It’s been a while since we’ve seen Jackie Chan in US cinemas, especially as a lead, and I for one, am happy to have him back. Think on it for a moment: Jackie Chan is still one the world’s biggest stars (currently ranking fifth on the Forbes list of highest paid actors), and ever since 1995’s Rumble in the Bronx, he’s been a mainstay in Hollywood, but I don’t think we’ve seen him in a major role since 2010’s The Karate Kid reboot (and he was not the star of that film). Sure, his voice has popped up in animated films like Kung Fu Panda 2 and 3, The Nutjob 2, and even The LEGO Ninjago Movie just this year, but his acting roles have been relegated back to China. And I say relegated in full jest as China’s box office is predicted to overtake Hollywood by 2021, and for most, acting in your native language is easier. However, Chan’s always aspired to be a global movie star, not just a Chinese or Hong Kong one, and he’d already made it.
This is an incredibly long-winded way of saying that for domestic audiences, denying them one of the world’s veritable superstars, and a self-made one at that, one who’s paid every due possible to pay to get to the top, and also one of the greatest action/martial arts stars the world’s ever known, is a shame. I’m happy there are minds outside Hollywood deciding which films to back financially, and although The Foreigner was produced by Chinese and British backers (including Chan himself, who owns Sparkle Roll Media), it did get a domestic distribution deal as Chan proves here that he’s got more to offer the world than doing his own stunts.
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