For a while, it felt like Jackie Chan wanted to get out of action movies, at least the type that he was so well-known for throughout the years, but Vanguard really feels like something that he’s done before and is bound to be seen as the same in a lot of ways since it has a lot of fighting, a lot of action, and even looks like it might have a bit of comedy in there as well. But being classified as adventure spy-thriller drama makes it sound as though it will be something more like The Foreigner, which saw Jackie do more than just engage with the enemy in martial arts feats that are able to impress people regularly. What’s really impressive is that Jackie is well into his 60s and is still taking on roles like this that allow him to get physical and show the audience that he’s still got it. For a lot of years, Jackie has been one of the most impressive individuals on screen since he usually does something that’s hard to believe would be possible in reality but is easily within the boundaries of movie magic since he’s done most of his own stunts when it’s been allowed. If the word ‘allowed’ is hard for you to grasp, there have been times in recent years when he hasn’t done his own stunts either because he knows his limitations or an insurance carrier won’t cover the damage that might be done.
The idea that he no longer did all of his own stunts was actually brought up nearly two decades ago since even then he was coming to realize that he could no longer do everything. Plus, he’s admitted that there are some acts he simply can’t pull off, particularly those with which he has no prior knowledge or training, which is wise to be fair. But the toll that his stunts have taken on his body is easy enough to see since there are plenty of outtakes from his older movies that show what happens when stunts go wrong. He’s been carted off a set to go recuperate a few times, and he’s broken so many bones that hospitals should think of giving him a discount. Yeah, that was a poor joke, but it’s as close to the truth anyone can come when speaking of how many times he’s been injured. In this coming movie though it does make sense to think that he’s going to be using a stunt double, but it does feel accurate to state that the martial arts scenes will be all Jackie.
Right now the movie looks like a lot of others that he’s done in the past, which is to say that it looks entertaining and like it will be able to deliver a wide array of stunts and action sequences that will keep people happy. To those that have seen what Jackie has to offer it might look like more of the same that we’ve seen over the years, but there’s some comfort in that since a lot of us already know that Jackie is good at it and will be able to keep a lot of fans happy with the fight scenes and the overall story that will be told. But where it might fail just a bit is that so far it feels as though we’re about to see another action movie where we’ll see him flipping all over the place and where the main characters will all be highly-skilled and able to take on multiple opponents at once and just be awesome the whole way through the movie. As I already said, a lot of people are comforted by movies such as this so there’s really no problem, and a comfort movie in this era is actually something a lot of folks would prefer since it might make them retain a big of faith in the entertainment industry considering everything that’s been going on in recent years. A good adventure movie is enough to get the attention of a lot of moviegoers since it tends to promise to entertain the viewers if they’ll just sit back and let the story take over.
In any case, it does feel like this will be a respectable addition to Chan’s long career since he’s amassed a reputation that can’t really be touched at this point no matter what he shows up in. And that’s saying a lot since he’s starred in a few movies that have made people wonder what in the world he’s doing considering that he’s been a legend for quite some time. But this is more like a return to the Jackie Chan material that a lot of us have grown up on, and it’s bound to be something that people can enjoy.
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