters like Jackie only get a short cameo. Remember that old "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" game? It was more fun before the internet and while Kevin Bacon still made movies. THE FOUNDING OF A REPUBLIC is a key film for Six Degrees of Jackie Chan (or any Chinese star). It sits nicely in Jackie's filmography alongside the CANNONBALL RUN films and BURN HOLLYWOOD BURN.

In sharp contrast, Jackie released SHINJUKU INCIDENT in April 2009 to Asian markets, but not in the PRC. The PRC censored it because it was too violent. By MPAA standards, it would be an R-rated film. It's scheduled for a very limited theatrical release in America - only twenty screens and only in major Chinese communities. The kicker is that SHINJUKU INCIDENT has no kung fu or stunts. Jackie does fight in the film, but he doesn't bust out any kung fu moves at all. There are two semi-signature moments when Jackie blocks someone with a table and when he jumps off a ladder, but that's so subtle in comparison to his typical choreography. This is a gritty, visceral crime drama, not a kung fu film.

Jackie portrays Steelhead, an illegal Chinese immigrant in Japan's Shinjuku ghetto. During the course of the film, Steelhead becomes a cold-blooded murderer and a mob leader, sleeps with prostitutes and drinks a lot. It echoes SCARFACE except instead of Latinos in Miami, it's Chinese in Japan. Instead of a drug cartel, it's traditional yakuza grappling with modern times. Instead of guns, it's mostly machete, tanto, and a few katana (guns are illegal in Japan). It's got a small crime gangster feel, like INFERNAL AFFAIRS (inspiration for THE DEPARTED and a far better film, sans Nicholson and Scorsese of course). They start with petty phone card and pachinko scams, and then escalate to some violent gang wars.

Jackie still plays his typecast underdog with the heart of gold, but in a completely different setting. He makes the role strangely convincing. Despite his stardom now, Jackie's roots were extremely poor. Those hardships come through in this performance. The only part that was incredulous was Steelhead's romances with Lily (Fan Bingbing) and Xiu Xiu (Xu Jinglei). These two hot Asian starlets are two decades younger than Jackie. Nevertheless, SHINJUKU INCIDENT is an extraordinary artistic leap for Jackie Chan, who could easily milk his past franchises for the rest of his career.

As the Year of the Ox gives way to the Year of the Tiger, Jackie leaves his fans with three very different films. While THE SPY NEXT DOOR targets the lucrative Western preteen market, THE FOUNDING OF A REPUBLIC serves patriotic duty to communist China. While THE FOUNDING OF A REPUBLIC is inspiring to the PRC, SHINJUKU INCIDENT is banned there. While SHINJUKU INCIDENT is an adult drama, it's not something you'd want to show to underage THE SPY NEXT DOOR fans.

When tackling a kid's film like THE SPY NEXT DOOR, any veteran film critic will tell you there's one simple secret for an accurate review: bring a kid. I brought my kid (age 10) and she laughed her head off. She even gave it her most glowing review so far by saying, "I think that was a really funny movie." I remember first seeing SNAKE IN THE EAGLE'S SHADOW in Chinatown, and then trying to tell my American friends to tune into Jackie Chan. It was long before the invention of home video systems, so I had to drag friends deep into Chinatown ghettos. They recoiled from Shrimp Chips at the concession stands, but the brave were rewarded by tuning into Jackie early. I remember the elation when Jackie first attempted to break America with THE BIG BRAWL and CANNONBALL RUN, and the heartbreak that was THE PROTECTOR. I remember watching every step, and every catastrophic fall, that Jackie endured as he worked for three decades to capture the hearts of the American audience. But it all pales in comparison to the excitement of watching a new Jackie Chan film with my kid and having a grand time.

Thank you Jackie Chan, for everything!

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	The Spy Next Door
	Jianguo Daye (Lofty Ambitions of Founding a Republic)
	Shinjuku Incident

Written by August West for KUNGFUMAGAZINE.COM

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