This is the first ever Jackie Chan movie i saw back in about 1989, and so still retains a special place in my heart. I was never the same again: performing (in my mind) daredevil stunts such as jumping from the roof of the car in the driveway and injuring myself doing badly-executed flips in the garden. I so wanted to be Jackie Chan when i grew up. I still do, to some extent.
In this little opus, Jackie stars as "Jackie" (original!), a daring mercenary for hire also known as "The Asian Hawk". We find out that he used to perform in a Canto-pop band before becoming Hong Kong's answer to Indiana Jones, alongside Alan Tam (as "Alan") and Rosamund Kwan (as "Lorelei" - at least her character got its own name!!). Lorelei is kidnapped by a group of Yugoslavian-based Devil-worshippers hoping to obtain the mythical Armour of God: pieces of which have been discovered, looted, and sold at auction by our Hawkish hero. Cue an expedition to Europe and into the villains' lair by Jackie, Alan (Tam providing less laughs than intended in bumbling sidekick mode) and May, daughter of one of Jackie's buyers (played by the gorgeous and sadly not seen in enough films Lola Forner).
the plot may be a little hackneyed and thin, but the rapid-fire and relentless pace of the film, in gags as well as action scenes, ensures that if you're not liking one scene, the next will blow you away. Theopening scenes and the climactic half hour contain some of Chan's finest ever work: including a fight with a flaming log and a dive from a cliff-face onto a hot air balloon. The original release sported a great soundtrack too, with both Chan and Tam belting out gems sadly lost or replaced on the R2 DVD release. This sacrilege, as well as the loss of the original English dub track - replaced by a much weaker one with regard to characterisation, loses a point. The original version however retains an abiding position in my childhood memories.
In this little opus, Jackie stars as "Jackie" (original!), a daring mercenary for hire also known as "The Asian Hawk". We find out that he used to perform in a Canto-pop band before becoming Hong Kong's answer to Indiana Jones, alongside Alan Tam (as "Alan") and Rosamund Kwan (as "Lorelei" - at least her character got its own name!!). Lorelei is kidnapped by a group of Yugoslavian-based Devil-worshippers hoping to obtain the mythical Armour of God: pieces of which have been discovered, looted, and sold at auction by our Hawkish hero. Cue an expedition to Europe and into the villains' lair by Jackie, Alan (Tam providing less laughs than intended in bumbling sidekick mode) and May, daughter of one of Jackie's buyers (played by the gorgeous and sadly not seen in enough films Lola Forner).
the plot may be a little hackneyed and thin, but the rapid-fire and relentless pace of the film, in gags as well as action scenes, ensures that if you're not liking one scene, the next will blow you away. Theopening scenes and the climactic half hour contain some of Chan's finest ever work: including a fight with a flaming log and a dive from a cliff-face onto a hot air balloon. The original release sported a great soundtrack too, with both Chan and Tam belting out gems sadly lost or replaced on the R2 DVD release. This sacrilege, as well as the loss of the original English dub track - replaced by a much weaker one with regard to characterisation, loses a point. The original version however retains an abiding position in my childhood memories.