The Medallion (2003)
Review by Doc Ezra
Film:
DVD:

Written by Gordon Chan, Alfred Cheung, Bennett Joshua Davlin, Bey Logan & Paul Wheeler
Directed by Gordon Chan
Starring Jackie Chan, Lee Evans, Claire Forlani, Julian Sands, and John Rhys-Davies

Features:

• Deleted scenes
  
• Running audio commentary with producer Bill Borden and editor Don Brochu
  
• Trailers
  

Released by: Columbia Tri-star
Region: 1
Rating: PG-13
Anamorphic: Yes

My Advice: A solid purchase for Chan fans, and a rental for others.

After a sting gone awry, police inspector Eddie Yang (Chan) has to fly to Ireland to chase down an international criminal mastermind known only as Snakehead (Sands). Snakehead has kidnapped a young boy with supernatural powers, and in Yang's initial attempt to save the boy, backed by his partner Arthur (Evans) and old flame Nicole (Forlani), disaster strikes. Eddie has to sacrifice his life to save the boy's. What Eddie's partners don't know is that the boy has used the power of a mysterious medallion to restore Eddie to life. Part and parcel of his miraculous return is an equally miraculous set of super powers to help him save the world, batter the bad guy, and, of course, get the girl.

The Medallion is in many ways a classic Jackie Chan formula: action, comedy, the "fish out of water" cross-cultural communication issues...and the formula holds up pretty well. The pairing of Chan with Lee Evans was inspired, and Evans' bumbling portrayal of Arthur provides some brilliant physical comedy bits. Forlani exists mainly to be high-kicking eye candy, but manages to go a step or two beyond that in execution, which is always nice. All things considered, though, one's enjoyment of this movie is likely to be a little bittersweet if you've been one of Jackie's fans for very long.

What makes it bittersweet is the irrefutable evidence that Jackie, now nearly fifty, is in fact human. The physical stunts are a bit more toned-down than long-time Chan fanatics are used to. The use of wirework is more prevalent, and the effects are relied upon to make up for the played-down stuntwork. This doesn't really hurt the film in any way, but for those that have made it a point to watch dozens of the master's movies, it's a bit sad to know that Jackie's most gonzo physical performances are a thing of the past.

The script is a little on the soft side here, plainly the victim of too many writers being involved. If half a dozen people have to tweak the script to get it past the studio wanks, there's a better than average chance that the film will suffer for it. Here, this is mostly evidenced by a lack of real character development or depth, and some dialogue that's a little forced. All in all, this certainly isn't make-or-break territory for a kung fu movie, but one made on a decent budget and with some big-name actors should invest a little more time in a tight script.

The treatment on this disc is good, with excellent video and audio transfer. The commentary track is a nice bonus, but the real treats here are the fifteen deleted scenes. While most of them were excised for good reason, they make a nice bonus and provide some extended action sequences trimmed from the final cut. Some interviews or making-of specials would have been nice, as this isn't exactly some old neglected kung fu classic dug up out of a vault in Hong Kong. Something released this recently in the cinema deserves a little better treatment on DVD, despite its lackluster box office.

Despite the startling evidence of Chan's mortality captured on film here, this is still a worthy addition to the DVD library of any fan of Jackie Chan or kung fu comedy. Otherwise, it makes a good rental for a bit of brainless action fluff on a Friday night.