asianxcore

Same! I saw this a few days ago with friends and we were all pleasantly surprised the film wasn't what the trailers made it out to be.

Considering he's been Type-Cast in his English-Speaking roles since Rush Hour (1998), it was great to see Chan in a role like this.

I read today that the film has made over $100 Million Dollars worldwide. Great news!

DWilson

I doubt he could have unless from the distance he was sitting, unless he had prior knowledge and could have planted a bug. Of course, this is a movie, so if they needed that to happen, they could make it happen.

devilshalo

I thought when they were standing and Quan showed him the pic on the phone, didn't Liam say he never meant for civilians to be killed? Then Quan tells him to press send?

whotony

Saw it today.
Crowd of maybe 25, 20 of which was 65+

2 older couples thought this was an outright comedy as they laughed at nearly everything Brosnan said.
Another older guy laughed nearly everytime a woman was on screen and spoke.

Another person had the loudest bag of chips one could possibly have.
One more person dropped sonmething and it sounded like he dropped a set of dumbbells.

Anyway movie was alright 3.5/5 stars.
Worth a moviepass.

A coupld times it seemd Chan knew much more than he should have.
I suppose he was tailing Brosnan but it was too convenient for what Chan was able to do.

Also Why'd he take the dog and leave it tied to a pole?

DJariya

I caught this today and I really liked it. Probably one of my favorites from Jackie and I'm glad at his age he decided to do something more darker and serious.

Overall, a great change for Jackie since he does mostly goofball action comedies. He rarely does serious movies. The last 2 movies I saw from Jackie: Railroad Tigers and Kung Fu Yoga had much lighter tones. Kung Fu Yoga was a total goofball comedy. I also enjoyed the cat and mouse game between his character Quan and Brosnan's Hennessy.

Yes, this is definitely not an action movie even though there are a few action sequences. A lot more political thriller and drama.

Another thing that I liked was Quan not being some kind of over the top super hero even though he has special forces training. He was very vulnerable and got his ass beaten a few times.

The only thing that I wasn't really sure about was how relevant the IRA actually is nowadays in 2017. I recall back in the 80's they were a pretty notorious group and terrorized the UK.

It was 114 minutes, but I thought it was very well edited. The scenes kept moving and I wasn't bored for a second.

and yeah it looks like they is a pretty big hit with worldwide numbers factored in. It's made $101M total. I'm sure it's doing well in HK and the UK.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/...eforeigner.htm


and yes holy crap Orla Brady looked really hot in this. The scene with her in the black negligee.

DWilson

You're right. I was thinking of when the pic was taken. He could have filmed the confession as he showed him the pic, but it wasn't made clear (to my eyes) that it was anything other than the pic (and it really didn't need to, the point was that Brosnan was exposed).

ytrez

A lot of 65+ folks in my crowd too.

And some laughs at inappropriate times as well. Odd.

Anyway, he took the dog so that it looked like he belonged. Like he lived in the building and was taking his dog out for a walk. Just part of the disguise.

devilshalo

The only thing that took me out of the movie are the times you can tell it wasn't Jackie doing the stunts. I know Chan was playfully putting himself out there for an Oscar nomination. The scenes of him in his daughter's bedroom and when he first talks to the cops about his family are really touching and emotional, but I don't think his soft spoken, one note demeanor after that would be enough to even give him consideration.

ytrez

I LOVE Jackie Chan but this isn't an Oscar worthy role. As you say, it's very one-note. Sad Jackie throughout. Even' when he's fighting, he's Sad Jackie. He's not angry, he's not scared. Just sad. And that's the role, I get it. And I liked the film. Just not Oscar worthy.

Oh. And after following Jackie Chan through his films for more than 35 years, it kind of hurt to see Sad Jackie.

Brian T

Has it opened in Hong Kong yet? I wouldn't be surprised if they hold it back a while. Chan's not exactly loved there anymore, and his movies don't make much of a dent at the local box-office now that they're mostly mainland productions ever since he became a mouthpiece for the CCP (aka "sad Jackie" ). I suspect The Foreigner might do a little better there than his recent Mainland pictures, but only because it feels more like a Hollywood picture thanks to the cast and crew.

DWilson

I haven't followed Jackie's professional status as regards his home turf for a while. What's the CCP and how does that translate to "Sad Jackie"?

Brian T

CCP = Communist Party of China.

Most of Chan's non-Hollywood movies since around 2009 have been Mainland productions. Fair enough; that's where the money is and that's where a lot of Hong Kong stars and creatives could keep buttering their bread (as long as they keep their mouths shut about the politics destroying their old home town). But unlike most of his former colleagues in the Hong Kong industry, not long after he got there Chan started acting like a poster boy for the Party, bad-mouthing Hong Kong (the city that gave him his fame and fortune for decades) and ultimately the west. He hasn't really made a true Hong Kong movie since then, for a reason. Some of his shows have had HK money behind them in part, but he's pretty much done with the city, and it seems to be done with him.

Over here, you don't hear much about it unless you follow Asian news media, but over there, the stories have been plentiful, but as the box-office for The Foreigner proves he's still got reasonable drawing power worldwide, even if most of his movies go straight to video outside of China and perhaps a few token screenings for the diaspora in the bigger western cities (such as here in Toronto).


Further reading (some older, obviously, some not, some involving other HK celebs, so mind the datelines)

The anti-Americanism of Jackie Chan
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.1677ccb22a60

Jackie Chan 'Worried' Pro-Democracy Protests Harm Hong Kong's Finances
http://time.com/3488836/jackie-chan-...ongs-finances/

Does Jackie Chan really hate freedom?
http://foreignpolicy.com/2009/04/20/...-hate-freedom/

Why some Hong Kongers think hometown action hero Jackie Chan is a coward
https://qz.com/720749/why-some-hong-...n-is-a-coward/

How Jackie Chan Became The Most Hated Celeb On The Chinese Internet
https://www.buzzfeed.com/kevintang/j...GVk#.gc0ZeNg23

Jackie Chan: Hong Kong has 'become a city of protest' and America is the 'most corrupt in the world'
http://shanghaiist.com/2012/12/13/so...to_stop_ta.php

Jackie Chan: 'Warcraft' Success in China "Scares the Americans"
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...s-china-901868

Chinese Redditor from Hong Kong explains how Jackie Chan is viewed at home as opposed to the well-liked guy in the West
https://np.reddit.com/r/funny/commen...na&sh=7ee3b241

Why China’s rise means Hong Kong stars like Jackie Chan will be the last of their kind
http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/societ...n-will-be-last

And trust me: despite The Foreigner being a decent film and putting him back in the broader spotlight, he really hasn't changed much.



.

DWilson

Thanks for the response. As you implied, I guess I'm with the people whose view of Jackie needs an update. I kind of hate to hear that.

Brian T

Lotsa good reading there. Once upon a time, Chan joined protests and led marches in sympathy with various causes affecting Hong Kong and the film industry there. I'm sure there's old HK news clips on YouTube. After 2014's phenomenal Umbrella Movement, one of the most important protests for democracy of the modern era, some 47 Hong Kong actors, singers and other creatives who showed support for the cause, many by actually joining the protestors -- and most of those for more than just selfish photo ops -- were systematically blacklisted by the CCP from working in the Mainland industries. These included prominent folks like Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Nick Cheung, Anthony Wong (the actor), Anthony Wong (the singer), Denise Ho, Chapman To, Karena Lam and even top names Chow Yun-Fat and Andy Lau. If you look at most of their filmographies post-2014, only Lau, who's known for playing it safe, seems to have recovered his status as a top draw in both local and mainland pictures (which makes one wonder just what he did to "atone"). Chan, however, was squarely on Beijing's side:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...s-9789968.html

His reputation naturally follows him when he works even with Hong Kong companies:
https://www.biv.com/article/2017/6/h...tnership-jack/

But at the end of the day, I suppose we have to give him some credit for keeping his brand front and centre at all cost. He's mercenary, man. It's because of that that he can still "open" a movie like The Foreigner that otherwise might have debuted on Netflix in this day and age.

JimRochester

Saw this today with moviepass and enjoyed it. Liked that Jackie wasn't the jokester goofball. A few of the scenes were a little over the top for me.

I was surprised that most of the attention was focused on Chan and Brosnin and that Chan versus the bad guys weren't until the end. I expected a Death Wish kind of scenario with him dealing with the perps throughout the movie. Couple of nice twists and turns but saw most everything coming.

DJariya

If you missed this in theaters, it will be on Blu-Ray in less than 2 months.

January 9, 2018

Here's the artwork:

JimRochester

Not a bad movie. Would definitely see this again as a rental. Not sure I would need to own it.

Original Desmond

I really enjoyed it

good mix of political intrigue, thriller and action

Jackie and pierce were good

shenna

Very well built political action triller

shenna

I'm a big Chan Fan, watched almost all of his movies. Most folks from the west aren't familiar with his more serious roles in China or how brutal some of his early movies were, so it was refreshing to see him portraying a man who lost everything.

Brian T

Most folks from the west should consider themselves lucky they haven't had to suffer through the crap he's been churning out in China since 2010. The Foreigner was indeed refreshing because, outside of the partial Chinese money behind it, it's basically a Hollywood-style production (well, Hollywood/U.K. anyway). Thankfully the Mainland money didn't have much influence on the set. To see what happens when it does, just wait until you lay your eyes upon Bleeding Steel!

OldBoy

The Foreigner...fucking fantastic. i knew nothing of what to expect and loved the shit out of this movie i was giddy. a sedated Chan who still kicks ass and you slowly learn how and why and the twists and turns just gripped me. i loved everything about this one. highly recommended!

melasnus

Very good movie.
In spite of the plot's improbability and an opening reminiscent of Children of Men, this film is suspenseful with good writing and directing.

Pierce Brosnan steals the show.
He is a tremendously underrated actor.
The BD is excellent technically.

Superman07

Crazy late to this one. Finally caught it on Netflix. I was interested when I first saw the trailer, but never managed to see it until now.

Definitely not what I was expecting, yet I enjoyed it even more. As everybody already said, it’s more of a political thriller than an action film, but I think that’s a good thing.

Really enjoyed Brosnan. There were many shades of grey, so it was difficult to tell where things would end up.

The final apartment scene was a bit of a let down, but still cool. Crazy ending for the one female member. Equally for his wife I suppose.

If anybody is on the fence, I’d definitely say check it out!

B5Erik

I'm even later!

I FINALLY watched the Blu Ray I bought a year and a half ago, and I really liked it. Pierce Brosnan gives a great performance, and Jackie Chan is perfect for his role. I loved the fact that he got to play someone his age who wasn't some SuperCop. He gets seriously hurt in this one, and despite his obvious training he's older so less experienced, far less trained guys give him all he can handle because they're all 20-30 years younger than him.

The story is really, really good, and there are some great twists in there.

I'm glad I bought it - it will definitely have good rewatchability.