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'Forbidden Kingdom': Jackie Chan Duels Jet LiStars Michael Angaranos, Liu Yifei, Colin Chou; Director Rob Minkoff
Jackie Chan and Jet Li team up in a kungfu chopsocky fantasy that Westerners can identify with, with plenty of humour and some room for improvement.
For many kungfu action film fans, ‘Forbidden Kingdom’ is the film of the year, as it features two most famous Chinese martial arts actors – Jackie Chan and Jet Li. A boy’s fantasy, with lead role played by Michael Angaranos, ‘Forbidden Kingdom’ is about a teenager named Jason, who adores kungfu flicks but pales at the sight of neighbourhood bullies. Chased by a group of young hooligans into a Chinese pawn shop, Jason fails to protect the old Chinese man, and in turn decides to guard the old man’s ancient staff. He is soon transported into a different time and age, realising he is the chosen one to restore the staff to Sun Wukong - Monkey King. The clever plot uses popular Western knowledge of Chinese films, by borrowing Monkey King from ‘Monkey Magic’. Director Rob Minkoff introduces the film with authentic Chinese music, and then mixes it with tacky chopsocky images and soundtrack. A mish mash of Chinese period drama and Bruce Lee-styled films – does ‘Forbidden Kingdom’ pull this off convincingly? Jackie Chan Revives ‘Drunken Master’The best scenes in ‘Forbidden Kingdom’ are surprisingly funny scenes, not merely kungfu action. This is largely thanks to Jackie Chan’s revived Drunken Master, the role he became famous for in 1978. Those who have watched ‘Drunken Fist’ or ‘Drunken Master’ remember how Jackie Chan takes on several forms of martial arts and turn them into comedy. In ‘Forbidden Kingdom’, Jackie Chan confirms again he is as great a comedian, as a kungfu/stunts artiste. In the longest fight scene where Jackie Chan takes on Jet Li, tiger, crane and praying mantis martial arts forms are called forth into play, to the satisfaction of the audience. Jackie Chan has the best lines in ‘Forbidden Kingdom’, and underplays Western humour to great effect, delivering with a straight face to get the laughs. He plays Lu Yan, an immortal who helps Jason (Michael Angaranos) on his mission, while being his teacher. Jet Li as the impenetrable MonkJet Li is a wonderful contrast to the irreverent Jackie Chan, with Jet Li’s personal brand of dry humour. Though playing Monkey God is a bit of an acting stretch for Li, thankfully for most of the film he plays the Silent Monk, who is also looking to restore the Monkey King. He engages in a long duel with Jackie Chan, both fighting for the staff, and displays his toughness and endurance in the duel. The laughs arise when viewers realise his Silent Monk character is not as straight laced as he seems. The funniest scene takes place when Chan’s Lu Yan tries to ‘ask for rain’. Jet Li’s cynical Monk takes on the humble Lu Yan character superbly, and reinforces the mission. Kungfu, Fantasy or Comedy?There is lots of kungfu action. However, the duel scenes between Sun Wukong and the Jade Warlord are over long, and are not as funny and compelling. The story also falls flat with excessive storytelling – first the long drawn-out flashback of Monkey King, then Golden Sparrow’s parents being killed, a very predictable plot. Liu Yifei is radiantly beautiful as the Golden Sparrow, even in her sorrow and pi-pa playing, but depth and emotion do not come through in her sad story. Her role in the climactic duel is but to supply the jade dart to end the Warlord’s life, not much else. Michael Angarano plays Jason with innocence and sufficient sensitivity, making him a believable teenager, besotted by chopsocky movies and kungfu paraphernalia. Colin Chou is one of the surprises of ‘Forbidden Kingdom’ as he plays the villain Jade Warlord, with elegance and rhythm. His costumes also deserve mention: long flowing black robes with dragon embroidery and spiky shoulder plates. Shirley Chan, costume designer, brings out the Jade Warlord’s character without shouting, and so does Chou. A Fantasy where East Meets WestAs ‘Forbidden Kingdom’ occupies an undefined genre, somewhere between martial arts action, fantasy and comedy, director Rob Minkoff may have done better by defining the movie’s genre further. If ‘Forbidden Kingdom’ pays homage to kungfu movies of the past, its humour would be more stylised, like ‘Pulp Fiction’. Perhaps by bringing together two great kungfu actors, with their separate styles, ‘Forbidden Kingdom’ can only be, at its best, a compromise of genres, if a stronger directorial style is not in place. On the other hand, ‘Forbidden Kingdom’ opens new ground for movies where Westerners explore foreign grounds convincingly. Fantasy as a genre may be the way to go, for such a seamless blend of East and West casts.
The copyright of the article 'Forbidden Kingdom': Jackie Chan Duels Jet Li in Martial Arts Films is owned by Lynette S.K. Webster. Permission to republish 'Forbidden Kingdom': Jackie Chan Duels Jet Li in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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