First Strike
USA/Hong Kong - 1996
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Movie Review By Blue Velvet
Jackie Chan, a premiere master of Kung Fu and Hong Kong Cinema stars in his latest film called "First Strike." Directed by Stanley Tong, "First Strike" showcases Jackie in a jet-set international spy chase around Hong Kong, the Ukraine, and Australia. Amidst lavish sets and locations, Jackie still delivers ingenious kung fu moves, near-death stunts, and ideas on respect for family traditions with a style that's a mixture of sheer determination, charm, and blind luck.
The CIA asks the Hong Kong Police to help track down a missing missile detonator. Hong Kong calls their best agent Jackie to tail a beautiful female suspect to the Ukraine. In the Ukraine, Jackie stumbles into the Russian Mafia who also seeks the missile detonator. His attempt to trace the location of the detonator leads him to Australia where he confronts a super spy agent named Tsui who's in the know about the detonator's whereabouts. With so much money at stake, Tsui has set ideas on what he wants to do with the detonator. So it's up to Jackie to figure out how to get the detonator back and how to overturn Tsui's greed for redemption.
"First Strike" displays Jackie's uncommon uncanny stunts. He escapes enemy machine gun fire by jumping into a lake in the tundra. He snowboards off icy cliffs in a thin cotton shirt and a floppy white hat with a baby seal's face. He fights off dozens of kung fu bodyguards by wielding a simple metal ladder. This film augments Jackie's repertoire of incredible offbeat risks taken for his love for action cinema.
The film unleashes explosion after explosion like a James Bond film. Jackie even admits that he feels like agent 007 and certainly the soundtrack sounds lush like James Bond's theme song. However, Jackie character's warmth, innocence, and care sets him apart from cool killer protagonists. "First Strike" is sophisticated yet it's Jackie's own unmistakeable style that makes the film most impressive.
© 1997 - Blue Velvet - Air Date: 1/8/97
