Oh dear, Jackie. It's fair to say that the martial arts superstar's films have been of...shall we say variable? quality ever since he made it big in America in the late '90s, but THE SPY NEXT DOOR has to be one of his worst yet. It says something when you watch a film that makes the previous middling likes of THE MEDALLION look good.
THE SPY NEXT DOOR is a children's comedy that stars Jackie as an ordinary guy who just happens to be a spy. The plot sees him housesitting a trio of children, one of whom (the eldest) just happens to be one of the most obnoxious little brats I've ever seen grace a movie screen. You can just imagine the kind of lame, unoriginal and unbelievable comedy that follows on from there.
Now, like most people, I follow Jackie's films for his action scenes. They're barely to be seen in THE SPY NEXT DOOR, which suffers from a definite paucity of creative energy. The few fight scenes we're treated to are silly, half hearted and utilise way too much in the way of wirework. The climactic fight scene isn't so bad, but the whole film needed to be like that to make a difference. As it stands, it's too little, too late.
The cast are barely worth mentioning, not least the almost racist portrayal of the Russian villains or Amber Valletta as Jackie's utterly unsympathetic love interest (can you imagine a more unlikely couple?). As for Jackie, his glory days seem to be long in the past here, and it seems sad when one of his big "stunts" requires him to walk over a kitchen stool (and I'll swear they even used wirework for that insignificant step). Maybe I'll just go back and rewatch the ending of DRUNKEN MASTER 2 to remind myself of Jackie in his prime...
THE SPY NEXT DOOR is a children's comedy that stars Jackie as an ordinary guy who just happens to be a spy. The plot sees him housesitting a trio of children, one of whom (the eldest) just happens to be one of the most obnoxious little brats I've ever seen grace a movie screen. You can just imagine the kind of lame, unoriginal and unbelievable comedy that follows on from there.
Now, like most people, I follow Jackie's films for his action scenes. They're barely to be seen in THE SPY NEXT DOOR, which suffers from a definite paucity of creative energy. The few fight scenes we're treated to are silly, half hearted and utilise way too much in the way of wirework. The climactic fight scene isn't so bad, but the whole film needed to be like that to make a difference. As it stands, it's too little, too late.
The cast are barely worth mentioning, not least the almost racist portrayal of the Russian villains or Amber Valletta as Jackie's utterly unsympathetic love interest (can you imagine a more unlikely couple?). As for Jackie, his glory days seem to be long in the past here, and it seems sad when one of his big "stunts" requires him to walk over a kitchen stool (and I'll swear they even used wirework for that insignificant step). Maybe I'll just go back and rewatch the ending of DRUNKEN MASTER 2 to remind myself of Jackie in his prime...