Most Jackie Chan movies aren’t very good to begin with, aside from rare exceptions like the “Rush Hour” and “Shanghai” series, but it’s usually easy to maintain a smile throughout his amazing action sequences and his near-perfect comedic timing. “The Medallion,” on the other hand, should be filed along with the rest of Chan’s junk films due to its lack of action, comedy and story.
Chan plays Hong Kong police inspector Eddie Yang, who just recently teamed up with the British Interpol to take down Snakehead (B-movie villain Julian Sands), a European crime lord who travels to Hong Kong to kidnap a sacred child. Unknown to local authorities, this child has the power to combine two secret medallions capable of world domination. If you haven’t heard this story before, you’re probably Amish because this textbook comic-book plot is the key to dozens of bad movies.
Yang works with Interpol agent Arthur Watson (Lee Evans) on his mission, but Watson’s strongest asset to the partnership is probably his ability to stay out of Yang’s way while he beats up all of the bad guys and saves the boy from drowning. A fatal experience while rescuing the boy earns Yang the chance to come back to life with super-human powers (yes, much like last year’s “The Tuxedo”) so he can stop Snakehead’s plans to rule the world.
“The Medallion” is a piece of crap. Period. The American filmmakers cut more then 30-minutes from the original theatrical release, often leaving the audience clueless about the real point of the story, and the fight scenes are so short and scarce that it’s a stretch to call this an action film. But, unfortunately, that’s not the end of the troubles with “The Medallion,” due to the appearance of Lee Evans as Chan’s annoying partner. I don’t know what casting director thought this guy was funny, but he may be the worst actor in the history of film, a disgrace to comedy, and the kind of guy that makes Ben Affleck appear award-worthy.
I can’t even recommend this film to hardcore fans of Jackie Chan. The bad dubbing is unnecessary, the use of wire-fu and special effects disgraces Chan’s talent and the story is so bad you’ll wish you’d brought something to do during the dreadful 88-minute runtime. A bad international debut for Hong Kong superstar director Gordon Chan and a shameful display by Jackie Chan.
1/5 Stars
Starring: Jackie Chan, Julian Sands, Lee Evans
Director: Gordan Chan
