The Foreigner
The Foreigner is an action thriller about a seemingly humble businessman (Jackie Chan) whose daughter gets killed in a bombing in London and while seeking justice, has difficulty getting support from a government official (Pierce Brosnan). Tension is built throughout the film as the pasts of both leads are explored, bombings and politics between Irish and British are intensified, and the action scenes are grounded in reality- no one escapes unscathed. Chan plays a tortured soul, relying more on expressions than through speaking, and he can still choreograph and deliver eye catching martial arts action scenes. Brosnan lets out his natural Irish accent, demanding respect with strong, overly political dialogue, and crafts a character who wrestles with everyone’s motivations, including his own. The movie is rated 14A (some language, lots of drinking, and explosive violence), was filmed in London, England, and is based on the novel “The Chinaman” by Stephen Leather. Director Martin Campbell last made Green Lantern (2011 sci-fi action with Ryan Reynolds) which tarnished most involved with the production, but prior to he also made 2 great James Bond action films, Casino Royale (2006 with Daniel Craig) and Goldeneye (1995 with Pierce Brosnan). Jackie Chan has kept busy this year, appearing in Gong fu yu jia (action adventure about two professors who look for a lost treasure), lent his voice to two animated films, The LEGO Ninjago Movie and The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature, and will next be seen in Bleeding Steel (sci-fi action as a special forces agent who fights to protect a young woman from a gang). Pierce Brosnan starred in the series The Son (2017 western drama), The Only Living Boy in New York (2017 drama), and will next be seen as King Louis XIV in The King’s Daughter (fantasy adventure involving a mermaid and a quest for immortality).
2017, 14A, 1h 54m
Distributor – STX Entertainment
Budget / Worldwide Box Office (in millions) – $35 / $107 (and counting)
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