Jackie Chan doesn't know the
meaning of the word “fear.” His writers don't know the meaning of the word
“original.”
The five screenwriters credited with concocting “The
Medallion” appear to have re-assembled random scenes from previous Chan
movies. And, since the plots of all Chan movies are pretty much the same, you
can probably recite it along with me: Some bad guys (probably British) are
trying to get their hands on an ancient charm. Jackie tries to get to it first.
Lots of people get beaten to a pulp on the way.
The strange thing about “Medallion” is that it's so
clueless about its star's undeniable appeal. Like last year's “The Tuxedo,”
“Medallion” gives Chan a talisman that makes him indestructible, which is
exactly what he shouldn't be, since his talent has always been for showing us
the work involved in appearing so graceful and fearless. Moreover, Chan movies
always have two parts: the amazing stunts and the boring stuff between them, and
“Medallion” makes the mistake of concentrating on the boring stuff between.
The movie asks Chan to play comic scenes and romantic
ones (to add a further degree of difficulty, he must play them with the stiff
Claire Forlani), which is like asking a fish to type and do Bikram yoga. In
fact, it has become increasingly clear that the only parts of Chan's films that
work are the action scenes because the qualities he projects — he's polite,
earnest and friendly — are not the stuff of drama.
The few intriguing moments in “Medallion” come
courtesy of supporting actor Lee Evans, who plays a cop. Evans is an inventive
physical comedian whose talents are better displayed in “Mousehunt” and
“Funny Bones,” but he has a couple of good bits here that suggest the word
he doesn't know the meaning of is “dull.”
