Opens January 10, Cert 12A, 98 mins
James Bond has had a lot of competition recently: Matt Damon in The Bourne Identity, Vin Diesel in xXx and the pint-sized heroes of Spy Kids 2. Now it’s Jackie Chan’s turn to take on 007 in this entertaining if disposable caper about a boy, a girl and a hi-tech dinner jacket.
Jackie Chan plays a humble chauffeur who turns into… well, Jackie Chan the moment he dons his employer’s prized tuxedo. Equipped with more gadgets than the whole of Q Branch, Jackie finds he can walk up walls, turn invisible and move like James Brown?talents that come in handy when he’s called upon to battle a madman out to contaminate the world’s water.
As Chan vehicles go this is fairly average, and sidekick Jennifer Love Hewitt is a poor substitute for Rush Hour’s Chris Tucker. Still, Kevin Donovan’s feature debut boasts enough fight scenes, slapstick comedy routines and outlandish stunts to satisfy the most ardent fan, and although this tux might have looked better on someone else, Jackie nonetheless wears it with aplomb