Gorgeous

Jackie Chan’s success in America was long overdue.  While hardcore fans still dismiss films like Rush Hourand Shanghai Noon as watered-down versions of his earlier work, Chan finally had the financial clout to do things his way.  And his first outside-the-box Hong Kong production was Gorgeous (1999), of all things a fairy-tale romantic comedy with Chan falling for a girl (Shu Qi) over twenty years his junior.  It’s an awkward fit, with several martial arts sequences shoehorned into the storyline…one of which is a boxing battle for the ages between Jackie and late stunt coordinator Brad Allan.

 

Lured to Hong Kong by a romantic message in a bottle, Bu (Shu Qi) arrives to find her dream man is, instead, a gay make-up artist who tutors her in the finer points of love.  She uses her charms to woo C. N. Chan (Jackie Chan), a romantically-challenged millionaire whose business dealings make him a target for frequent martial arts skirmishes.  Pushed into a battle of fists with a hired boxing champ (Brad Allan), C.N. must find the strength within to best his opponent and win Bu’s love.

 

Make no mistake, the May-December aspect to Gorgeous is seriously off-putting, despite the fact that Chan and Shu Qi never share a single kiss until the final shot of the credits (part of Jackie’s usual outtake reel).  While Qi was in her early twenties during filming, her pigtails and cutesy expressions make her seem far younger.  It’s creepy and cringey from the word go.  But buried in all of this treacly attempt to craft Chan a new image are two of the best fight sequences in his entire catalog.

 

The late Brad Allan was the first non-Asian to join Jackie’s stunt team, eventually going on to become stunt coordinator and second unit director on several films including Marvel’s Shang Chi.  But Gorgeous is a different showcase altogether, pushing Allan into the spotlight as a diminutive boxing champion hired to take Chan down a peg.  Spread across two rounds, both scenes are movies unto themselves, with Allan making for a challenging but honorable opponent.  Like the rest of the film, it’s all rather chaste, with a feel of friendly competition rather than knockout brutality.  But that’s what Jackie does best.  As for the rest of the film, it just proves he should stick to it.

 

88 Films’ Blu-ray package lives up to the movie’s title…it’s simply gorgeous!  Sporting 2K transfers of the Hong Kong and International Cuts along with interviews focused on Brad Allan, director Vincent Kok, two separate commentary tracks, liner notes and fold-out poster all wrapped up in a stunning slipcover, it’s top-notch treatment all around.

 

 

 

 

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