Movie Poster

You will change your mind.

# Review

The Foreigner is based on The Chinaman, a 1992 thriller novel by Stephen Leather. The story follows Ngoc Minh Quan (Jackie Chan), an unassuming Chinese restaurateur in London whose daughter is killed in an IRA bombing. Quan embarks on a dark path to vengeance which involves the complex web of politics in Northern Irish/British politics.

The central plot is centered around Quan’s path to avenging his daughter, but there is another parallel plot about the unraveling of a complex geopolitical web surrounding the bombing. The story features many action movie plot formulas, such as infidelities and backstabbing; at times it almost felt that the plot was checking boxes for action movie clichés. Fans of political thrillers will also enjoy the film for the side side story involving the complex history of the IRA. The overall story is on the more complex side for an action flick but the film does a thorough job explaining all the details. Oftentimes, the film would portray a plot detail subtly, such as showing the shrine to Quan’s wife and daughters and a newspaper clipping of his daughters' deaths, then the film would explicitly explain the plot point explicitly for people who missed the subtle cues, such as having Commander Bromley (Ray Fearon) awkwardly bring it up in an out-of-place conversation with Quan. These explicit plot explanations felt excessive and ruined the immersion of the film.

I mainly watched this because of Jackie Chan, who plays an against type character who is dour and worn out; I don’t think he smiles once throughout the film. This is one of the few serious Jackie Chan performances I’ve seen and he delivers, both as a father in grief and a spiteful man who methodically hunts down his daughter’s murderers. Chan, well into his 60s, still manages to deliver excellent action sequences and stunts (although some scenes were done by a double). Pierce Brosnan also plays former IRA commander and current deputy First Minister Liam Hennessy, who is both an adversary and a foil for Chan’s character. In the film Brosnan is cunning but also intense and was extremely entertaining to watch.

# Conclusion

A complex plot with some clichéd devices.

# Overall rating: 7.6

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