2 gibbles out of 5

The results of accidental spying.

Director: Teddy Chan

Well into his American career, out came Jackie Chan’s “The Accidental Spy.”  Though a Hong Kong production, the film jumps around in languages on occasion, which is part of the jumbled nature of the film.  Attempting to straddle many aspects of film in one is not new to Chan’s film history, but here all those aspects – drama, comedy, romance, martial arts, action – don’t hit any real high notes, keeping it a mixed-up, mundane affair.

The plot could be mistaken, initially, for similar “whoops, i’m a spy now” flicks, which seems to be what the translated title wants us to assume.  Chan works at a fitness store, using his comedy skills (slapstick mixed with athleticism) to sell many, many fitness machines.  Spoiler: he does not use a fitness machine to save the world at the end of the film.  Scattered through “Spy” are several random elements which are there and then not.  Chan ends up halting a robbery near his store, becoming a media celebrity.  His celebrity allows the CIA to track him down, as his affiliations might help them to flush out a baddie in hiding.  Cue some globe-hopping, a few very minor fight scenes, and a mixed up plot that wants to draw elements from quest type films like National Treasure but never sticks to one direction long enough to build momentum.

But we’re not really expecting the film to be fantastic.  We’re expecting good guys and bad guys and probably some martial arts.  Sorry to disappoint, says “Accidental Spy.”  Accepting that in film land we throw civilians into deep cover CIA operations all the time, Chan gets no real guidance in how to track down his target.  The audience gets no real guidance beyond some very quick explanations as to who is tied to who and why that makes them bad.  The camera ends up pointing us in a certain direction and letting us know so and so is evil, but during the machinations of the plot it’s easy to forget who’s who until, oh, right, the bad guys are the ones getting punched.  Chan is given some moral decisions during his Accidental Spying, but these also lack distinction.  Thankfully, through the poor blend of styles, some interesting sets are found, using exotic locations as the backdrop, and though our lead characters might be faceless, the acting is flexible enough (with the exception of a couple extra wooden people here and there) to be watchable.

As to the action, perhaps we have been spoiled by Tony Jaa and the recent Gareth Evans movies, but this film is lacking in things we couldn’t mostly stage in our bedroom.  It seems that this is lower caliber even for Chan, though, as his more athletic film fighting style (as opposed to the aggression of Jaa) only really gets use in one awesome scene where Chan runs through city streets, fighting off bad guys while grabbing various items to cover his naked butt, as he’d been interrupted mid-bath.  This is truly a great bit, absolutely the highlight of the film, and is worth flipping to if the film came on TV.  What comes after and before is a little grey, but this scene has tons of excitement, comedy, holy eff moments and great choreography.  It reminds you of what Chan is capable.

So.  Looking for a random martial arts flick?  Accidental Spy will probably be a bit too story heavy, but it has enough flavor to pass the time.  For Chan fans, this will probably be a letdown except for a couple key moments.