But, to be fair, I think the scripting and Coogan's chemistry with Jackie are both to blame. The only sign that these two are friends is that the film explicitly tells you that they are. I think part of that may be the scripting of the characters, Phileas and Lau Xing are meant to grow as friends as the film progresses, but I just never got that sense of a developing friendship between the two characters. That's not to say that they aren't entertaining together, because they have their moments. Steve Coogan is the best comedic actor between Owen, Tucker and himself, it goes without saying, but I don't think Jackie's style mixes all that well with Coogan's more deadpan and dry delivery. It's not that their chemistry is nonexistent, but it's certainly a little lacking. The problem with this here is that Jackie has much better chemistry with both Chris Tucker and Owen Wilson than he does with his partner here, Steve Coogan. This brings us to this film, which tries to replicate that same 'opposites attract' from the Rush Hour franchise and Shanghai Noon/Knights, films that brought Jackie his biggest successes. Part of that is just the fact that his body was already breaking down, but I think it also has to do with the studio wanting to protect the man from himself. And, really, Jackie was already slowing down by the time Rush Hour came out, so he had to rely more on his friendly demeanor more than on his physical gifts, since I don't think his stunts in American films ever matched the ones in his Hong Kong films. Everyone knows he can't act, or at least his English is so bad that it makes it difficult to take him seriously as an actor. Chan, I know I've said in the past that he's never been a great actor, but I think he was able to get by in the 90s to mid-00s just by his affability and charisma. But I digress, the point is that Jackie Chan's legacy will outlive him and will continue to inspire others who want to pursue a career in martial arts films.
Everything that came after those first two is what sucked. I can't say the same about the first two Terminator films, those are still some damn good movies. Whereas TMNT or Power Rangers, it was just something I loved at the time but, if I were to look back on it as an adult, I'd just be embarrassed to have ever liked them. Look at some of his craziest stunts and tell me that it's not amazing to this day. I think Chan is the only one I can say that about, as his work stands the test of time and it's not even just nostalgia on my part. But I still remain a big fan of his work and his dedication to creating some insane as fuck stunts that none of his North American counterparts would ever subject themselves to. Actually, Jackie Chan tried twice to break into the U.S market in the 80s, both films were disappointments and didn't use him to the best of his abilities. I was a big Jackie Chan fan when he first burst on the North American scene with Rumble in the Bronx.
Another thing, or person, that I forgot to mention on that list was Jackie Chan. I mentioned TMNT, naturally, Terminator and the Power Rangers. I remember, in my review of TMNT: Out of the Shadows review a couple of days ago, going over several of the things that I grew up with as a child.