Headline: Chan getting older but still kicks in ‘Medallion’
Jackie Chan (Rush Hour, Shanghai Knights) brings his martial arts to the big screen once again in The Medallion. Best known for performing all his own stunts, Chan stars as Eddie Yang, a Hong Kong cop working with Interpol to capture an international crime lord known only as Snakehead (Julian Sands).
Snakehead’s latest plan is to kidnap the child who was born in the fourth month of the Year of the Snake and is destined to meld the two halves of the sacred medallion.
The medallion has the power to give someone immortality along with superhero-like abilities such as incredible speed, power and skill. The only catch is the person has to die first.
While pursuing Snakehead, Chan rescues the child from their clutches but at the price of his own life. The power of the medallion resurrects Chan giving him the abilities mentioned above.
Chan teams with Interpol agents Arthur Watson (Lee Evans, also in There’s Something About Mary) and Nicole James (Claire Forlani, also in Meet Joe Black, Mallrats) to stop Snakehead’s evil plans.
The 49-year-old Chan still allows his skill and charm to shine on screen. Chan still is entertaining whether he scales a 20 ft. wall and slides between it iron bars at the top or fights two men while using the third belt to tie him down.
Die-hard Jackie Chan fans will notice he has lost a step or two with age. With some obvious CGI and wirework, The Medallion still contains all the elements of a classic Chan film with good martial arts, stunt sequences and comedy.
The Medallion is a definite improvement over last year’s The Tuxedo, but it does not compare to either of the Rush Hour movies or the Shanghai movies.
Grade B+