L'Expert de Hong Kong

All I can say is, this is definitely a Jackie Chan movie and fans will definitely not be disappointed at all. Even with his advancing age and toning down of action scenes, Jackie still has it in him and never fails to entertain. For those fans wondering about action scenes, sure Jackie isn't what he used to be back in the heyday of 80's Hong Kong cinema, but his top notch action choreography is still inventive and fun to watch, and there are many fun set pieces. The comedy is also very well done and there are many endearing scenes with the real star of the show, baby Matthew Medvedev, who will melt any viewer's heart. Jackie and his co-stars' characters are very sympathetic and the acting for the most part is spot on. Benny Chan does an excellent job directing his stars and shows that he is not only able to direct a serious action crime drama like Chan's previous New Police Story but is also adept at the family action comedy as well. There are many cameos from well known HK stars, so be sure to watch out for them. Chan fans will appreciate a special extended cameo. Overall an enjoyable quality Chan family movie.

Jackie Chan is undoubtedly one of the few Asian stars whose name alone can open a movie, probably worldwide now. With his latest offering for the Chinese National Day holiday in Rob- B-Hood, he has again done back to basics, together with one of his collaborators of late Benny Chan (New Police Story, Who Am I), with his mantra of "no sex no violence", but just pure action.

In his recent movies, while staying true to his brand of action together with his band of merry men from the Jackie Chan Stunt Team, there is no denial of his attempt to infuse a little more drama into his role so as to showcase his acting chops. While his acting in slow moments might not appeal to fans of his action, it looks like dramatic moments are here to stay. However, if you'd notice there's a progression in his willingness to move away from one- man-army type of roles, to sharing the limelight with his fellow co-stars.

Here, his screen time is almost equally shared with co-lead Louis Koo, with the both of them playing unsavoury characters - thieves with vices, with Chan as Thongs, a hardcore gambler with family issues, and Koo as Octopus, a married womanizer and fast car lover. They turn to their current profession of thievery to sustain their lifestyle, and the brains behind the duo's brawn is Landlord, played by veteran Michael Hui, a man whose wife is devastated by the loss of their only child.

See the plenty of moments for some serious drama yet? It is perhaps these moments where an exploration into the character's background slowed down the pace of what could've been a rip-roaring ride from start to end. Clocking in at 135 minutes, the movie felt that it could've been shortened as certain scenes were just too trying. The action scenes too were few and far between, though each scene is still carefully choreographed and felt that it lasted longer than the usual.

The comedic element came in full swing with the introduction of the baby, which probably is the movie's trump card in luring the crowds (my friend and I didn't think he was that adorable actually). It's nothing new as the antics of soiled diapers, refusal to stop crying, and various moments of what baby would do, have already been touched upon in movies like 3 Men and a Baby, or even Raising Arizona. However, having one actor play daddy, and the other play mommy, does call for some genuine laughs sometimes.

Louis Koo has been playing the bad guy role to aplomb with his Election movies, and here, it's a nice change to see him tackle both comedy and action. I truly welcomed Michael Hui's return to the big screen, as one of my favourite comedies as a kid, was his Chicken and Duck Talk. Here though, there aren't many moments where he exhibited his classic bossy demeanour full of wit and sarcasm, probably hampered by the script.

The supporting casts consists of actors past and present in roles that either brought back some good memories, or are milked just for laughs. Yuen Biao was the other supporting role that compelled me to watch this movie, as he seemed to have faded from starring in movies for some time now. He doesn't have much to do here, save for some limited screen action. Actresses like Charlene Choi, Teresa Carpio and Gao Yuanyuan add balance to the testosterone on screen, but probably the best cameo appearance belongs to the duo of Nicholas Tse and Daniel Wu (totally different from what you see now in The Banquet)!

As always, stay at your seats while the end credits roll, for the usual out-takes included. My only gripe would still be to have this shown in Cantonese, somehow the dubbing of the out- takes sounded really too artificial.

This action comedy flick starring Jackie Chan and Louis Koo as burglars Thongs and Octopus, whose job is to kidnap a baby. Later on, the baby develops strong paternal feelings to the two crooks, leading them to play the role of father.

There are plenty of good-old-fashion Jackie Chan action and slapstick humor. While the story has an intriguing concept, it is overloaded with multiple subplots, which dragged the film at times. The "protecting the baby from the triads" storyline is quite appealing, however, and it does create some suspense. There is also a little good mixture of drama, especially the touching scenes involving Thongs' father (Feng Ku). The acting was also OK, but I thought Chan and Koo playing the two father figures together was a bit odd.

There is a large cast of characters in the movie, but it was especially nice to see comic veteran Michael Hui return to film, as well as martial artist Yuen Biao.

Overall, it is an average action comedy flick - not too bad.

Grade C+

"Robin-B-Hood" is one of the better recent Jackie Chan movies I have seen. Why? Well, obviously because of the trademark Jackie Chan action sequences, but also because of the story in the movie.

Jackie Chan (playing Fong Ka Ho) and Louis Koo (playing Octopus) are two professional burglars that live extravagant lives that require a lot of spending money, and get hired for job that promises million of Hong Kong dollars, though Michael Hui (playing Landlord) fails to inform his burglar associates that the job is to kidnap a baby. Fong Ka Ho and Octopus get attached to the baby, and then things start to escalate to a wild thrill-ride.

Jackie Chan puts on a great performance in this movie, as expected, and he is doing all of his trademark action and stunts, lots of action and comedy here. And he is well accompanied by Louis Koo who also puts on a good performance. I am a huge fan of Asian cinema and used to live in Hong Kong so I am no strangers to the Hong Kong cinema, and I must say that Charlene Choi (playing Pak Yin), despite her small role, actually put on one of her best performances ever. It is nice to see that she is finally growing into a good actor and is over that sugar-coated silly comedy that she made when she was younger.

The story in the movie have several aspects and depths and all work out quite nicely coming together full circle at the end. "Robin-B-Hood", despite the somewhat stupid title, is a really great action and family movie. Very suitable for fans of Jackie Chan or people in for an evening with the family. And I must underline that "Robin-B-Hood" is a MUST for all Jackie Chan fans. Sure he is getting older, but the man is still performing amazing stunts and spreading his good humor.

I was thoroughly entertained from the start of the movie until the very end. And I purchased the 2-disc Ultimate Edition from Amazon, and will definitely be giving the extra materials on disc 2 a go later on today.

Mr Nice Guy Jackie Chan turns evil. This is the highlight of the film. But like all Jackie Chan movies, this one too fun-action fare. So don't worry. Finally, everyone will be happy. The film follows a group of thieves made up of Thongs (Chan), Octopus (Louis Koo), and Landlord (Michael Hui). They steal for different reasons. Thongs is a compulsive gambler who faces debt collectors at his door. Octopus spends his fortunes to court a rich girl. Landlord does not spend his loot, but saves all of it and keeps it in a safe in his house. Soon the safe is broken into, and in a desperate bid to earn money they become the privy to a plot to kidnap the grandson of a rich tycoon. Predictably, things go wrong, and the thieves end up taking care of the baby, from singing lullabies to changing his diapers. If the plot sounds familiar, then you have seen this kind of films before, from Home Alone to Baby's Day Out. But when there's a Jackie Chan in the project, it's bound to be hilarious. The film has its funny moments, and Chan's signature action set-pieces as well. Sadly, however, Chan is past his prime. It's not the Rush Hour anymore. Yet, he does his best with admirable flexibility. The kid in question also lights up the screen. Even if you are not a Jackie Chan fan, you can have a dekko, provided you have nothing better to do.