The Accidental Spy

If one of the earlier reviewers is correct, then the Dimension release (which I saw) must have butchered a passable original, for I can't imagine Chan being in anything this poor. The Accidental Spy was beautifully photographed with some excellent fight and car-chase sequences, but whomever redid the dialogue for the English-language market had little idea of plot or continuity. The sound quality was additionally horrid, making the film even harder to follow.

Hopefully one of these days I'll get to see the Chinese original. In this form, The Accidental Spy fares very poorly in comparison with Police Story or Drunken Master II.

That unfairly never made it to the Cinemas (well in the UK anyway) probably because most of the dialogue is dubbed into English. There is more than enough action, with countless breathtaking stunts (Mainly performed by Chan himself) The bad Guys though are very much underused - so you never really feel Jackie's life is in danger. Otherwise a very good Chan Movie that's a must watch for his fans

My rating 8/10

"Buck Yuen" (Jackie Chan) is an employee of a small exercise equipment shop in Hong Kong. One day he happens to see some suspicious people nearby and follows them. When they attempt to rob a jewelry store he springs into action and this gets his picture in the news. Then, as luck would have it, this attracts a private investigator to discern if he is possibly the heir to a client of his who just happens to be involved in drugs and espionage. Now rather than reveal any more of this rather complicated plot I will just say that, as usual with movies involving Jackie Chan, this film had more than its fair share of martial arts action. It also had some pretty good comedy too. Unfortunately, as I stated earlier, the plot was somewhat complex and the movie itself seemed heavily edited which certainly didn't help the overall cohesiveness of the film. Additionally, the sound quality wasn't very good either. In short, although this was an enjoyable movie for the most part it definitely had some flaws and for that reason I rate it as only average.

Talented star. Opaque plot. Murky dialog/translation. I will not add this film in my Jacky Chan collection. It's embarrassing.

The plot is impossibly murky. The dialog is heavy and clumsy. Characters come and go, and sometimes return, but there is no reason for any of it. If you see this film you will have no idea who is who, or what is going on. (Jacky, please have an English-speaking person write your English dialog!)

I suspect Jacky himself is to blame. Jacky is such a huge star, it must be difficult to reign in his enthusiasm or give him any kind of plot guidance.

This looks like an old Hong Kong film. I'm a big fan, so that's not an insult, but without the momentary laptop/internet scene, this easily could have been a 1980s Jacky film repackaged for the Western market. I can't see how that is a benefit.

The English translation may be at fault. I have many, many Chinese films in my collection, and this film was far below average. I'd prefer subtitles. Better yet, shoot the major dialog twice, in English and Cantonese. Jacky has done this with other films successfully. Besides, Jacky speaks English very well.

The locations were SUPER! I loved the lighting in places. Some good camera angles. The credits were heavy-handed but nice. A couple interesting stunts, but often shot poorly.

The American DVD was very disappointing. No extra material, at all! A terrible, old-looking photo. Again, everything points to a repackaged old film. Why make a new film like that?

I have 26 Jacky Chan films. This film would certainly rank as one of his least polished, exotic locations notwithstanding. It's no wonder it was never released in US theaters. Don't get me wrong, I hate Bret Ratner, the director of Rush Hour, but his stories made sense. By comparison, "Accidental Spy" is a home movie.

I cringe to see such a great star in such a shoddy film.

As a vehicle for Jackie Chan action sequences, this movie is decent. There are some clever scenes, and while some, particularly one in which a naked Jackie tries to cover himself while his enemies seem determined to keep them off, make no sense, they are amusing.

Unfortunately, the story is an absolute mess. None of it makes any real sense and it's often unclear what on earth is going on. The movie just jumps from scene to scene with little thought for the sense of it all.

The movie also ends, not with a typical Chan action scene, but with a highway scene that uses none of Chan's talents, is confused and lacks any sort of excitement or suspense. It is a huge misstep in a film full of small missteps.