A step up from the abysmal The Tuxedo, The Medallion is still a sub-par Jackie Chan vehicle with limited box-office prospects. Directed by Hong Kong veteran Gordon Chan, the film has a slapdash, low-budget feel at odds with Chan’s more polished Hollywood product. His fans may well wait to see this at home.



Chan once again plays a Hong Kong cop who doesn't get enough credit from his European colleagues. Scouring the world for someone whose shtick is as grating as Chris Tucker’s, the filmmakers found British comic Lee Evans to play Chan's partner. As Eddie Yang and Arthur Watson, Chan and Evans bicker ineffectually without striking many sparks. Chan does better with Claire Forlani, who shows up as Nicole, an Interpol cop and his old flame. Pleasantly bemused, at times displaying some credible action moves, she gives Chan something substantial to play against.



The plot concerns a medallion with mystical powers under the control of Jai (Alexander Bao), a young boy. Kidnapped by Hong Kong villain Wong (Anthony Wong), Jai is brought to Ireland in a scheme by master criminal Snakehead (Julian Sands) to become an immortal with super-powers. When Yang rescues Bao, the cop gets the super-powers instead—but at a huge cost. Snakehead's men strike again, bringing Bao to the crook's headquarters inside the ruins of a castle. Yang, Watson and Nicole team up to rescue Bao, but will they be in time to prevent Snakehead from learning the medallion's true powers?



Chan has made too many movies like this before, apparently preferring their comic-book sensibilities to more mature or at least less fanciful adventures. The star has reached the age where his meek, unassuming characters seem peculiar rather than charming. Similarly, stunts that were recklessly entertaining 20 years ago now just look painful. The extensive special effects may ensure Chan's safety, but they make some of his breathtaking tricks—like a leap from a wall onto the roof of a moving bus—slightly suspect.



Nevertheless, Chan is still the world's most famous practitioner of an especially rigorous form of acrobatics grounded in the Beijing Opera. Working with his childhood friend and rival Sammo Hung, he brings back some of his signature moves and pulls them off with aplomb. Watch how he maneuvers his way around a freighter, or zips over an iron gate, or juggles a handgun—feats more difficult to achieve than a lot of the film's showier stunts. But those who hoped that Chan might one day play a real character in a real movie will have to keep waiting.