When it comes to action movies, one of the genres most reliable yet formulaic themes is that of revenge. With so many different films revolving around the concept, each filmmaker is tasked with bringing a new approach to the genre with their respective stories that only manages to be thrilling but maximize the appeal of their main stars in the lead role. That most definitely appears to be the case with Martin Campbell's 2017 action thriller The Foreigner which stars both Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan in the main roles. The film effectively takes both main stars and removes them from their comfort zone, placing them in roles that manage to go against what they're generally known for with them being able to further demonstrate their acting talents. The end result appears to be a formulaic driven action flick, that largely benefits from the out of character performances of its main veteran actors which ultimately makes it satisfying. The Foreigner serves as being an unusual piece for both main stars to be involved in with that not necessarily being a bad thing.
Based on the 1992 novel titled The Chinaman by Stephen Leather, the plot for The Foreigner centers around an aging businessman (Played by Jackie Chan) losing his young teenager daughter (Played by Charlie Murphy) in a London terrorist bombing that's linked to being the work of the IRA. When an Irish official (Played by Pierce Brosnan) refuses to help the grieving father when he approaches him for the names of those involved, the latter initiates a path of both harassing and terrorizing the official until he can provide the names of the killers. On paper, the plot for The Foreigner reads about as standard and typical as any revenge thriller that exists. There's nothing new or groundbreaking the script offers which transcends the genre or make it feel fresh in any capacity. What Martin Campbell does is explore the main characters in greater depth than the typical action movie, which is accomplished by him slowing the pace down enough to allow for both Chan and Brosnan to command the screen with their presence. Campbell presents the audience with two key characters who dominate the plot with both person's playing a traditional cat-and- mouse game. With The Foreigner Campbell places both the characters and story front and center with the action being limited to a few key moments, in which they do emerge as being thrilling set-pieces. Given what audiences expect to find going into a film like this, the end result proves to be a well-made and nicely paced thriller that allows its main stars to break out of their comfort zones and expand on their dramatic acting abilities while the film adheres to the basic conventions of the revenge thriller formula. The Foreigner is a film that audiences are familiar with given its standard plot mechanisms, but it's slower paced story that places greater emphasis on its characters while providing the audience with twists and turns along the way, make it an appealing thriller that warrants their attention.
As well-crafted as Campbell's directing comes across as being, it's the performances from the main cast that make the experience all the more surprising for audiences with Chan and Brosnan delivering some of the finest acting work of their careers. Out of the two, Chan proves to be the real plot twist of the film with him perfectly balancing out his traditional martial arts star persona with a more dramatic presence that proves to be a welcomed surprise. With his role, Chan expresses more emotion as both a grieving and vengeful father in a pursuit of bringing honor to his daughter by finding the ones that killed her. Chan excels in the role as Ngoc Minh Quan, a Chinese former Vietnam War special forces operative turned London restaurateur who seeks revenge after his daughter is murdered in a terrorist bombing. The role easily marks Chan's strongest performance in years both as an action star as well as a serious actor. The same can be said about Pierce Brosnan in the role of Liam Hennessy, a current Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, and former member of the provisional IRA who serves as being the films main antagonist. Brosnan is terrific as well with him playing a slimy political figure, who discovers that he has many frenemies around him while attempting to resist Chan's characters persistence in finding the names of her daughters killers. Both actors are handed roles that are different from the type of parts they're usually accustomed to with them managing to play their characters exceptionally well, along with showing audiences that there's more to each actor than just the conventional type action role. They also manage to dominate the screen when the other person isn't around with both actors getting an equal footing in terms of sharing screentime. The rest of the supporting cast is strong with them delivering noteworthy performances such as Michael McElhatton as Jim Kavanagh, Hennessy's second-in-command, Liu Tao as Quan's friend and co-owner of the restaurant Keyi Lam, Charlie Murphy as Liam's mistress and undercover member of the IRA Maggie Dunn, and Orla Brady as Liam's wife Mary Hennessy, who still maintains radical beliefs. The supporting cast for The Foreigner does a solid job of backing up the films key characters with their performances adding to both the suspense and tension of the plot. Despite the efforts of the supporting cast to add both realism and believability to the story, it's the performances of the main stars that standout with Chan and Brosnan carrying the film as a whole. They take what could've essentially ended up being another generic and bland thriller, and add more depth to it with how interesting and complex both actors make their characters appear. There isn't one performance shown that's bad or off beat with everyone bringing their A game to their parts, along with the supporting cast managing to make the most of their roles with leaving notable impressions with the audience.
Directed by Martin Campbell who previously helmed GoldenEye, The Mask Of Zorro, and The Edge Of Darkness, the skillfully talented director once again delivers strong directorial work with him appearing to have a firm grip on his craft. Where Campbell specializes in as a director is his ability to tell stories that are slow-moving, but ultimately prove to be well-executed and developed in regards to both story and character development. When it comes to stories that revolve around the theme of revenge, Campbell has demonstrated himself to be capable of crafting films revolving around the concept which ultimately prove to be emotionally satisfying in the end. Campbell knows how to establish and develop characters to the point where the audience becomes engaged in their dilemmas. The film is well-shot with impressive cinematography including action sequences that are well choreographed. Campbell does a smooth job of progressively building up the tension between Chan and Brosnan's character with the audience feeling the intensity of the situation. He gives the action sequences a certain level of grit that enhances the brutality of the plot. The score is effective in driving both the suspense and emotion of the film with the soundtrack placing a heavy emphasis on sounding electronic with the use of synthesizers. For an action film, the music takes a uniquely different approach which largely pays off with making the energy of the film feeling more kinetic. As far as directing goes, Martin Campbell gives audiences a dark and gritty storyline that plays out like a political thriller disguised as a revenge flick with him being able to effectively generate some of the best acting out of both Chan and Brosnan's careers. For Brosnan and Campbell, the film plays out like a personal reunion for the two given their previous collaboration with 1995's GoldenEye. With Chan, this represents his opportunity to both reintroduce himself as well as remind audiences that there's more to his talent than just fancy martial arts moves with Campbell giving him enough freedom to demonstrate his range as a serious actor. With The Foreigner, Campbell crafts a lean and edgy story that's both well-acted and put together with the noblest attempts to be different than other action thrillers with similar premises.
The screenplay by David Marconi does a solid job of fleshing out the characters and story. One of the key components that make a revenge story work is the audience connecting with the main characters. With The Foreigner, Marconi makes the audience empathize with Chan's character while cleverly weaving his military past into the story. The script does a noteworthy job of exploring themes pertaining to murder, death, loss, grief, family, determination, and justice while including political elements such as government cover ups, power, betrayal, and vigilantism. The characters are giving enough exploration and depth to make them feel more lively rather than being typical one dimensional figures in the plot. The writing in the character development department is handled so well to the point where the audience not only becomes invested in Chan's character arc but Brosnan's as well. The audience even cares about and finds interesting the side storylines regarding Brosnan's character and radical wife, as well as her secretive relationship with his nephew Sean. The screenplay also throws numerous twists and turns at the audience regarding whose actually behind the IRA bombings, which resulted in the death of Chan's daughter. When the film focuses on the developing of the characters, the script delivers its strongest effort. The main issues with the writing pertain to the plot becoming a bit confusing at times when it comes to shifting around plot devices such as the audience being led to believe that one character is behind the bombings before it's revealed to be another person that's the mastermind behind it. The script makes a point to flesh out all of its main characters, that the plot sometimes feels disheveled with focusing on the main narrative which is Chan's character seeking justice for his daughters death. Marconi uses his character to pivot the audience through a world that's full of labyrinth and betrayal with one not being sure who to trust, not just for Chan's side but Brosnan as well. When the script focuses on Chan's characters determination to go to extreme brutal lengths to bring honor to his daughters name, the film works extremely well. The problem with the script arises when the film dives into the politics of the story such as heavy conversations regarding past dealings between Brosnan's character and others, along with the IRA, and terrorism. These subplots despite being effective ultimately deter audiences from the stories main narrative at times, along with adding confusion as to whether Chan is pursuing the right one responsible for his grief. When the film revolves around a broken man in the pursuit of justice with him going back to his simple life in the end, the film works at it's full potential. It's too bad the writer and Campbell chose to thoroughly explore other subplots and characters rather than focus on the one that's the heart of the film as these faults keep the film from being a great action flick to just ending up as a fairly decent one.
Despite its faults, The Foreigner has much to offer in regards to surprising audiences with the dramatic range that both Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan possess as actors. They're the sole reason the film works as well as it does, and perform greatly with their out of character parts. Campbell does an effective job of creating a world which serves as essentially being a web of lies, corruption, and deceit with him showing how those elements can impact the lives of others while spawning a random yet justified pursuit of justice. The film works most effectively as a story about how determined individuals and governments can obtain justice against terrorists. While The Foreigner doesn't serve as being the most original action thriller and relies heavily on a formulaic story-structure that's much familiar to audiences, it makes a strong attempt to switch things up in regards to the presentation of its main stars while taking them down to a more human level in a world that's engulfed in grittiness. For audiences, The Foreigner is a reasonably decent action thriller that achieves what it sets out to do while reminding them of the possibilities that both main actors can do with the right material given to them. The film is a suspenseful and engaging tale of revenge that'll surprise with how much it leans towards being a drama rather than a mindless action flick, that fans of Jackie Chan have become accustomed to. Although the film doesn't tread any new ground in regards to storytelling nor expand on the action and thriller genre, it makes effective use of its plot with Campbell delivering a worthwhile action flick that entertains. How much audiences will enjoy it though depends on their tolerance for a more traditional slow-burning and complexed storyline, that can get a bit confusing at times when the story drifts from Chan. When the latter appears on screen, the story works and ultimately is the reason The Foreigner works as a solid action thriller overall.
Final Verdict: For hardcore action fans and those of Jackie Chan's work in particular, The Foreigner represents a a surprising detour from his traditional work with him delivering what's arguably his best dramatic performance yet.
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