The Foreigner

I expected the movie to be a standard action movie with a weak plot. This movie surprised me on several levels. First the plot was above average for an action movie. Second, Jackie Chan turned in a subdued and very good character portrayal. Third,the movie was not the typical martial arts laden Jackie Chan performance. There were martial art scenes but they were not over done as in prior Chan movies. Supporting cast led by Pierce Brosnan were also very good. In summary, if your a fan of the action genre you will not be disappointed.

This is a super engrossing action-thriller-drama.

An innocent child is the victim in a terrorist bomb but the perpetrators do not know of the desperate determination and grit of the victim's father.

There are two astonishing performances: first from Jackie Chan as the aggrieved father; and second from Pierce Brosnan as a suspicious and duplicitous politician.

Jackie Chan is outstanding as the grieving parent out for justice. And despite some action being of the kung fu variety that does not detract from a great show.

Pierce Brosnan is equally remarkable, displaying amazing realism in his portrayal of an Irish political leader.

This movie is highly recommended:

8/10.

This movie is based on Stephen Leather's novel THE CHINAMAN. That's how the other characters see Jackie Chan's character: as an old Chinaman whose daughter had been killed by an explosion in a dress store, from a bomb planted by a wing of the IRA, breaking 19 years of peace. Jackie's search for the people who killed his daughter lead him to Pierce Brosnan, an old IRA hand, now the British Minister in charge of keeping the peace in Northern Ireland. He tries to comfort Jackie, but can't help him, when Jackie demands names... so Jackie blows up his wash room.

Jackie is not whom he appears to be, but neither is Brosnan, nor, in the end, are any of the main players, kindly, platitudinous politicians. It's a world of lies, corruption, violence and betrayal under a facade of peace and smiles that Jackie's single-minded pursuit of answers reveals: he's almost an anti-MacGuffin, appearing to matter very little to any of the people in the movie, who causes all the fuss.

Pierce Brosnan offers a fine performance as what can only be described as the Minister for IRA Relations in Northern Ireland. Chan's performance is far from his usual work, but he has always been a physical actor, more than one who works with words or facial expressions, and he lived up to my hopes as a long-time fan.

After Jackie Chan's daughter is killed by the so called 'authentic IRA' he sets out to track down her killer, by coercing ex IRA member and now deputy minister Pierce Brosnan to find out who did it.

2 stories essentially run in parallel here, Chan's revenge which gives us most of the standard, albeit well paced action and Brosnan working to find the killers whilst his past catches up with him

Not surprisingly given Martin Campbell is at the helm this hangs together well particularly the political elements and a fine star performance from Brosnan - seeing an older more subdued turn from Chan is also interesting

Given that my "Jackie Chan Experience" had been limited to the "Rush Hour" films with Chris Tucker, I was totally (no pun intended) blown away by "The Foreigner." Not only is this is a really good revenge/action movie but Jackie Chan, though still limiting his English dialogue, manages to hold his own with Pierce Brosnan. Jackie Chan's performance made me think back to the silent movies (I went to film school) when actors conveyed emotion through facial expression, not words.

As for the plot--that aI won't spoil for you--it's above average, and blends several social issues about immigration, family loyalty, and Britain/Ireland history. Bottom line: this film was much better than I expected it would be.