Thirty years ago Jackie Chan was the biggest movie star in the world. After conquering Asian markets, he embraced Hollywood in vehicles that tried to reproduce the action and humor of his Hong Kong movies. In recent years he has been revisiting his hits, adapting them for younger casts and audiences.
Vanguard reunites Chan with director Stanley Tong. Back in the day fans had trouble with the Chan / Tong collaborations, complaining that they emphasized Hollywood glitz over hard-core martial arts. Both are many years away from the sublime Police Story 3: Super Cop. Their recent Kung Fu Yoga was a middling effort whose decent action sequences were outweighed by clunky plot exposition.
The same could be said of Vanguard, a sort-of spy thriller that cribs from Chan titles like Armour of God and First Strike. This time he’s working for Vanguard, an “international private security company” with apparently unlimited resources meant to evoke Bond, Bourne, and similar action franchises. They’re after the Arctic Wolves, the Brotherhood of Vengeance, and other vaguely Arabian bad guys who have kidnapped wildlife activist Fareeda (Xu Ruohan) in order to blackmail her father Qin Guoli (Jackson Lee) into surrendering solid-gold sports cars worth hundreds of millions.
Vanguard agents include Lei Zhenyu (the fit, photogenic Yang Yang) and his buddy Zhang Kaixuan (Ai Lun). The most accomplished Vanguard op may be their driver Miya (Mu Qimiya), whose no-nonsense demeanor and sharp moves are the film’s action highpoints.
Chan stays in the background for most of the film, content to let the youngsters undertake the stunts. Many quote Chan’s earlier movies, all are executed with grim professionalism (and heavy effects) that are the opposite of the giddy, even reckless abandon Chan used to bring to his action.
Hollywood is filled with older action stars who refuse to give up — just watch the Expendables films or Arnold Schwarzenegger’s various comeback efforts. There’s nothing wrong with Chan attempting the same, but it’s hard to watch Vanguard without thinking back to his prime work.
It’s also hard to watch Vanguard without thinking about the Fast and Furious series, evoked in a couple of middling car chases. Other obvious inspirations: Wolf Warrior 2 and Dante Lam’s vastly superior Operation Red Sea, a film that spit out ferocious action sequences with a narrative drive that now seems to elude Stanley Tong.
Chan retains his incredible charm, even as he drifts farther away from his Hong Kong base. Vanguard was supposed to open for the Chinese New Year, but was delayed until the National Day holiday. Despite Chan’s pointed shout-outs to mainland China (including an exchange that disses Captain America), Vanguard was a major disappointment at the box-office. Although an English version has been prepared for the US, it’s not going to do much better here.
