JACKIE CHAN DOES A ‘TAKEN’

IWONDER when Jackie Chan will retire from doing action movies. In he plays this frail-looking Chinese immigrant restaurant owner named Quan whose daughter is killed in a terrorist bomb attack in London. Full of determination despite being weathered, he goes in search of the names of the perpetrators (Northern Irish radicals who call themselves the new IRA) in order to avenge her death. And his main target (to get the names, mind you, not for revenge) is former IRA member turned British government official Liam Hennessey (Pierce Brosnan), who is seemingly caught in the situation.

I didn’t actually see the film’s trailer and I thought it’s a drama about a father’s fight in finding justice for her daughter’s untimely death. After watching the first 10 minutes of the film, I actually believed that “oh, since he looked so sad and miserable, powerless even, I guess we won’t be seeing any fighting action from Jackie today.”

Boy, was I wrong. Turns out, Quan had former training in combat as well as bombmaking. Hmm. He literally fights fire with fire so those who mess with him will pay dearly. His determination and dedication to his mission is both endearing and scary.

There is a bit of drama when Quan talks about his family. Chan played the role of the broken man so convincingly that you can’t help but empathise with his fate. Nevertheless, the action sequences take centre stage as Quan sets out on his mission to find justice, which he goes about the hard way.

When coupled with the drama, the action scenes seem so much meatier and there is a heavy sense of dread when you see how relentless and deadly Quan is. As expected, Chan, 63, performs the fighting stunts on his own brilliantly yet believably for a man Quan’s age. It reminds me a bit of Liam Neeson’s but the daughter here is dead.

The truth about Quan’s past is only revealed later in the film, just to keep you guessing and surprised. There are some funny moments when Quan seems unstoppable, much to his enemies’ aggravation.

But is generally dark and dramatic — arguably Chan’s most dramatic work to date. On top of the action, the film delves into the political ties between England and Ireland which Liam (whose Irish accent Brosnan overdid) is struggling to maintain.

There’s a whole complicated storyline about it that only adds suspense in Liam’s case. It’s rather pitiful because he’s being pressured by it as well as Quan’s attempts to force the truth out of him. The thing is, viewers won’t know about Liam’s back story until later. So there is more drama! Oh and the killing is gory too!

Overall, is a fun blend of said drama and action. It certainly helps Chan elevate his action-star title.