The Tuxedo


One of the first Hollywood films that Jackie Chan has to carry on his own is unfortunately also one of Hollywood's worst films.

Chan, playing cab-driver, Jimmy Tong, ends up being an assistant to the dashing Clark Devlin (Jason Isaacs). Devlin is a British agent who possess a special tuxedo that enables him to perform superhuman stunts that you usually see in Jackie Chan films (without the tuxedo). When Devlin gets hurt in a car bombing, Tong dons the special tuxedo. Not only does Tong have to fight an international conspiracy involving the hoarding of water, but also has to dance and sing like James Brown.

Chan is his affable self; the supporting actors and actresses (including Jennifer Love Hewitt playing Tong's pseudolover) are adequate. The script is lackluster and the plot is preposterous.

The Tuxedo is far from Jackie Chan's best films, and there's not a lot that's memorable here, but it's worth checking out if you're a Chan fan. I personally recommend getting a hold of The Accidental Spy, Chan's recent non-Hollywood outing or his breakthrough 1978 film, Drunken Master, instead.


Movie ramblings || Ram Samudrala || me@ram.org