THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 15, 1997 TAG: 9701170052
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: 62 lines
``FIRST STRIKE'' is what it might be like if Jackie Chan ran amok in the Virginia Marine Science Museum.
He dons scuba gear to fight bad guys underwater while bloodthirsty killer sharks hover above - a set-up for a comic pose when Jackie remembers that sharks won't attack people who remain perfectly still. Of course, a bad guy fires bullets into the aquarium, the tank explodes and water pours everywhere. It's mayhem.
Ticket-takers at the local oceanarium should forcibly turn Jackie away if he shows up. The property damage could be enormous. The rest of us might be advised to buy tickets for this energetic and often inventive action-genre spoof.
Chan has deservedly been compared to Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin for his ability to mime frustration. His wide-eyed unspoken question of ``Why me?'' accompanies most of his physically graceful routines.
What other action hero would wear a funny hat as he chases bad guys via snowmobile? Who else would think of kickboxing on stilts?
His self-effacing, unpretentious style is even more ingratiating when you realize he doesn't use stunt doubles.
The less said about the plot the better. It has Jackie hunting down a rogue CIA agent who has stolen a nuclear warhead. The trail leads from Hong Kong to Moscow to Australia. It's pretty silly.
This is the fourth in the martial arts star's ``Police Story'' series, which included ``SuperCop.''
Rumors persist that the American releasers have recut the Hong Kong versions to emphasize the action rather than the comedy. If this is true, it is a serious mistake. Chan's strength is a boyish charm and the knockabout humor of a born clown. Enough of that is left, but there is still dead time when the film comes dangerously close to asking us to take it seriously.
Still, it is clear that Jackie never wants to hurt any of the people who attack him. With no sex and no profanity, this is good, clean fun. It is no more violent than, say, a Three Stooges short or a Bugs Bunny cartoon.
Chan clings to a fleeing helicopter. He drives a sports car from land onto a boat. He leaps around and about the roof and balconies of an apartment building.
Don't forget to stay for the final credits. As has become customary with his films, outtakes are screened - revealing some of the mishaps and laughable mistakes that took place in getting the stunts filmed. They show just how tough this work must be.
Jackie Chan's movies have a certain sameness about them that may eventually grow tiresome - but not yet. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
NEW LINE CINEMA
Jackie Chan has deservedly been compared to Buster Keaton and
Charlie Chaplin.
MOVIE REVIEW ``Jackie Chan's First Strike''
Cast: Jackie Chan, Chen Chun Wu, Jackson Lou
Director: Stanley Tong
MPAA rating: PG-13 (cartoonish violence)
Mal's rating: 1/2