Mr. Nice Guy (1997)

AKA: A Nice Guy; Superchef; No More Mr. Nice Guy

Literally: One Good Man

Director: Sammo Hung Chin Pao

Producer: Leonard Ho Chua Lam

Writer: Edward Tang

Cast: Jackie Chan (Sing Lung), Richard Norton, Miki Lee, Gabrielle Fitzpatrick, Peter Lindsay & Karen Mclymont.

Running Time: 94 min.

Plot: Jackie plays a popular TV chef in Australia, who get caught in the middle of two rival gangs when a tape of one of their leaders (Richard Norton), killing the other, gets mixed in with his cooking tapes. This movie boasts some exciting and unusual action sequences, involving a horse drawn carriage, and the world's largest monster truck, with wacky Jackie at the helm.

DEMBONE'S REVIEW: This was the first Chan film I ever saw in the theater, and it blew me away then as it does now. I was inspired to write this review as I just came back from showing this film to my mother, a 68 year-old 'Murder She Wrote' fan (also rapidly becoming a JC fan!) and I always find myself more sensitive to details when I'm watching a movie with her. One thing I noticed it that it really is more or less non-stop action. Very few breathers. Great stunts, great fights, poor plot, terrible acting... All in all, the formula for a great JC flick! The only let down for me is the prop finale. Like many JC fans, I'd much rather see a well done fight scene as a climax rather than the corny hovercraft / earthmover destruction derbys. The finale in which the house is demolished is way, way too long. I even found myself reading the cheezit box label. Well, still didn't stop this from being among my favorite JC flicks! Good Job, Jackie!

DEMBONE'S RATING: 9/10 (perfect 10 sans bulldozer)

RO'S REVIEW: This was my first Jackie Chan movie (yeah, I came to the party late), so of course I loved it! If you've got 'non Chan fan' friends, this is a good movie to start them off with (or Rush Hour). They're probably not ready for the 200 proof 'good stuff' yet.

Jackie stars as a TV chef who accidentally gets mixed up in a gang war. He's dressed for the most part in really baggy clothes and looks like he couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag. Since I had never seen him before, I got a real kick out of the sight of this seemingly nondescript man doing the most incredible things! If you've watched his other movies, you've viewed him sans shirt, so you've already seen the muscles and I'm sure it's not as much fun then, but the story's OK and the action and fights are great! The scene in the warehouse includes a silent film comedy with blue doors and a fight with Jackie almost getting emasculated by a table saw! Incredible, worth the price of rental for this scene alone!

It's also completely in English (no dubbing). Look for director (and current TV star) Samo Hung in a cameo as a cyclist!

RO'S RATING: 8/10

THE GREAT HENDU'S REVIEW: JACKIE CHAN: SUPERCHEF! I really like d this movie! It starts right out with action and it keeps going. First, Jackie and a red head are chased by the bad guys, then the girl is chased alone, then Jackie is chased alone, then Jackia and Miki are chased, I love it!  All the stunts were spectacular as usual and I got a kick out of Jackie trying to keep the three women all from killing each other. What I would like to have seen was a true fight between Norton and Chan. As it was, Chan was all tied up while Norton pummeled him. However, Jackie did get in a few hits. The other thing that bothered me was how all the cars were lined up perfectly evenly so that the tires of the big truck could run them over without even swerving. At any rate, it was a super effort by J.C.

THE GREAT HENDU'S RATING: 9/10

JORDAN'S REVIEW: This being an Australian resident who has visited Melbourne many times, it was a thrill to watch Jackie Chan battle it out in places that I could recognize. The first time I watched this great movie, I couldn't help but shout "I've been there!" every five minutes. But we don't watch Jackie Chan movies for the background, do we? There is some great action in this one, like the horse and cart sequence and the construction site fight. I don't care what you other critics say, I think this is truly a great movie and I'd recommend it to anyone.

JORDAN'S RATING: 10/10

MARCIA'S REVIEW: Watched this one three times in four days the week it came out on video here in the US. Tells you right there it's not a bad film. Of course, I was just waiting for the chance to see the Cantonese version, as those are often better. Whaddaya know, though, I like the English version much better (with the exception of the fact that a couple fight scenes are shortened). For one thing, I love the digeridoo music in the background every time somebody from the local gang shows up. Plus, it's always nice to see a version which isn't dubbed (in this case, the English one; they subtitle the Mandarin that Jackie's sweetie speaks). Several humorous bits are well worth your time, too: Samo's cameo, the Buster Keaton-esque scene with the opening and closing doors at the construction site, and the "small breasts" comment are all worth a good chuckle. Much has been made of the lameness of the ending here (and I will admit I wondered what the hell Giancarlo was keeping in his basement that made the place explode), but what made it sweet for me was the foreshadowing (Your Sign of Quality Literature); the baddie is so totally anal retentive about his home's cleanliness that wrecking shit seems almost like a better revenge than beating the snot out of him.

MARCIA'S RATING: 8/10

DRG II'S REVIEW: It has become a custom for me to have two opinions of Jackie Chan's films. One opinion is based on the amount and quality in the action scenes. The other is based on the actual film's quality (storyline, acting, etc.) By these standards, Mr. Nice Guy is okay and not great, respectively. There were the usual chases, fights, and whatnot. They were all good, but nothing that would rank as one of his best scenes. The ending was the worst - you have the world's best martial arts actor and you have him driving a big truck? Vehicle stunts are cool if done in the same quick action/humorous pace as his fights, but this one was slow and predictable. The storyline was silly and had numerous scenes that made no sense, but despite its flaws it's still a fun movie.

DRG II'S RATING: 6/10

JAMES' REVIEW: What's up with these writers? Why, why would they be so unoriginal as to give Jackie the same name? He played 'Jackie' in "Crime Story," "Police Story," "First Strike" and now "Mr. Nice Guy." Come on really, how about some other names! One can purchase numerous books with nothing but names!

OK, now that I've vented, I'll continue. "Mr. Nice Guy" was a fun movie. It had all of the usual elements that one will find in a Jackie Chan film. Plenty of fights, comedy and bad supporting characters. His friend Lakeisha was annoying, not to the degree as say that punk in "Rumble in the Bronx." Fortunately, she wasn't in the movie all that long.

This movie had, like I said, plenty of fights. Highlights for me were: the carriage scene and the fight in the construction area. Again this movie had the same lame ending as "Rumble in the Bronx." That's were this movie breaks under its own weight. It takes Jackie 5 minutes to trashs the bad guy's house. Why mass destruction? What ever happened to good old ass kicking? The other thing that bothered me was the ending was also like "Police Story" (the cop asking "Did you see anything?" "No, of course not.").

Besides all of that it was a fun movie, Sammo is an amazing director and Jackie has never looked better. It's fun, exciting and wholly implausible.

JAMES' RATING: 7.5/10

DJNIXON'S REVIEW: WOW!!!! This movie was the BEST! This movie is constant fighting and stunts through out the whole movie! I loved when Jackie got all mad and beat that gang member up so bad! The comedy was good too, it was funny how Jackie got all mixed up in the construction building. The construction building fight is one of Jackie's best ever! Samo's directing is superb, and he make a very funny appearence on screen. This movie shows that Jackie can still do the stuff he did in Police Story and Dragons Forever! Some of the acting stunk and the kids in the movie were lame, but who cares, Jackie's in it! But the ending is cheap and exactly the same as Rumble. I was hoping for a big show down between Jackie and Richard Norton. But there is one thing I don't get, all of Jackie's best movies either don't make alot of money or don't make it to the theaters. This is my favorite JC movie ( but I have yet to see "Who Am I?). Any Chan fan should see this movie, it awesome!!!!!

DJNIXON'S RATING: 11/10

BS'S REVIEW: This movie brought nothing but hype. Although I saw this movie a long time ago, March 20, opening day here in the US, the memories are still vivid. When I first saw the trailer, I was blown away! I saw the first showing of the trailer at a screening of Supercop, where Jackie happened to be there himself and had a Q&A session for the audience. Best 12 bucks I've ever spent. So I was obviously charged up for Mr. Nice Guy. By the way, why do those trailers seem to reveal so much? I wish there were some surprises. Oh well. Then I saw it, and sweated. I was looking at my watch, having to be somewhere real soon, and there was a guy who kept copying Jackie's broken phrases, and a family of 6, with 2 kids crying.

So I wasn't in the best mood to see this. Although, my situtation was like this, I still tried my best to be as objective as possible. It had it's typical juvenille humor, along with easily forgettable plot. There seemed to be a very good flow of fighting, pretty balanced I would say. The movie reminded me of other Chan films. Police Story's mall scene, Project A 2's hot pepper scene, Rumble in the Bronx' hovercraft bit along with cheesy gansters, Operation Condor's annoying 3 women, and the list goes on. I wish it had better humor, but it failed for me. So I look to the prop fighting scenes. I must admit, the scene at the construction sight must have been in my top 10 favorites, where it was executed brilliantly.

It made for much of the movie's lacking in character, plot, ending. So, it still had Chan's element in it, which will always keep my interest. He seems to be coming up with such good ideas, I never cease to wonder why his movies get worse, in the other places. You take a mistake and improve on it. You want good endings like Drunken Master 2, or Wheels on Meals; the humor of Twin Dragons and Drunken Master; plots like First Strike and Police Story, and this is where Mr. Nice Guy seems to lack. I suppose you can't make a perfect JC movie, but there are plenty of bad ones already. I know JC can make really wonderful movies, because all in all, some have really good humor, others, plot. By now, why not have it all together?

BS'S RATING: 6/10

CODY'S REVIEW: This movie is really good! It has a fresh new look to a Jackie movie (probably because of Sammo's amazing directing). It doesn't have that many stunts as I hoped for but the ones there are, are truly unbelievable. Like the time he hangs from a crane to get from one side of a river to another. Some of the fight scenes were extremely well choreographed. Other than that, the movie was an unintential remake of Rumble in the Bronx. That's why I'm giving this movie this rating.

CODY'S RATING: 7/10

WEI XIN'S REVIEW: Jackie as a chef? I don't know. Samo Hung directed this one, so I'm a little disappointed. The fights and stunts weren't bad, but I expected a little more. Seeing Jackie and three women running across a ledge to get to another building was kind of lame. Highlight for me: "construction sight mayhem" The perfect blend of action and comedy. During this segment, he uses whatever's handy to dispatch of baddies. He also plays "What's behind door #1" with some henchmen. Overall a pretty good flick, but not great. This could've been better.

WEI XIN'S RATING: 7/10

DEAD CHANNEL'S REVIEW: "Mr. Keung? Sooo... how do you like my style?" Oops! Wrong movie! On with it. This movie was cool, but it seemed like mostly action more than fighting. I must say, the similarities to Rumble in the Bronx are fucking uncanny! Check this out: Have a gang dressed like a bunch of fuckers from the 1980's who listen to Madonna, another "rival" gang of guys wearing suits who want their "stuff" (aka Coke vs. Diamonds) back from the rivals, a fight scene at a construction site (we'll compare this one to the warehouse scene alright), a big vehicle which runs over/hits the main bad guy in the end (Rumble's hovercraft vs. Nice Guy's big'ol ass tractor-bulldozer thing) and numerous other accounts. In any case, pardon that bullshit I just typed above, because this movie really is quite dope. The scene with the fight on the horse carriage? Dope. The fight scene at the contruction site with the machinery? Doper. The scene where ... something happened? Dopest. Anyway, I have the subtitled Chinese version (winkwink) with the moreimpossibletoreadthanDrunkenMaster2subtitles, but that didn't stop me from enjoying this movie. I love the fact that Jackie is a television chef, it's quite humerous I think. But perhaps the best fucking part of this movie was the Burger King sign (the neon sign, the horse carriage scene, right before Jackie and his girlfriend jump on the carriage) which reads: HUNGRY JACK'S. God damn that's funny, and I actually think Hungry Jack's is the joint over in Aussie-land which has that name instead of Burger Queens. Anyway, fork this... I'm done. Check this one out especially if you're a fan of his newer movies. The black chick looks good too I might add!

DEAD CHANNEL'S RATING: 8/10 (seemed like an almost direct copy of Rumble)

EIRIAS' REVIEW: Normally, it's difficult to distinguish between one Jackie Chan movie and another. I run out of words, of inventive and varied ways to describe them, to convince people that they should run and see another one. This may be the best yet released here - if not, it's certainly tied with First Strike. First Strike relied on one or two great bits to carry it through, but was a little uneven. Mr Nice Guy is much more consistent, and even has a comprehensible plot. It's a return to a much simpler plot line, Jackie protecting his girlfriend, with no silly saving the world threads tossed in. I like it better this way, though, honestly, plot isn't the reason I go see Jackie Chan movies. Neither is the acting. Mr Nice Guy was shot entirely in English, but it's still a Hong Kong film. The actors they found who spoke English are the same caliber of actor as the actors who dubbed the first four films. Richard Norton, as the villain is particularly awful. The girls are -- well, having seen how poorly some quite talented actresses, like Maggie Cheung, have fared in Jackie's earlier films, I don't really see any point in criticizing their lack of performance, but Miki Lee is at least cute. Chan gets to act though, for one scene in which he thinks he's lost his girlfriend. He doesn't act often, and hasn't in any of the first four films released, so it's nice to see him do a little.

The real reason this film kicks the shit out of the competition is Sammo Hung. (Odd note, his name is misspelled Samo in the newspaper ads, and in the opening credits, but in the end credits, they get it right.) He has a cameo role as a passing cyclist, which is easily the best part of the movie, and he directs. Unlike Stanley Tong and Jackie Chan, who directed the first four, Sammo is not only very very good at action and action choreography, but he also has a visual style. I don't think I've ever seen anything approaching good cinematography in a Jackie Chan movie before, and most of Mr Nice Guy is shot in his usual style. But a few sequences, especially a desperate race after a runaway horse and cart (don't ask) slide into a Chungking Express style blurred background, slow-motion thing which is quite cool to watch. Hell, even the driving a big truck through a building climax is well shot. And explosive. And New Line has the courtesy not to put credits in the way of the out-takes. On the other hand, I don't really have as much desire to see it again, but this probably stems from seeing Who Am I shortly after, and Mr Nice Guy begins to pale in comparision.

EIRIAS' RATING: 8/10

DAN-O'S REVIEW: After regaling us with the tale about a lawyer who can kick ass, a food delivery person who can also kick ass, a race car driver that, coincidentally, can kick ass, and perhaps the least believable, the only cop on the planet that doesn't get winded after running the length of his squad car, Jackie has once again pulls a ripe rutabaga from his ridiculous premise garden, stuffs it with whoop-ass, bakes it at 450 degrees (if you can point out to me a keyboard with a degree symbol, I go down on you), yanks it out of the oven just before it's done, and finally, heaves the whole mess out the freakin' window with the most painful ending to scar my brain tissue since I saw "The Big Lebowski".

Keep in mind, I saw the Hong Kong version, so I can't comment on the acting or dialogue. But other than the ending, the movie was fun, and would've been more fun in the theater. But how the bloody hell would I know, since the theater where I live ran the thing for less than 1 week. Meanwhile dreck like "Species 2" and "The Odd Couple part 2" get top billing. How many times do Lemmon and Mattau have to make shit movies before we as a collective whole stop watching them as they decompose on-screen before our very eyes. Anyway, when I amass my fortune, I'm building my own goddamn theater that will showcase nothing but Jackie Chan movies, in THX Sensurround, for a dollar a ticket. Where was I? Something about a movie review, if I recall... Oh yeah, I feel that I must back up Numskull on this one: that blond guy seriously needed an ass thrashing, but did it happen? Nope. Do I care? Not really. I essentially knew where this movie was headed when the red-headed reporter lady did the 100 yard dash through downtown Generic Australian City in her skivvies. Oops, I hope I didn't ruin the movie for you, giving away that essential plot point and all. How can you possibly watch the movie now?

I felt there were way too many of moments in this film, as in Rumble, where I just wanted to fast forward through the tacked-on romantic subplot and get to the violence, or to the credits in regard to the final scene, which in case you haven't deduced by now, involves Jackie going ape-shit with heavy machinery for what seems like 2 consecutive eternities of constipation. As you know from reading my reviews in the past, I rarely get too deep into the movie, instead going for more of a general impression style of review.  If you want a synopsis, read the top of the damn page. I'm just here to tell ya whether or not I can recommend the flick or not, and in this case I can say without and fear of retaliation... see Mr. Nice Guy.  It's cute, the fight scenes are gorgeous, it's funny, Jackie does his own stunts, yadda yadda ya. Maybe I shouldn't've seen Who Am I? first. I was spoiled rotten by that flick, wasn't I?

DAN-O'S RATING: 7/10

JIM CARREY'S REVIEW: Well, I was quite surprised. The American version was really a lot better than the Hong Kong version. For starters, this one wasn't dubbed. It was in it's actual English language. Anyone else wondered why Baggio sounded like Vincent Price? Bravo, Bravo, Bravissimo Bravo for the better editing in the US release. They took out some of the Ronny vision fights and kept it mostly in 4th gear. I will say that the acting is a lot better when not dubbed in Chinese and just kept in English. The movie is shorter now so it isn't so damn boring anymore. Unfortunately they didn't edit out the most gratuitous scene ever committed to celluloid, that is the Underwear marathon scene. It still looks like a commercial for Victoria Secret's and NASCAR. Jackie as usual does his same old Jackie routine. Yet again, he screws up the end by blowing things up like in Rumble, still better than Titanic. The plot is weak but at least not abysmal. The film is good and enough said. If you want to see a really great recent Jackie film, go check out Thunderbolt or his brand new one, Who Am I? Those are his best films since his early-mid ninties period.

JIM CARREY'S RATING: HK version 6/10; US version 7/10

KISHIGAI'S REVIEW: It was cool. I dont get why peole keep wanting an Academy award winning plot in his movies. Sometimes there is a good plot, but it shouldnt be expected all the time. I think that Mr. Nice Guy is Jackie's best movie since Drunken Master 2.

KISHIGAI'S RATING: 8.5/10

EZWALK'S REVIEW: This is my favorite Jackie Chan. It's back to back action and stunts. This movie just didn't let up. You couldn't go 15 minutes without another fight. The movie had fights no one in Hollywood would even dream of doing. From the begining chase to the horse buggy chase to the fight at the construction scene. My only complaint is the ending was pretty stupid. The dump truck destroying the house was still better then the hover craft in Rumble in the Bronx. Overall this movie was awsome.

EZWALK'S RATING: 10/10

CHRIS E'S REVIEW: The chase is on, and on, and on... Don't get me wrong. I liked this movie a lot. But the chasing got a bit monotonous after a while. I thought it actually could have used one more non-action scene to break things up a bit. It also could have had a little more comedy. The action was great though. I certainly couldn't complain with the amount of fight scenes but why didn't Jackie go at it more with Richard Norton? And yes, the ending was kind of a disappointment for us die-hard fans, but you can bet that the American movie-going public will love it. I think this one will do pretty well at the box office. New Line does a good job at marketing and supercharging Jackie's films. We won't get into the "brilliant" work that Miramax does. This one's definitely worth seeing and it's one of Jackie's better movies. But it was frustrating to know that it could have been one of his very best with some minor adjustments.

CHRIS E'S RATING: 7.5/10

HENDRI LIATO'S REVIEW: This is obviously an attempt by the producers to replicate the surprise success of RUMBLE IN THE BRONX in the States, which probably had them scratching their heads. The plot and setup are virtually identical to RUMBLE. Jackie plays a happy-go-lucky immigrant with a somewhat popular kitchen show. Somehow along the way (detail is unimportant), he gets himself into a chase from a vaguely Euro-trash bunch of 'bad guys' and ends up juggling three women at times of crisis. The Good: The action is almost non-stop. The fight sequence atop a horse carriage combines action, stunts and comic moments brilliantly. There is also a nifty car chase sequence that ends up with a brawl on an exploding Coke cans. And the big kahuna: a wild, imaginative, vintage-Chan prop-fight at a construction site. The wonderful things you could do with a jackhammer and a cement mixer! The Bad: The Hollywood style demolition derby at the end involving a giant truck which Chan commandeers to flatten the bad guy's house (which also somehow explodes for no apparent reason). To make things worse, this all out 'expensive' sequence is ridiculously long and in no way, a great payoff scene. The Ugly: Does the gwei-lo girl have to run around in underwear (on a crowded street no less)? You have to wince through more random bits of juvenile sexism (leftover from OPERATION CONDOR). I hope the US version edits these out. Jackie's girlfriend is hopelessly flailing type which is incredibly annoying. But the return-to-form mix of action and comedy saves the day.

HENDRI LIATO'S RATING: 6/10

NUMSKULL'S REVIEW: First of all, not since Ronald Reagan left office has there been an action movie with a plot this feeble. Second of all, Sammo Hung: good actor, great director, outstanding fight choreographer, SHITTY editor. This movie uses so many of those choppy slow-motion "dreamlike" shots that I began to think the popcorn I was eating was laced with LSD. Perhaps it'll be remedied in the American theatrical release. Also, in the otherwise excellent horse-and-buggy sequence, when they're running along the strip mall, they pass two or three different signs TWICE! How in the name of hell-bent fuck did this go unnoticed?!? And while I'm on a roll with the negative points, why, oh WHY did they have everything come to a screeching halt once Jackie wrecks the mansion with the bulldozer? That blond-haired guy needed his ass kicked so badly!!! ARRRGGH!!!!! Take heart though, this movie is actually above average...I guess there's a shiny side to every penny (I just coined a phrase! HAH! Get it? COINED a phrase? Um...never mind). S & M fanatics everywhere will love seeing a woman get smacked around every 5 minutes. Sammo's usual slow pacing goes out the window...nay, down the shitter. The action scenes are evenly spaced and well done except for the car chase near the beginning. It failed to excite me, but that may be a strictly New England thing...I live in Massachusetts, where you can be going 75 mph down a dead-end street and still have someone behind you who wants to go faster. Anyway, go see Mr. Nice Guy everybody...I guarantee you'll have more fun than you'd have braiding your pubic hairs.

NUMSKULL'S RATING: 8/10

DANIEL'S REVIEW: WOW! What a movie. There is lots of crazy stunts, loads of fighting and great action. The scene with the carrage is excellent. The fight scene at the construction site is amazing. Jackie almost got cut in two with a circular chainsaw - whatchamacallit twice and by a power sander twice. You really should see this movie! But the only thing I don't like about it is that he copied many things from some of his older movies and put them in here. The fight scene at the construction site: Heart of Dragon, At the end when they said, "Did you see anything?" then the others go "No Sir!" Maybe from: Police Force. And lastly, Jackie Accidentely gets in a gang related deal and takes something that belongs to them, which is the tape: Rumble in the Bronx. But overall this movie was one of his 5 best!

DANIEL'S RATING: 10/10

ALOHO'S REVIEW: If your tired of the boring middle or the slow beginning, you'll love this movie. Every 5 minutes is a fight or a stunt. The construction fight is funny and one of his greatest prop fights. This one includes a buzz saw, hose, cement mixer, the fork lift platform, those things to reel up rope, and a wheelbarrow. A fight on a carriage was good and a fight in a van was great. Sammo Hung plays a bicyclist who has a good role. Jackie hangs off o 30 foot gorilla. He falls on a wedding cake. He jums onto a crane. He trashes this guy's house with a very large truck. It's an awesome movie.

ALOHO'S RATING: 11/10

CLINT'S REVIEW: I think JC got the hint that after Drunken Master 2, that his movies were lacking. In what you ask.....in fighting. One thing he still hasn't learned is that people want to see a kick ass finale. Not a monster truck or a hovercraft or a underwater or a race car finale. We want fighting. Well you get an unbelievable amount of fighting in this one, except for the ending. Basically that's all this movie is, fighting. It has a little comedy......the Samo cameo is great, when they are holding a gun on JC, of course you expect him to knock it away like in every other movie, wrong, he tries to kick it away, but misses completely, I love it. The maze of doors at the construction site is probably the best scene of the movie next to the fight at the construction site. If fighting is your pleasure, you'll be pleased with this one.

CLINT'S RATING: 9/10

ANDREW'S REVIEW: I must say I enjoyed this film quite a bit. Mr. Nice Guy is slick and fast paced and contains a few eye-popping stunts. I had one real problem with this film however, and it's something of a big problem. This film has way too many similarities to Rumble in the Bronx. There's a gang that isn't 100% bad, a bunch of guys in suits that are, mass destruction at the end of the film, and lots of fights. Let's not forget that Jackie has to go on his own to get the bad guys, and that the cops play dumb at the end. ("we didn't see anything" - a direct steal from Police Story.) All in all, Mr. Nice Guy is an excellent film, and it's suitable for novice fans. Even non-action lovers will stand u and cheer for the horse carriage fight/chase scene (did I mention that it was stolen from Buster Keaton?).

ANDREW'S RATING: 7/10

YUMMYSPAM'S REVIEW: WHAT A MOVIE!!! If you thought Jackie was washed up in the 90's, Boy, were you wrong! Putting classics like Drunken Master 2 and Police Story 3 to shame, Mr. Nice Guy is a superior venture into action movie territory. What makes this film so great is it's excellent pacing. If your use to sitting through the "dull middle" to wait for the "mind blowing finale", wait no more. Nice Guy will keep you thourougly entertained for the entire flick. Don't even blink once, because you may just miss something. Are you sick of lame stunts in recent years? Don't be; This movie loaded ith breath-taking, daredevil, Chan-typical stuff. If you thought the hovercraft in Rumble was lame, then you'll enjoy the much-better Mining truck Rampage. And maybe the best part of all, the Sammo Hung cameo. No perfect film has been made yet, unfortunately, and If there is one downside to this film, It is that chan wastes some of his normally-hilarious outtakes with lame dialog screw-ups. But that shouldn't deter you. Don't wait 'till 1998 to see this movie, go to a Chinatown near you and track this baby down.

YUMMYSPAM'S RATING: 10/10

BRIAN MOJICA'S REVIEW: This is a *good* Jackie Chan movie when it comes to action. It seems as if they loaded it with as much action as they could. What they got in exchange was a very flimsy plot, in the true Jackie Chan tradition. It involves drug-dealing gangs chasing a reporter who videotaped a transaction gone to hell (potential X-File: the one-camera recording resulted in what appears to be a multi-camera, professionally edited action sequence). Plot developments are revealed during the first hour, while the second half deals mostly with action sequences and chases. The action scenes, however, are very well-done. The highlight of the movie is the fight at a construction site, where Jackie does some dangerous stuntwork with electric saws. The fight also has Jackie doing one of his most impressive "climbs" since Project A Part II's climb up a bamboo scaffolding. Some of the action sequences could have been better had it not been for the use slow-motion/strobing effects, which I found distracting in some parts. A house and several expensive cars were demolished by a huge truck for the finale. I didn't find this impressive at all. Jackie's movies have been relying on big blasts instead of great fights for the finale, which is unfortunate. It's been a while since we've been treated to a finale like those in Miracles and Dragons Forever. A little more humor and a more effective ending would have greatly improved this film, but it's still enjoyable.

BRIAN MOJICA'S RATING: 7/10

PHAOTA'S REVIEW: Mr. Nice Guy isn't one of Jackie greatest films, but it definitely is among the top most excellent ones. The action is top notch with awesome fist-a-cuffs battles in various city locations, i.e., a multi-story mall, on a moving horse-drawn carriage (truely fantastic moving action fight), in the confined space of the back of a van with four mob guys, etc. Of course, to top the movie off, it has spectacular scenes where Jackie completely destroys the mob bosses two-story palatial house with a HUGE mining dump truck. And I mean, he *literally* flattens the movie- built home with this monster monster. It's a sight not to be missed. I think he really enjoyed doing it too. In total, the movie is definitely worth having in your collection and worth watching numerous times.

PHAOTA'S RATING: 8/10

VICTOR NGUYEN'S REVIEW: A good movie, but is not up to par with Project A and Wheels on Meals. Jackie plays a popular television chef, but after running into a mysterious woman, his life takes a sudden turn. It turns out that a mob tape has been switched with one of his cooking tapes, and the mob will stop at nothing to get it back. Great fights and chases, could easily be called Rumble in the Bronx 2, but it gets old and repetitive after a while. Watch for Samo Hung in a funny cameo on a bicycle during a fight filmed completely inside a van!

VICTOR NGUYEN'S RATING: 7/10