When Quan's daughter gets killed in a bombing made by a rogue group of IRA terrorists, he seeks revenge and starts to threaten Liam Hennessy, the Deputy Minister of Northern Ireland, as the politician's previous IRA status might know something about the people behind the attack. As Hennessy claims to know nothing, Quan continues to use fear tactics while twists and turns revolve around Hennessy. Based on the novel, "The Chinaman", the film was marketed as a straight-up action revenge film akin to the likes of "Taken" and "John Wick". Some audiences were disappointed by the real identity of the film. There is action scenes for sure and they are super entertaining, but the film is really much more serious and slower-paced as it deals with political tension between Ireland and the UK. If people don't know the history of the IRA, this film does nothing for them outside of Quan's storyline. However, I for one enjoy both the action and the heavy amounts of dialogue in the well-paced, nearly 2-hour runtime. The dialogue is just really well-written and contains subtle details in the plot and character motivation if people pay attention. It's a film heavily grounded in reality as we see the corruptness of politicians, government heads, and even questionable morality with the main characters and even the police as they torture a female terrorist. It's a surprisingly gritty, raw film that the marketing doesn't do justice.
Jackie Chan as Quan is a much more dramatic and subdued role than what you'd expect. He still manages to kick ass, but the way he is portrayed onscreen is almost like an antagonistic force at times, as he appears to use terrorist-like skills to cause panic and fear towards Hennessy and those around him. However, when there's a quiet moment for him to grieve, he manages to give out so much emotion by the lack thereof in the actions and dialogue. The best actor in the film however is Pierce Brosnan's Hennessy, who delivers a believable, charismatic portrayal of an Irish politician who gets wrapped up in Quan's revenge quest while proving to be a shady individual. From his explosive outbursts to his much subtle, quieter moments, Brosnan is fantastic. The side characters include Maggie/Sara, Hennessy's mistress who is secretly a terrorist, Mary, Hennessy's wife who's relationship has been strained since her brother's death years ago, Commander Bromley, the head of Scotland Yard investigating the terrorist attack, Sean, Hennessy's nephew who assists in tracking Quan and the terrorists while having an affair with Mary, Hugh McGrath, a former IRA member who isn't keen on Hennessy's political motives, Ian Wood, a reporter who becomes the unknowing mule for the terrorist's latest plot. There are other characters that I'm forgetting such as the other terrorists, Quan's friend, and Hennessy's bodyguards, but they don't have enough time to establish much character. The cast are all doing their best in bringing these characters to life, but it's Chan and Brosnan who steal the show.
Martin Campbell directed this film with every talent in his bone. The film is very much grey and saturated with rare occasions of warm colours. Considering the dark, mature tone, it's very welcome. Much like Jason Borne, the directing focuses on the gritty realism of the world and characters rather than the theatrical action or organizations akin to James Bond. Due to Campbell's previous works, he manages to make this film very sleek and cinematic despite the lower budget. That's mainly thanks to the choice to shoot on location and some instances of on-camera action. The exploding bus for example was in fact a real demolition that the public wasn't even aware of. The cinematography by David Tattersail is really good and acts as a character of its own. Outside of the establishing shots of the exteriors and interiors, majority of the camerawork is fixated on the ground using realistic movements and continuity to follow the characters as if the audiences are walking beside them. It works to make the film, albeit a fictional story, based on our reality. The score by Cliff Martinez is pretty typical of the action-thriller genre with the use of industrial and synthesizers. It's not bad by any means and works appropriately for the film, but it's not going to be particularly memorable. The action scenes are master-crafted as Campbell's directing allows. While there is shaky cam at times, the action is perfectly edited and the stunts are pulled off with such skill. Chan still manages to do action stunts in his mid 60's. Sure, they aren't super athletic or devil-defining, but the physicality is still admirable. It also gives those who expected action in their films just enough to be satisfied as the scenes are gritty and almost painful to watch due to the realism of the film. Campbell hasn't had the best luck since "Casino Royale", but this film not only got his groove back, but might even be a contender as the best film he's made.
"The Foreigner" is an almost perfect film in the action-thriller genre. Despite the generic score and mislead marketing, the film displays an intriguing story that feels realistic in our world with great lines of dialogue that makes the characters fleshed-out, superb acting from the entire cast with Chan and Brosnan taking the spotlight, fantastic directing from Campbell that makes a somewhat independent production visually cinematic, grounded cinematography that matches the perspectives of the characters, and action scenes that prove not only can Chan still fight and pull stunts like nothing, but manages to keep action-hungry audiences satisfied from the misleading trailers. I honestly wish that more people give this film more recognition as the marketing is to blame for the misleading film that either made people turned off from typical action junk or lied to upon the much slower paced, political thriller. Please check it out on Netflix if you can, it's one of a kind.
Verdict: 9.5/10. Practically perfect if the score was better. One of my favourites in the genre and in recent years as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment