Director: Leo Zhang
Writer: Erica Xia-Hou, Siwei Cui (Screenplay)
Starring: Jackie Chan, Show Lo, Na-Na OuYang, Eric Xia-Hou, Callan Mulvey, Tess Haubrich
Plot: A special force agent is assigned to protect a scientist and his creation from a sinister gang.
Tagline – One man must unravel the past to save the future.
Runtime: 1 Hour 49 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Simple, Fun Chan Movie
Story: Bleeding Steel starts as we see special forces agent Lin Dong (Chan) face a difficult decision when it comes to protecting a high-profile witness in protection or having his remaining time with his dying daughter, when the mission goes wrong Lin learns about sinister gang that want this man dead and his invention for their own.
13 years later Lin Dong is still searching for members of the gang, with Leeson (Lo) a computer wizard who is trying to unlock the secrets of the Steel Heart with the gang still searching for it and Nancy (OuYang) being the key to everything.
Thoughts on Bleeding Steel
Characters – Lin Dong is a special forces agent who deals in the highest cases in the department, his latest assignment puts his tragic personal life behind him to save a doctor with a secret that could change the world, he faces a losing battle when he comes up against a technological advanced unit. He gives everything and spends his time searching for the group before they do anymore evil in the world. Leeson is the computer tech guy that has uncovered the truth about Nancy, he wants to save her from the danger she has found herself in and must work with Lin even though their styles don’t work together. Nancy is the young woman that becomes the target for all sides, she has her own personal problems with nightmares she can’t explain which is making her life difficult, now she might get to learn the truth. Andre and the Woman in Black are the ones after the device which would make them even more powerful than they are now.
Performances – Jackie Chan is Mr reliable when it comes to action, we know what we can get and that he can handle everything thrown at him, he is easily the star of the show. Show Lo handles the comedy his character offers well though due to the dubbing it is hard to see him shine. This goes for most of the performers in the film they handle most of the material well.
Story – The story does come off confusing in places because it doesn’t go full sci-fi, but it is too sci-fi to not embrace this element of the film. the story does have twists along the way, though they can get telegraphed before being revealed to us. The ideas being put together in the story are interesting though, because seeing a world where science can be used for good in life saving procedures being hunted for by villainous gangs is something we can all believe. This however does feel like Jackie Chan is in a Star Trek movie at times, which only adds to the outlandish ideas in the film.
Action/Sci-Fi – The action when hand to hand is what we come to see and Jackie Chan and the team don’t fail to entertain on this front, it’s the sci-fi shoot outs which do become weak because of the quality of the laser beams being shot with the future weapons.
Settings – The film is shot in Australia which is one location we haven’t seen Jackie Chan fight in, we sci-fi locations do look weak, but watching Jackie Chan fight on the Sydney Opera House, yes please.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are not the strongest when it comes to dealing with gun fights, the best parts come from the stunt work in the fight scenes.
Scene of the Movie – The Sydney Opera House fight.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The dubbing is really poor.
Final Thoughts – This is an action film you would enjoy watching if you are a Jackie Chan fan, it does keep things simple enough even if they can be wildly over the top at times.
Overall: Jackie Chan 101
Rating
