Netflix came good this afternoon with a nice film called “The Foreigner” (2017) and from start to finish this film was excellent, cannot say anything more but I will. This is the best ass-kicking the IRA have received on film since Harrison Ford (Jack Ryan) buried Sean Bean (Sean Miller) and is crew in “Patriot Games” (1992).
The two main stars are Jackie Chan as Ngoc Minh Quan in his 50’s working in a Chinese Takeaway and Pierce Brosnan as Liam Hennessy who I did not recognise throughout the film. We find out later into the film Quan was trained by America Special Forces. The rest of the cast were good as well in this pacey film. The film opens with a bombing in London where Quan’s daughter is killed by UDI (read: IRA).
A rogue group is declared responsible for the bombing and Northern Ireland deputy First Minister Hennessy a former terrorist and leader of the UDI he is under pressure from the British Government to come up with the names for the bombers. Quan is also in the mix to find the terrorist he targets Hennessy for information.
Hennessy underestimates this seemingly meek restaurant owner: Quoc's swift retaliation is to blow up the toilet of Hennessy's to get his attention in his well-guarded office. As the politician seeks refuge at his country villa, Quoc follows, camping out in the woods and then terrorizing his security guards and finally confronting the man himself again. Hennessy may think he is in control but is being betrayed left right and centre by the bombers. His wife is sleeping with his nephew and she is part of the rogue group so is Hennessy’s younger love interest.
The film leads to Quoc getting his revenge with one big hurrah unleashing violent revenge on the baddies. Then again, his exploits could be seen as distracting from the main story about Hennessy, who has dissenters to search out but his undermined from within his ranks. The chaos also reveals how he has sold out his ideals for a life of corrupting power, illicit lovers, and clandestine deals with the British authorities which he once fought against as a young street fighter. While all this is happening to the politicians in London and Belfast, Quoc's presence is easily forgotten.
The action and choreography are top-notch. Of course, we get scenes with Jackie Chan using hand-to-hand combat, but we also get scenes with explosives and booby-trapping. These moments are filled with suspense and excitement, as we cannot wait to see where the story and characters take us next. Some scenes show Quan working with different methods of warfare that are incredibly tense and well crafted. These scenes create a level of suspense, engaging the audience completely in the world that Martin Campbell has created. In tandem with these scenes of huge action and combat, there are moments of quiet that allow the audience to reflect on what Quan must be feeling, creating an excellent film.
My Rating
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