About a week ago I saw Karate Kid, starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. First, it was really cool to see Will Smith's son starring in a movie and remember back to the days when he himself was a kid, like me back then, listening to his "Parents Just Don't Understand" and "Nightmare On My Street" blasting out of the speakers of my Nissan Sentra as I cruised down the road on a Friday night.
What made the movie even more worthwhile, is that Jackie Chan turns out to be an Oscar-worthy actor. All I'd seen him do previously was the "funny Asian guy out of his element in America" act, but it turns out it was because those were the parts he was given to play, not because that's all he can do.
Let me say it this way: Jackie Chan kicked that role's ass!!!
Said yet another way: Jackie Chan has a black belt in acting.
The movie itself will surprise you, because it's not just a remade movie. There are variations on the "wax on, wax off" theme, and just when you're wondering when the teacher is going to have the student wax the car, you're blind-sided with the realization that there was a different reason for having Jaden's character remove his jacket, drop it on the ground, pick it up, and hang it up repeatedly than you originally thought. (Ok, so you might have figured it out, but it's a really cool variation nonetheless.)
The scenery in the film gave it a realistic and genuine quality that is difficult to describe. I felt as though I was in China while watching this movie, and became quite immersed. The fact that there were so many things in the movie I could relate to only intensified that effect.
When Jackie Chan's character had his breakdown and destroyed the car on the anniversary of his personal tragedy, it was a mirror of my own experience with a devastating house fire many years ago. The futile attempt to gain control over an uncontrollable situation by obsessing over the details of it, the self-blame for things which one is not at fault, the intense pain of reliving it, all were things that grabbed me and pulled me through the silver screen and into the story.
Jackie Chan nailed the part so well, I was convinced that he had actually lived through something terribly tragic in his own life. I couldn't believe this was the same actor who played opposite Chris Tucker in so many comedies. Surely this must be Jackie Chan's twin, the intense one completely opposite from the funny one?
Backtracking to the beginning of the movie a bit, Jackie Chan manages to convey his character's state of mind without any spoken words at all. Facial expressions, his general appearance, the way he moves, all tell the story of a man who is worn down by something that just won't give him any peace.
Of course, if you read my post on relentlessness revisited, you know that the end of the movie was especially inspiring and also something I could relate to. It was just another whisper in my ear of the theme of the week: "You're not random. You're relentless."
I totally understand those who might scoff at the idea of a remake of a movie like this one. I suspect many might see it simply because they're Jackie Chan fans, and many may be tempted to skip it if they aren't. Go see it anyway. And if you don't become a Jackie Chan fan after seeing it, I want you to write to me and tell me how much of the movie you slept through, because that will be the only possible way you will manage to leave the theater without a newfound appreciation for the great Jackie Chan.
-A.M.
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