The Foreigner
DIRECTOR Martin Campbell, who rebooted the James Bond franchise with Casino Royale, teams up again with Brosnan whom he directed as Bond for Goldeneye.
Not only is this the best role Brosnan has had in years, but the same can be said for Hong Kongturned-Hollywood star Chan, who plays a grieving father out to get revenge.
The story is based on the 1992 novel, The Chinaman, written by Stephen Leather.
The movie begins with Quan (Chan), who goes to pick up his teenage daughter Fan (Katie Leung) from school and drives her to a boutique for her to pick up a dress that she wants to wear to a dance.
Jackie Chan, Pierce Brosnan and Rory Fleck Byrne Director: Martin Campbell E-Value: 8 Acting: 7 Plot: 8
Within minutes of dropping her off, a powerful blast rips through the boutique, and Fan is one of the many people killed in the blast.
Cl a i mi n g credit for the bombing is an Irish splinter group that wants revenge against the English government.
A devastated Quan constantly visits the police station to find out who killed his child, but sympathetic policeman Bromley (Ray Fearon) can only tell Quan to let the police do their job.
Quan then decides to set his sights on former Irish terroristturned-politician Liam Hennessy (Brosnan) to get the answer he is seeking.
When Liam denies any knowledge and has Quan thrown out of his office, so begins Quan’s mission to force Liam to lead him to his daughter’s killer.
Setting off bombs, stalking Liam as he meets his mistress, and even hiding out in the woods when Liam takes his wife to hide out in their farm, all point to the fact that Quan is no ordinary man and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
Desperate, Liam gets his exsoldier nephew Sean (Byrne) to help find the terrorists responsible, and also deal with Quan.
As the story progresses, we learn more about Quan’s tragic past, and the extent Liam will go to in order to hold on to power.
Fans of Chan can look forward to some extended fight scenes that are grittier than what Chan usually does.
It is the story that drives this film, and Campbell delivers.