Martin Campbell’s The Foreigner has been marketed on a couple of notions — on the idea that it’s somehow topical and on its existence as a return of Jackie Chan as an action star. Neither one is a very truthful, the former much more than the latter.
The notion that The Foreigner somehow has its finger on the pulse of current affairs by talking about terrorism or xenophobia is silly because the movie does neither. Instead, it uses terrorism as a means for sensationalism and fistfights, and only examines xenophobia to the extent that the movie’s great message is “don’t blow up the family members of immigrants with martial arts skills and training in improvised explosives.”
A marketing plan is not a movie, and what’s promised in the trailer isn’t the same as judging a picture based on its own merits as a film. That being said, Campbell’s (Casino Royale) film is still pretty negligible as an entertaining action film, while the two things it wants to do — capture some modern “zeitgeist” and return Chan to prominence — doesn’t happen either. Yes, Chan gets some vintage Chan moments, but they’re rare and sandwiched in between a lot of political dialogue and a laborious setup that takes forever — and even longer if you have any idea what the concept of the film is. Plus, Campbell, who’s made his career on this kind of solid, on-the-ground action movie, can’t seem to shoot a coherent fight scene any longer.
“What about the plot,” you might be asking. Well, there’s not much to report there. This aspect might be where The Foreigner tries hardest, weaving a story about the re-emergence of a rogue, violent sect of the IRA, a bombing in London and a Chinese businessman with a military background and a thirst for revenge. The problem is that all of this is far too convoluted to work, or at least to be decipherable. What should just be a simple tale of vengeance with an uncomfortably small amount of moral backbone is instead lifted up through self-seriousness and a washed-out color palette into something weightier. None of it meshes, and for a film that’s basically Chan taking on the IRA to avenge the death of his daughter, The Foreigner is shockingly dull, repetitive and misses that spark of fun and amazement that comes from vintage Chan vehicles.
This doesn’t make the movie unwatchable by any means, but it’s exhibit A in how sucking all of the fun and entertainment value out of what should — at the very least — be a fast-paced throwback. There’s some professionalism and dignity here in Chan and Pierce Brosnan’s performances, but neither is enough to make The Foreigner anything approaching memorable. Rated R for violence, language and some sexual material. Now playing at AMC Classic River Hills, Carolina Cinemark, Epic of Hendersonville, Regal Biltmore Grande.
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