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Accidental Spy

You know you are watching a Jackie Chan film when: 1) it's a slapstick action-comedy, 2) the protagonist does not kill his opponents in hand-to-hand combats, 3) the fight sequences lean towards acrobats than machismo, and 4) the action is entertaining enough to make the far-fetched plotlines forgivable. [I]Accidental Spy[/I] is just that, another haymaker that provides the usual fare packaged in different scenarios. This time, Chan is a sales clerk in a gym store who not only discovers his long lost father but also the mysterious legacy that his geographically estranged dad has left for him, and later finds out the legacy has a lot to do with espionage and Turkey. Which in turn gives him the perfect opportunity to choreograph Turkish-flavored action sequences.

Jackie should thank his scriptwriter Ivy Ho for concocting a fabulous storyline to legitimize his character: Buck Yuen (Chan) foils robbery; Buck meets derelict-looking detective who tells him about his father; Buck reunites with his father on his deathbed; Buck goes to Turkey to pick up his father's legacy; Buck fights off Turkish ruffians trying to rob him; Buck meets lovely lady who hints espionage involvement; Buck meets another lovely lady who hints the same thing but different motive; Buck fights off more Turkish ruffians; Buck meets a Chinese-Turkish drug overlord whom Buck's father is investigating in an espionage case; Buck rescues a family of man, wife and toddler from a flaming oil tanker. But none of those matter much. The plot barely holds up with the typical recipe one can expect of an action film, the characters are hardly interesting, and worst of all the Jackie Chan trademark slapstick humor is lacking. Well… he still takes bumps in a comedic way, but that's about it. All that is left to appreciate are the fight sequences.

The best part about the Turkey locale is what Jackie can do with an assortment of a Turkish health spa, a fleet of Turkish cabs, a haphazard Turkish hideout supported by fragile wooden pillars, a sheet of fine Turkish cloth, and the oil tanker (seriously, why would anyone drive his family in an oil tanker?). The fight choreography improvises with all these items, and is the only redeeming entertainment value. To add to the negatives, [I]Accidental Spy[/I] is a prime example of why foreign films generally do not do well on American soil - the foreign language. Although some parts are shot in English (which can be easily discerned with good lip reading), the entire dialogue is obviously dubbed. What makes this a bad thing is that English dubs in Asian films are generally the most inferior. In this movie, the dubbing is unnatural and stiff.

The voices have no character of their own. However, it allows Jackie to introduce his character as "Jackie Chan", and it is not the first he has done that. Jackie Chan is the only reason why this little punch-and-kick snack should be given any consideration. It delivers its killer combos during the few exciting action/fight sequences but fails to connect otherwise. His previous and subsequent films have done much better, able to balance the action with a compelling story. It's time to move on from this accidental sidetrack.

The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen picture quality is fine though unremarkable. There are some noticeable pixelations at 2X zoom-in but this particular kind of film, it is unlikely to spoil one's viewing pleasure since the fight sequences are best enjoyed from a distant view then a close-up. This widescreen version is supported by Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound. It is decent but occasionally flat, most of which is coming from Jackie's voice.

As mentioned before, the English language dubs is below par. The French language dubs is just slightly better. And to the horror of it all, the Cantonese/Mandarin version is not included in the American release, which incidentally is the language that this movie is filmed in.