I grew up experiencing Jackie Chan in his prime, in the states at least. Movies like Rush Hour and The Tuxedo proved to me that Chan had something special. He could beautifully blend the elements of Kung Fu and comedy together, resulting in something that was a more chaotic variation on physical comedy. With his latest outing, Vanguard, he once again delivers on that. This time, Chan oversees a private security company that goes up against a group of mercenaries hungry for blood and gold alike.
Chan proves even at 66 years old he still has what it takes to entertain.Once again, Chan brings his signature blend of comedy and martial arts to the front lines. Chan leads the charge with grace opposite his younger co-stars. Possibly the only relationship that comes close to Chan would be the chemistry between Yang Yang and Lun Ai. These two are introduced fairly early in the movie and immediately light the screen with their dynamic. As the film progresses it's really their friendship that serves as the underlying emotional foundation for the movie, even daring to bring audiences to tears during its climatic third act.
Even if it does tend to get a bit emotional, it’s oddly misplaced. It’s far from alone. Vanguard is riddled with issues. There’s a reason this security company has stayed underground and in a lot of ways this movie should follow suit. While Chan, Yang, and Ai are all standouts, the majority of the cast is over acting to a polarizing degree. Perhaps what’s even worse is the blending of cultures. I found myself walking out of this movie questioning the intended audience for this movie.
The film was released in China in September of this year. Which is fine, we’ve covered our fair share of Chinese movies over the past year. To clarify when I’m talking about its culture blending, I’m addressing its dialect. Vanguard makes an attempt to go international. Setting foot in China, Africa, London, and Dubai, but only featuring Chinese and English dialects. Dubai’s national language is Arabic. If you’re going to commit to going international, commit to the entirety of language too. This movie also has just as troublesome tones too. Civil unrest has been a huge point of conversation this year.
Riveting classics like Gone with The Wind and others have been called out recently for their portrayal of certain ethnicities. Vanguard predominantly features a Chinese actor in brown face for the duration of an entire action sequence, then dares to go further with racial undertones at Chinese and Arabic races and religions at the other points in the movie. It just makes this movie feel careless. Probably one of the worst things about this movie is that it feels like a family movie.
Overall, Vanguard might have awesome fight choreography and standout performances. However, it's riddled with issues that range from racist undertones to terrible CGI and overacting. By the end of the movie, even the narrative becomes convoluted, transforming itself from an action movie to the plot of a Spy Kids sequel. Just when you thought 2020 couldn’t get any worse, make way for Vanguard.
RORSCHACH RATING:
Mental Health Moment: For as much as I found myself truly hating this film I did find something admirable. Early in my review I discussed the chemistry between Yang Yang and Lun Ai. It really is the backbone of the entire film. There is a scene where one of the characters is thought to be dead and the other goes back to rescue him. Throughout this intense car chase scene, the living character is attempting to bring back the currently unconscious character. He never gives up on him. He believes with every ounce of strength in him, he can bring his friend back. Here at Victims and Villains we’ve stressed the importance of community and mental health many times. But I’m curious if we would fight for that community. Mental health is worth the fight. If mental health is vital to that fight, shouldn't the community be on equal footing? We live in this age where it’s so incredibly easy to remain offended and move on. We grow bitter instead of growing better. Sometimes community means fighting the good fight together and getting dirty. I would encourage you to fight for friendships and marriages alike - the healthy ones at least.
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Victims and Villains is written Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey (and produced by) and more. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. Vanguard is property of China Film Limited. We do not own nor claim any rights. Vanguard is now playing in theaters.
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