After a Five-Year Wait, Jackie Chan’s New Action Flick “Hidden Strike” Finally Arrives
After a five-year wait, Jackie Chan’s new film, “Hidden Strike,” has finally arrived.
The film was initially highly anticipated, with rumors of Sylvester Stallone joining Chan for their first-ever on-screen showdown.
But the result?
With an $80 million investment, the film has barely grossed $4 million worldwide.
Bypassing major box office markets like North America and mainland China, it quietly debuted on streaming platforms after a limited global release. Was it a complete flop?
However, on July 28, the film hit Netflix and quickly soared to the top of the charts in terms of popularity and viewership.
Jackie Chan’s global influence remains strong, proving he’s still got it.
A dismal 5.5 on IMDb? Despite the poor reviews, Hideo Kojima gave it a thumbs up.
So, is the movie any good? Or, more importantly, has the 69-year-old Jackie Chan lost his touch?
Critics have slammed the film for its shoddy production, lacking the action choreography standards of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team, and for its poor pacing, weak storyline, and uninspired visuals. They argue that the narrative is riddled with plot holes, and every scene is ripe for criticism.
Indeed, in recent years, Jackie Chan’s films seem to have shifted from must-see Hong Kong action flicks to films best avoided.
Chan is still fighting, but audiences seem to have lost interest.
Moreover, this action film, which failed to secure a mainland China release and has been shelved for five years, is rumored to have had its post-production funded by Chan himself due to various reasons.
While the failure of a commercial film at the box office is the result of multiple factors, the fading appeal of the “Jackie Chan” brand is undoubtedly a major contributor.
It seems that Jackie Chan is losing his magic.
Along with Chan, the once-glorious era of action films is also fading.
However, after watching “Hidden Strike,” I have to say: the 69-year-old Jackie Chan, who is still fighting, has not lost.
The Shortcomings
The story of “Hidden Strike” is simple. As some netizens have put it, it’s a “Jackie Chan version of ‘Wolf Warrior 2,’” with the main plot revolving around the evacuation of citizens.
The film was clearly aimed at the Chinese market.
The plot involves a Chinese-owned oil refinery in a small country that has refined millions of barrels of crude oil, attracting the attention of local rebels who repeatedly attack the refinery.
Jackie Chan plays the captain of a security company, leading a team to help evacuate the 400+ Chinese employees at the refinery. However, the rebels have also hired top American mercenaries, who ambush the team’s convoy, hoping to capture the refinery’s chief engineer.
It is here that Jackie Chan and John Cena’s characters meet and become unlikely allies, ultimately joining forces to defeat the rebels.
The film’s director, Scott Waugh, is known for his simple and direct style, as seen in his previous work, “Need for Speed.” This film’s style is also quite distinct: both exhilarating and rough.
Coupled with the various twists and turns during the film’s production, finding fault is not difficult.
- Mixed Styles: The film starts as a low-budget combination of “Wolf Warrior 2” and “Mad Max: Fury Road,” but after Jackie Chan meets John Cena, it quickly turns into a “Rush Hour”-style comedy. The ending then transforms into “Fast & Furious 10.”
- Too Many Plot Holes: The film’s title itself is questionable. Using jet engines to create such a dense and long-lasting sandstorm is, to say the least, detached from existing chemical knowledge. In one scene, a female member of the protagonist’s team is kicked out of a bus’s windshield by the antagonist but manages to lie flat and avoid the oncoming cars, escaping through the gap under the vehicle. This clearly defies the laws of physics. The initial conflict between the two male leads stems from John Cena’s character mistakenly believing that Jackie Chan’s character killed his brother. While this misunderstanding is resolved, John Cena’s character returns to his village and immediately becomes friendly with the children, which contradicts human emotional norms. At the end, John Cena clearly falls off a cliff, but when Jackie Chan and his daughter look down, they see nothing. However, in the next scene, he climbs back up the cliff. I can’t even begin to describe which law this violates.
- Awkward Humor: Some of the jokes are indeed cringeworthy.
- Fake Special Effects: The director’s visual design is imaginative, such as mounting aircraft engines on trucks, turning the two protagonists into jet fighters, and having the bus drive into a sandstorm. It’s a whole “Mad Max” vibe, and it’s definitely exciting. But the fakeness is also very real.
- Unnecessary Emotional Scenes: The film includes a subplot about Jackie Chan’s character’s father-daughter relationship. For example, on the bus, when faced with his daughter’s complaints and questions, the father can only shed tears silently. Jackie Chan’s acting is good, but the scene feels abrupt and awkward. In short, the film’s story progression seems to rely entirely on forcibly creating dramatic conflicts, and the plot and character development are overly simplistic. The online criticisms of the film are not unfounded. So why do I still say that Jackie Chan hasn’t lost?
Possibly Jackie Chan’s Best Action Film in Recent Years
I believe the reason for “Hidden Strike”'s high viewership on Netflix, and the reason I support this film, are the same:
This is the most “Jackie Chan” film in recent years since “The Foreigner,” and it’s also the best he’s fought since then.
Before the master takes action, the film is full of the post-apocalyptic wasteland style of the “Mad Max” series. But as soon as he does, it immediately turns into a wasteland version of “Rush Hour.” It can only be said that Jackie Chan’s style is too pervasive.
What is the Jackie Chan style?
It’s better to ask, what do we love about Jackie Chan’s films: acrobatic fighting, thrilling stunts performed by real people, and resilient, ordinary heroes.
All of these are present in this film.
Jackie Chan was probably 64 years old when he filmed this movie, which is quite old for an action film. But compared to the Jackie Chan in his recent films, he is definitely younger. Chan doesn’t look old in the film, and compared to Tom Cruise in “Mission: Impossible,” Chan in this film feels more like he’s delivering real punches.
There are three major battles in the film, distributed in the opening duel, the warehouse battle, and the refinery battle.
- The First Battle: Jackie Chan vs. John Cena - Exciting. In the sandstorm, a post-apocalyptic car chase ensues. The villains first attack the isolated vehicles and kidnap Professor Cheng. Then, Jackie Chan and his brothers drive a helicopter and engage in a sandstorm chase with the villains’ convoy. In the rolling sand, Jackie Chan engages in a melee with a group of people. He has to save people and dodge cars, which is quite thrilling. The following duel between the two male leads shows me the most capable Jackie Chan in recent years.
- The Second Battle: The Warehouse Battle - Funny. This is the scene where the “Rush Hour” action-comedy style is most evident. The two male leads are surrounded by opponents. John Cena is at the window, preparing to use a grenade to fight back and asks Jackie Chan to help him find it. The grenade is in the trash can, but Jackie Chan hears it as “pull the pin directly.” As a result, the grenade that Jackie Chan throws to John Cena almost turns the two male leads into one. For example, one second they are threatening the enemy. The next second, they realize they accidentally pulled the grenade pin and immediately become cowards. For Jackie Chan fans, these classic Jackie Chan action styles are highlights. For some reason, although it is a Hollywood production, Jackie Chan’s action style in this film is more thoroughly embodied than in several new domestic films, especially with the replication of many classic signature moves from his younger days. Chairs, tables, and tires can all be used as weapons. Jumping and climbing on fast-moving vehicles are also no problem.
- The Most Enjoyable is the Third Battle: The Foam Battle. In this scene, Jackie Chan takes the use of foam and elastic ropes to the extreme. It is definitely the most eye-catching action scene from Jackie Chan in recent years. In the flying foam, Jackie Chan’s humorous and thrilling action scenes are full of fun. John Cena and Jackie Chan’s on-screen chemistry is explosive, with American humor and Chinese banter complementing each other. In the end, Jackie Chan’s bouncing and entanglement in the foam pile brings back memories of his classic action films, which is very enjoyable.
Another highlight of the film is the collaboration between Jackie Chan and John Cena.
Since these two connected, the film’s flavor has been right.
John Cena’s role was originally intended for Sylvester Stallone. Although Stallone didn’t come, John Cena and Jackie Chan still managed to create an enhanced version of “Rush Hour.”
What audiences like about this kind of duo is the differentiation, preferably with constant banter and unexpected reversals. In short, what they want is contrast.
The combination of Jackie Chan and John Cena definitely contributes to many audience-pleasing scenes. In the end, the two become friends and go to the factory together to rescue the kidnapped Professor Cheng and stop the villain’s plan.
Although some of the jokes are a bit old-fashioned, Jackie Chan teaching John Cena to say “I love you” and “idiot” in Chinese, and the danger caused by not understanding gestures, can still make the audience laugh while feeling tense and excited.
Moreover, John Cena’s stiff movements highlight Jackie Chan’s own kung fu foundation, which is smooth and pleasing to the eye.
When the two join forces, the excitement level goes up another notch.
You use fists and feet, I use skills.
They create a perfect collaboration.
Defeating the enemy is as easy as buying groceries.
So the biggest highlight of this film is that the 64-year-old Jackie Chan can still fight.
But the biggest regret is that Jackie Chan, who is now five years older, will only get slower and slower. This may be the last large-scale action film in which Jackie Chan fights brilliantly.
Action Movies Have Lost to the Times, But Jackie Chan Has Not
In my opinion, unlike those films that rely on plot and twists to win, “Hidden Strike” relies on the fusion of various familiar elements of Jackie Chan’s films.
Although the film is rough and has many shortcomings, as an entertainment film, it’s all about the fun.
However, although the film was eventually released on Netflix, it is still doubtful whether it can recover its reported $80 million cost.
What if the film had been released globally?
To be honest, if it were released in this year’s summer season, it might have limited competitiveness and would have struggled to earn much at the box office amidst popular films.
Looking back, “Kung Fu Yoga”'s 1.8 billion yuan is already the highest box office that Jackie Chan’s films have achieved in mainland China.
The previous film in which Jackie Chan entered the important Chinese New Year film season, “The Knight of Shadows: Between Yin and Yang,” grossed 150 million yuan.
“Bleeding Steel,” with an investment of nearly 400 million yuan, grossed 300 million yuan.
“Ride On,” with an investment of nearly 300 million yuan, grossed 210 million yuan.
Is Jackie Chan no longer selling?
In fact, action films around the world are no longer selling well.
The times have changed.
This year’s most popular action film, “John Wick: Chapter 4,” is already showing signs of exhaustion.
Tom Cruise’s desperate performance in “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” has received rave reviews, but it can’t beat domestic blockbusters in mainland China and lost to “Barbie” in North America.
Last year’s “Bullet Train,” like the “John Wick” series, was full of references to Jackie Chan’s films. Director David Leitch once again showed that he is undoubtedly a Jackie Chan fan, but the global box office only barely broke even.
To put it bluntly, action movies are becoming increasingly competitive.
It’s not just that Jackie Chan is getting old, but that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to achieve breakthroughs and innovations in action films in this day and age.
Whether it’s Jackie Chan’s style of acrobatic action comedy, or the style of desperate real-life shooting, or the artistic style of the “John Wick” series, they are all gradually failing.
This is actually Jackie Chan’s recent lament: the market no longer seems to need action actors.
Because the old-fashioned action genre has lost its appeal to young audiences.
When the winds of change shift, it’s not Jackie Chan who loses, but a bygone era of action films.
Why do current Chinese action (wuxia) films always use slow-motion and slow-motion shots?
Because it’s the easiest way to “fight,” and because it’s the way the new generation of young audiences will still pay for it.
No one cares whether the action actors are really fighting anymore. Special effects replace everything, as long as the actor looks good.
Where should Jackie Chan go from here?
Many people like the style of the master in “The Foreigner.” Since aging is unstoppable, he should settle down and play older characters, reducing the proportion of action scenes and replacing them with more emotional scenes. And Jackie Chan can really portray that decadence, that old age, that pain and despair after losing loved ones. Jackie Chan can act in dramatic roles.
However, there are too few good scripts.
So instead of complaining, it’s better to be grateful that there is finally a Jackie Chan-style movie after several years.
Of course, the 69-year-old Jackie Chan can no longer fall from a 15-meter tower like in “Project A.”
He can’t slide down iron chains like in “Armour of God II: Operation Condor.”
He can’t risk his life like in “Who Am I?”
But those real pains and action spectacles will always remain in the audience’s hearts.