Mr. Nice Guy (5 Stars)

Note that this is the first film with Jackie Chan that I haven't flagged as Chinese. It was filmed in Australia, and almost all the dialogue is in English. Practically the only Chinese dialogue is private conversations between Jackie and his girlfriend Miki.

Why do so many critics dismiss "Mr. Nice Guy" (1997)? I honestly don't get it. They complain that the plot is paper thin, the villains are cartoonish and the humour is childish. Well, yes... but none of that matters. This is Jackie Chan at his absolute peak, delivering one astonishing action sequence after another. If you're expecting a deep, meaningful screenplay, you're watching the wrong film.

The real genius behind the film is director Sammo Hung. Few action directors understand pacing as well as he does. There's hardly a quiet moment in the entire running time. Every chase, fight and stunt flows effortlessly into the next, yet the film never becomes exhausting because Hung constantly changes the setting and the style of the action. One minute Jackie is improvising with kitchen utensils, the next he's racing through Melbourne on a bicycle or hanging from a speeding crane. It's a masterclass in keeping an audience entertained.

Jackie Chan is, as always, phenomenal. His comic timing is perfect, his stunts are breath-taking, and his ability to turn everyday objects into weapons remains unmatched. The spectacular finale, with a gigantic construction vehicle tearing through buildings, is exactly the kind of over-the-top climax that Hong Kong action cinema does better than anyone else.

Perhaps critics wanted a darker, more sophisticated crime thriller. If so, they completely misunderstood what Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan were trying to achieve. "Mr. Nice Guy" isn't about realism. It's about excitement. It's about keeping you on the edge of your seat while wondering how on earth Jackie survived another impossible stunt.

Sometimes cinema doesn't need to be profound. Sometimes it just needs to be brilliantly entertaining. "Mr. Nice Guy" understands that better than most action films. It's one of Jackie Chan's finest achievements and one of Sammo Hung's most underrated films as a director.