Jackie Chan as a hard-assed American cop, a naked Chinese guy who thinks he's invisible, Lam Ching Ying as the strictest butler in the world and a multi-car pile-up to rival Grand Theft Auto are the ingredients of this comedy yarn from Hong Kong, shot in the streets with that raw low-budget look. In fact the title is misleading when packaged as a Jackie Chan film, as the superstar only appears in a minor supporting role with about twenty minutes of screen time. The rest of the movie really belongs to Sammo Hung (once again flexing his directing muscles) and the rest of the five-strong team of leads, all of whom are given equal screen time as criminals-turned-cleaners who find themselves up against some serious muscle when they decide to rob a guy working for a local crime boss.
At first, I thought this film wasn't up to much, and was a little disappointed by the first hour which stresses comedy over martial arts action. In fact, there's only one major fight scene, in a fast-food restaurant, that I can think of. Instead the film slows down and takes time out to introduce the leading characters and put them through many comedic situations, most leaning towards the slapstick end of the genre and appealing to the low-brow crowd. At around the hour mark, suddenly the film kicks into gear with a major chase (on roller-skates, no less!) and then doesn't let up until the exciting finale, expertly mixing laughs with thrills into another winning combination that left me smiling at the end of it all.
As for Jackie Chan, his main contribution is participating in the roller-skating chase, where he performs some of his usual dangerous stunts (jumping over cars and sliding literally between the wheels of a speeding truck) to the awe of the watching viewer. The major thing that sticks in my mind about the film is this chase scene which is top-notch stuff, climaxing in a slow-mo car pile-up packed with fantastic stunts of cars flipping and flying through the air, all captured lovingly on camera.
Central performances from the leads are good, and mostly played for laughs (understandable when the character names are 'Teapot', 'Exhaust Pipe', and 'Vaseline'); in fact all of the five actors as an ensemble are excellent and have some great comedic interplay which keeps the film going through the slower moments. Sammo Hung is underused, but gets some great martial arts action at the finale, set in a warehouse, where he takes on dozens of villains (including veteran James Tien) and the like. Although the film is frequently silly, it's also innocent and the comedy is likable, with fast-paced humour and jokes that don't outstay their welcome, although the long-running "invisible" situation is a goodie. Fun, unserious, forgettable but entertaining laughs and thrills from our Chinese friends.
At first, I thought this film wasn't up to much, and was a little disappointed by the first hour which stresses comedy over martial arts action. In fact, there's only one major fight scene, in a fast-food restaurant, that I can think of. Instead the film slows down and takes time out to introduce the leading characters and put them through many comedic situations, most leaning towards the slapstick end of the genre and appealing to the low-brow crowd. At around the hour mark, suddenly the film kicks into gear with a major chase (on roller-skates, no less!) and then doesn't let up until the exciting finale, expertly mixing laughs with thrills into another winning combination that left me smiling at the end of it all.
As for Jackie Chan, his main contribution is participating in the roller-skating chase, where he performs some of his usual dangerous stunts (jumping over cars and sliding literally between the wheels of a speeding truck) to the awe of the watching viewer. The major thing that sticks in my mind about the film is this chase scene which is top-notch stuff, climaxing in a slow-mo car pile-up packed with fantastic stunts of cars flipping and flying through the air, all captured lovingly on camera.
Central performances from the leads are good, and mostly played for laughs (understandable when the character names are 'Teapot', 'Exhaust Pipe', and 'Vaseline'); in fact all of the five actors as an ensemble are excellent and have some great comedic interplay which keeps the film going through the slower moments. Sammo Hung is underused, but gets some great martial arts action at the finale, set in a warehouse, where he takes on dozens of villains (including veteran James Tien) and the like. Although the film is frequently silly, it's also innocent and the comedy is likable, with fast-paced humour and jokes that don't outstay their welcome, although the long-running "invisible" situation is a goodie. Fun, unserious, forgettable but entertaining laughs and thrills from our Chinese friends.