The Foreigner

The Foreigner

(2017)

Directed by: Martin Campbell
Written by: David Marconi, based on 

Stephen Leather's The Chinaman 
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Jackie Chan,

Rating: 14A
Release Date: October 13th 2017, 
                        On VOD/Blu-Ray/DVD January 9th, 2018

Jackie Chan & Pierce Brosnan meet in The Foreigner
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     Both Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan are known for the larger than life, heroic and iconic roles they’ve played. Brosnan had Bond, Remington Steele, and a multitude of varied roles throughout his long career, (including the grief stricken, distant father in the criminally underrated Remember Me). Chan made a name for himself as a martial arts action star, completely eclipsing those who came before him.* Starting first with his Chinese cinematic work like Drunken Master, Police Story, Twin Dragons, the crossover hit Rumble in the Bronx, and then Hollywood fare like Rush Hour, Shanghai Noon, Kung Fu Panda, and the Karate Kid (2010), Chan slowly morphed himself into an international superstar. Additionally, while most western audiences think of Chan as a martial arts and comedy star, his work in his native language is riveting. The closing scene of the Shinjuku Incident still gives me chills. With The Foreigner Chan is finally able to showcase the full scope of his talents, as both a martial artist, and a brilliant actor. 

     The Foreigner starts simply; Quan Ngoc Minh, (Chan), is an immigrant to London, who tries to provide for his young daughter, whom he'll soon send off to college. As the owner of a small noodle shop in London, and widow to a long passed wife and two children, his daughter is all he has. Tragically, his daughter is stolen from him in a ruthless bombing by the "authentic IRA," an outfit claiming to want independence from the United Kingdom, via terrorism. Without a daughter to take care of, and keep him company, Minh has only one thing left in life - revenge. Enter Liam Hennessy, (Pierce Brosnan), a former IRA leader, and current politician in Belfast, Ireland. Renouncing his past, and the current attacks, Hennessy is still the only lead Minh has to find his daughter's killers. The trouble is, is that Hennessy doesn't have any contact with the IRA anymore - or so he claims. What seems on it's surface to be a cat-and-mouse thriller and revenge parable is anything but. People are not who they seem, motivations are hidden from view, and the heroes we identify with may just be the grandest villains of all. Equal parts Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

and Taken, the Foreigner is also it's own beast; a whip smart political thriller with high stakes, with enough plot, characterization and dramatic tension to make the audience not just enjoy the action sequences, but actually care and understand why they're taking place. 

     David Marconi, who has written some other great thrillers like Enemy of the State and Live Free or Die Hard, seems to have a knack for sneaking social commentary into big budget action flicks. With Enemy of the State, his screenplay took aim at the surveillance state and a society inching closer and closer to Orwell's 1984. With Die Hard 4, he took on our reliance of technology, and turned the film into a warning about how quickly vital data can be erased, altered, or shut down completely. With The Foreigner, Marconi has free reign on multiple subjects. Hennessy seems to be loosely inspired by real life Irish politician Martin McGuinness, a man trapped between his terroristic, idealistic youth, and the methodical, mature, less violent leanings as an older man. Minh, is a metaphor for the thankless, hard, often life changing work immigrants are sometimes forced into, as well as an exploration of the cost of vengeance, and how to right an immeasurable wrong, even when doing so seems to be a philosophical paradox; how can one rectify violence with more violence? Marconi asks the big questions, and for the most part answers them, all the while turning his story into a labyrinthian political thriller with a dash of violence here and there, like an amped up, more complex John le Carré with an Irish brogue. 
     Overall, the direction of the film seems solid and methodical, much like the characters within. The cinematography, too, is brisk and blunt, especially in it's fight sequences, one of which ends with everyone breathless and in pain, and Chan's Minh barely conscious after a fall down a flight of stairs; it's refreshing to see realistic results post-hand to hand combat, when most films feature seemingly invincible action heroes. Hopefully this realism sticks, as it's worked wonders in other recent films like Atomic Blonde. Lastly, the performances are the highlight of The Foreigner. Brosnan, always a capable actor, completely immerses himself in his role, not only playing up his natural accent, but using his mannerisms, tics, and general swagger to portray a man torn apart by his influences and ideals. It's a masterful performance. Chan is also tasked with a demanding role, completely unlike his previous work. In The Foreigner, Chan plays a frail, broken and hopeless old man. Gone are the shirtless days of his Drunken Master and weightless gymnastics of Rush Hour; what we're left with is a subtle, riveting, and occasionally heartbreaking performance. It's truly Oscar worthy work from Jackie Chan, who has always had so much more to offer than just his martial arts skills. 
     All in all, The Foreigner is one of the best action films of 2017; with equal parts intrigue and outrage, careful plotting, excellent performances and a finale that will leave you breathless, there hasn't been an intelligent film like this since the original Bourne adaptation. That isn't to say Martin Campbell's film is perfect; it lags for a short time in the middle, and there's a scene with Chan in the thick of  the Irish countryside that has echoes of the original Rambo that seems completely out of place; however, those are small missteps in an otherwise masterful thriller. Original, witty, taut and wholly memorable, The Foreigner is a powerful cinematic statement of fact; we can never outlive our past, and vengeance is always waiting. 

GRANT'S RATING: 4/5 STARS

Pierce Brosnan and Jackie Chan in The Foreigner:

"Who Killed My Daughter?"

*Fun fact:  Chan's early work included working with the legendary Bruce Lee, who starred in Enter the Dragon, of which Chan was an uncredited extra.