THE MEDALLION (Jackie Chan)

[dh1989]

"The Medallion"

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Plot: "Starring international action superstar Jackie Chan as Eddie, an indomitable Hong Kong cop who, after a fatal accident involving a mysterious medallion, is transformed into an immortal warrior with superhuman powers. Eddie enlists the help of British Interpol agent Nicole (Claire Forlani) to determine the secret of the medallion and face down the evil Snakehead (Julian Sands), who wants to use its magical powers for his own nefarious plans."

Directed By: Gordon Chan (Fist of Legend).

Written By: Bey Logan (Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey), Gordon Chan (Beast Cops), Alfred Cheung (Freedom Run Q), and Paul Wheeler (Souvenir).

Executive Produced By: Jackie Chan (Shanghai Noon), Willie Chan (The Tuxedo), and Albert Yeung (Ichi The Killer).

MPAA Rating: "PG-13," for action violence and some sexual humor.

Former Title: "Highbinders"

Genres: Comedy, Action, Crime, and Fantasy.

Starring: Jackie Chan (Mr. Nice Guy), Lee Evans (The Fifth Element), Claire Forlani (Meet Joe Black), Julian Sands (Timecode), John Rhys-Davies (The Lord of the Rings), and Anthony Wong Chau-Sang (The Twins Effect).

Thoughts: I am a huge Chan fan, but his American work has been quite mediocre thus far, but with the majority of this film being made by Asians, I have faith The Medallion will be the first film to capture the Chan-movie magic for the US audience.

A Tri-Star Pictures Release. (I thought Sony had stopped releasing movies under this label. The last film I remember with their logo on it was the cool Godzilla 2000.)

http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/10000248/TheMedallion-photo_01.jpg

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Click here (http://us.imdb.com/Trailers?0288045) for the trailer!

[dh1989]

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[dh1989]

BUMP.

[Shockwave]

looks kinda ehhhh, but could be a decent time at the movies.

[Lynn Minmei]

I'm sure it's an "ehhh" movie, but it's a Jackie Chan movie-go for the sheer enjoyment of seeing mssr Chan kicking the snot out of a villian-type.

[thompsoncory]

This looks a lot like THE TUXEDO, but that isn't a bad thing, since I enjoyed it (7/10). I will probably see this one, because it looks like a fun, silly-humored movie that will be a good time.

[Jon Lyrik]

Looks very blah. I'll pass.

I think it will probably be a box-office flop.

[jolanar]

Jackie Chan is only as good as his co-star. This doesn't look like a very original movie to me. Like a cross between The Tuxedo and Bulletproof Monk.

[Strider]

Well, "The Medallion" is the only movie that I'm interested in checking out this weekend. It doesn't look that great and the plot doesn't sound like anything special, but the movie could very well be a decent time due to Jackie Chan's involvement. Besides, I'm a big fan of Jackie Chan, and I'm pretty much willing to see anything he appears in. So, in short, I'm there.

Strider

[MadsenOMC]

Where do I begin? I would compare The Medallion to last summer's Master of Disguise. I think that movie is one of the five worst of last year. The Medallion is one of the five worst this year. But if you liked Master of Disguise, you might like this.

Apparently the international version runs almost 2 hours. This version doesn't even run 90 minutes, though it still feels like 90 days. This is such a haphazard mess it seems impossible to describe just how truly inept and awful it is. But I'll try. SPOILERS.

The story is ludicrous. A villain named Snakehead (yes, Snakehead!) is after a medallion. There are two pieces to said medallion. When you combine the pieces and find some kid that is the chosen one, you can achieve both supernatural power and immortality. So Snakehead wants the medallion and the kid.

We start in Hong Kong. Snakehead and his men try to kidnap the kid at a sacred temple. But he's foiled by cop Jackie Chan, who's working with Interpol, led by Watson (Lee Evans). So instead they kidnap the kid later on in Hong Kong harbor. Apparently, after someone tries to kidnap you, you can't expect police protection. You'll just get kidnapped at a later date.

Knowing that the cops know who he is, Snakehead, his men and the boy take off for Ireland. So Jackie heads over there and hooks up with Watson and his old flame Nicole (Claire Forlani). They try to rescue the kid and stop Snakehead. That's about it.

Now the plot makes no sense and is stupid beyond belief, but it's a Jackie Chan movie, we want to see him fight. Well, sorry, but he is losing it. All of the fights appear to be enhanced with wires or CGI, or careful editing. Plus, we've seen Chan do all this before, and better. There's no wow moments here. Nothing special at all.

So the story sucks and the action is not impressive. How about the acting? Oh boy. Chan is his usual self. Just OK. But far better than everyone else. Evans is like fingernails on a chalkboard. He is obnoxiously annoying. One of the worst movie characters ever. He doesn't even belong in the movie. He is an idiot. He can't handle a gun. He accidentally walks into filing cabinets, and it's supposed to be funny. Horrible.

Forlani is just as bad. Yes, she's cute. But her performance is laughable. And what about her accent? Is it Irish? English? American? I don't think anyone knows. It changes in every scene, sometimes in the same sentence. Adn the love story stuff with her and Chan is forced and sappy. Forlani is also in one of the best unintentionally funny moments of the year. Clearly, she didn't train and doesn't know how to fight. But while fighting some bad guys, she tries to leap off the ground and deliver a kick, all in slow motion. It's painfully obvious that she barely leaves the ground. Freakin' hilarious.

To make matters worse, the CGI effects are cheesy and bad. The music is straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon. And some of the movie is dubbed. It's like an old Godzilla movie. So you're watching the words not match the mouth movements, and you have no idea what's going on. Nor do you care.

I implore people to avoid this. It has nothing going for it. Very young viewers, under age 9, might like it since it's extremely silly. But everyone else stay far away.

1/10

[dr.gorman]

Im a Jackie Chan fan and while this looks like no potential Chan classic (ex. Druken Master) it looks entertaining enough.

[Hannibal21]

I can't stand Jackie Chan and this doesn't look any good either. Think I'll pass.

[DieHardBruceFan]

I see every Jackie Chan movie that comes out, even if it looks not so great, and this falls somewhere in between. That whole "superpowers" thing worries me: potential cheese-fest.

Regardless, I'll be there this Friday to support one of the coolest action stars around.

[The1TrueFrog]

Seems like it will be The Tuxedo, replacing "Tuxedo" with "Medallion". Though it still may be fun, I'm sure to wait for video for it.... Jackie Chan's style has changed drastically over the past few years...

[XCoRyX]

When I first started seeing things around for this one,I thought it looked pretty fun and entertaining,but for some reason,my thoughts have totally changed and I now see it as a lame looking and yet another chan US film not as good as his homeland flicks....claire forlani is a cutie and chan could be good if he was used right but this just isn't cutting it for me....i'll be passing on this one.

[Freeway]

This looks alright. I might see it or maybe I'll just see F vs. J again because that kicked ass.

[Fisting Ackbar]

I have mixed feelings about Jackie Chan and Claire Forlani is an awful actress. Don't count on me seeing this unless somebody pays my ticket.

[Mike]

When hearing about this movie, I thought it sounded stupid and I didn't think I would want to see it. But then I saw the trailer and I was really surprised, it actually looked kind of good. Then I started seeing several TV spots, and they look even better. Also, to top it all off, Claire Forlani is a fucking cutie and it's nice to see her in something again. I really enjoyed her in Meet Joe Black and Boys & Girls... While I doubt I will see this in theaters, I will definitely give it a rent on video. I did enjoy The Tuxedo (7/10 or B-), which was entertaining. I think I shall enjoy this one the same.

[MadsenOMC]

People, this movie is awful. I can't stress that enough. And don't go just for Forlani. Her role is thankless and small. She is given nothing to do. Her accent comes and goes and it hard to place. And her fighting scenes are hilarious. She is horrible, but not as bad as Lee Evans and the movie itself. Easily one of the year's worst. Save yourselves.

[Mike]

Originally posted by MadsenOMC
People, this movie is awful. I can't stress that enough. And don't go just for Forlani. Her role is thankless and small. She is given nothing to do. Her accent comes and goes and it hard to place. And her fighting scenes are hilarious. She is horrible, but not as bad as Lee Evans and the movie itself. Easily one of the year's worst. Save yourselves.

I can't help it, I really like Forlani. She's just too cute. Even if she sucks in the movie, I still get to look at her. And if it's really THAT awful, I could just make fun of it with friends. I won't see it in theaters, but I still can't help but check it out on video though. Thanks for the warning, but I'm someone that will see a movie if I want to see it, even if I hear it's awful. I just have to see for myself. ;)

[DevilMonkey]

I like Jackie Chan flicks but this one doesn't look that good at all. If I see Freddy Vs. Jason again this week end and Freaky Friday that means I will have seen them both three times. . And it also means The Medalion will be next on my choice of films to see. :) Before the awsome look Jeepers Creepers 2. . .


OH YEAH!

[ilovemovies]

Out of the three movies coming out this week (I'm not including Thirteen, American Splendor or The Battle of Shaker Heights because they are coming out in limited release) this one looks the best. I hope this movie is good. It looks like it could be fun.

[Horror whore]

I might give this a chance tomorrow when I go to the movies. Ebert gave it ***, so it might not end up being completely worthless. Plus, I've seen a couple of clips on TV which looked pretty damn cool. Hopefully it'll end up being as good as Shanghai Knights (B-), which I enjoyed much more than I thought I would.

[sleekproductions]

The Medallion was a ridiculous but fun movie. It was not a "good" film by any means, but whereas most action films are boring and pointless nowadays, this one at the very least kept my attention throughout its short 90 minute runtime. I would reccomend this for anyone who is looking for some decent action and Jackie Chan being Jackie Chan... as a matinee of course.

[Ren Hoek]

Originally posted by jolanar
Jackie Chan is only as good as his co-star.
I disagree. His best movies were those were he was all (or almost) on his own... DRUNKEN MASTER I and II, HALF A LOAF OF KUNG-FU, POLICE STORY, ARMOUR OF GOD II, MR. NICE GUY etc. I actually detest his complete Hollywood oeuvre, no matter if he has a male (Owen Wilson, Chris Tucker) or female (Jennifer Love Hewitt) sidekick. Sigh! Jackie Chan used to be cool... but we're all getting older, I guess :(

[Psychocandy]

Originally posted by RenHoek
I disagree. His best movies were those were he was all (or almost) on his own... DRUNKEN MASTER I and II, HALF A LOAF OF KUNG-FU, POLICE STORY, ARMOUR OF GOD II, MR. NICE GUY etc. I actually detest his complete Hollywood oeuvre, no matter if he has a male (Owen Wilson, Chris Tucker) or female (Jennifer Love Hewitt) sidekick. Sigh! Jackie Chan used to be cool... but we're all getting older, I guess :(

I actually kinda enjoyed Shanghai Noon. However, I pretty much loathe everything else Jackie has done in Hollywood. I think Hollywood has this ability to suck the creative energy out of people like Jackie Chan and the end result is a diluted version of the real thing. The same thing happened to John Woo, Jet Li & Chow Yun Fat. It's fucking tragic.

[XCoRyX]

this seems to be the only release this weekend that will actually do semi-okay...on friday it opened up at #4...still nothing to brag about,but is compared to what marci x and my boss' daughter is doing.

[TheMovieMinor]

I thought Jackie said he doesnt like to do movies where cgi is doing the fighting.

Well, whatever, it looks like crap, and my trip to the movies to see this and Bosses daughter, are canceled.

[dr.gorman]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by TheMovieMinor
[B]I thought Jackie said he doesnt like to do movies where cgi is doing the fighting.

Thats true, he did. But since this movie I believe was funded by an American studio, they don't want to take the risk of paying him extra if he gets hurt. They do the same with most of Jet Li's American movies.

[dh1989]

http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0288045/27.jpg

Plot: "A Hong Kong detective suffers a fatal accident involving a mysterious medallion and is transformed into an immortal warrior with superhuman powers."

I can't truly write a sane review of this film, therefore, this will read like a plea to the talented Jackie Chan, which, in spirit, it truly is. Mr. Chan, you're my 2nd favorite action film star, and I love that you're doing international films, but, please, read the script before signing on. The Medallion, a.k.a. Highbinders, is an almighty mess. Now, I don't ask for much in a B-action flick, but I need some things, and your latest flick doesn't deliver them at all.

01. An interesting villian. "Snakehead" just doesn't cut it. In fact, I'd be hard-pressed to consider him even a cardboard cut-out. Sure, he spews a few wicked lines, but there's no heart. He's not treated like a true menace, but rather a plot device. I want to fear or hate the villian, or laugh at how cheesy he is, even, but all I did here was yawn.

02. Push the screenwriter to actually develop your romance. Now, I don't expect a tragic romance epic here, but it's just cheap filmmaking to have him run into an ex-flame, who can also serve the film as an INTERPOL agent, with zero development. Could we at least have one flashback dealing with their "relationship?"

03. When you become a superhero, tell the director to make you COOLER. Before the big "transformation," Eddie was a fairly cool cat, and the stunts were awesome, but once he became the undead warrior, I lost all interest, and all he seemed to be really good at was running really, really fast.

Jackie, this film had potential, but the filmmakers do everything in their power to lower the level of quality. Also, Mr. Chan, please, NEVER work with Lee Evans again. He's an annoying Jim Carrey/John Cleese-wannabe. He's truly pathetic, just like this movie.

2/10

[Arathon]

despite the so far bad reviews of this film, I will still see it, for Jackie is one of my favourite actors.

[Majin Imhotep]

I think I'll wait until it comes out on DVD to see it. Maybe they'll have the full version.


The movie was originally 116 minutes long, but Sony decided to trim it down to 89 minutes.