Cop comedy plays it by the book
Low- budget action story stars Jackie Chan’s son as a security guard
DOUBLE TROUBLE Starring: Jaycee Chan, Jessica C. Xia Yu, Deng Jiajia, Vivian Dawson. Directed by David Hsun- Wei Chang Rating: not rated Advisory: violence Running time: 89 minutes In Mandarin with Chinese and English subtitles
“Help! Kidnap!” and “Stop! Thief!” may not be the most original lines of dialogue ever uttered in a movie.
Then again, the story of two bumbling security guards trying to recover a priceless stolen painting is hardly a new wrinkle in the increasingly steamrolled world of motion pictures.
Yet that’s exactly what we get in this second- generation action movie starring none other than Jackie Chan’s kid, Jaycee Chan, as one of the taskmasters in this Taiwanese co- production.
As a guard at the Royal Palace Museum in Taipei, Jay ( Chan) will do anything to protect the 400- yearold scroll about to be put on exhibit to the masses. He’s been training for the duty for months, but when his practice runs are put to the test with a real theft, he’s foiled in his tracks.
Two women in stilettos manage to get the scroll outside, where Jay pounces in a single balletic cat move, but is foisted off the thieving ladies by Ocean ( Xia Yu), an off- duty security guard from Beijing.
For those not familiar with the Taiwan/ Mainland mirror game, it’s awfully close to the game of national identity played in North America by Canadians and Americans, with Taiwan taking the place of the understated Canada, and the Mainland being the bold and brassy equivalent of the U. S. A.
That said, imagine what might happen if an overconfident know- it- all guard and a polite, well- spoken goodygoody guard had to collaborate?
There would be all kinds of crazy action! There would be romance and comedy based on national traits! There would be lots and lots of screaming!
Director David Hsun- Wei Chang doesn’t seem to mind playing this action comedy by the low- budget book. And while it does little to elevate this mediocre piece of commerce, it does give this schlock exercise a decent foundation as it revels on the baseline.
As the two guards get in each other’s face for the duration, we’re also treated to some sexist eye candy, some athletic action stunts and a whole new generation of young and beautiful Asian starlets.
In a lot of ways, the movie bears the marks of cultural colonialism – as well as repatriation – given it follows a Tarantino- styled pattern of chaos, destruction and pretty Asian girls in tight clothes. Tarantino ripped a page out of the Hong Kong scrapbook that made Jackie Chan a star, and here, Hsun- Wei Chang reclaims the cornball kung fu as an essential part of the tradition.
Because the movie endeavours to tackle the political nuances that separate the People’s Republic of China ( China) from the Republic of China ( Taiwan), Double Trouble finds an added element of traction on this cheesy mess.
Yet these pieces will likely only resonate for those who will recognize the pumpkin smile of a palace tour guide holding a flag and bullhorn for loudmouth tourists. Most viewers on this continent will probably find the posturing and national twists irritating because they feel like bickering.
Somehow, even the flaws feel forgivable because the movie wears its modesty on its sleeve with minimal production values and plenty of natural light. The movie just wants to entertain, and it does so — without pretence or originality, much like a standard episode of your favourite serial.