The Medallion (2003) User Reviews

Bemusing as well as agreeable film with super Jackie Chan

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 29 November 2004]

The movie centers a police agent (Jackie Chan) who will face down an evil baddie called Snakehead (Julian Sands) for the possession a medallion with an extraordinary power and he wants to use its magic for his own nefarious plans . Chan and other agents (Claire Forlani and Lee Evans) will have to face off nasties who are waiting to rule over the world and obtain eternal youth , but the medallion is carried by a boy and he hands over one halve to Jackie Chan . As Chan must determine the secret of the medallion and confront the evil Snakehead who wishes to use its magical powers for his own nefarious schemes .

From start to finish action pace is interminable , the movie is fast moving and that's why it is amusing and isn't boring , neither tiring . The film blends intrigue , humor , pursuits , frenetic action , struggles and results to be very entertaining . In spite of it , this comedy/action picture failed in the box office and was a real flop. The action by Jackie Chan is proceeded by means of special effects , FX , and wires to difference other films in which he makes his owns stunts . The motion picture has a certain likeness to ¨the Tuxedo¨ similar in extreme powers of Jackie such as : thanks to the 'medallion' and 'tuxedo'. While in the first Jennifer Love Hewitt played as ¨buddy movie¨ couple with Jackie Chan , here plays along with Claire Forlani .

The final showdown between the starring and nasty contenders is astounding and overwhelming although there are made by computer generator FX . The motion picture was regularly directed by Gordon Chan (Painted skin , Fist the legend , Thunderbolt) . After seeing credited director Gordon Chan's rough cut, Columbia hired Douglas Aarniokoski to shoot new sequences and re-edited the film extensively . The yarn will appeal to action-packed buffs and Jackie Chan fans.

Rating : Average 5/10

Fun fantasy, and not much else

[AwesomeWolf · 5/10 · 17 March 2005]

It has taken Jackie Chan about 27 years, a good 60 movies or so, and a few near death experiences for him to decide that he can start making movies that don't regularly involve certain death, thanks to CGI. The results are not so good. In fact, I'll just say it: 'The Medallion' is a terrible action movie.

Jackie plays Eddie Yang, a Hong Kong detective chasing a villain named Snakehead (those villains and their crazy names). Snakehead, like all Hong Kong villains is actually English, so when he kidnaps a boy with the power to control The Medallion, Yang follows him to Ireland to reclaim the Medallion and find the child (who just goes to prove, that even if you live in a Buddhist temple in a sewer below Hong Kong, you can still learn to speak perfect English with an English accent).

Seems like 'The Golden Child'? Why yes, yes it does. Its a fun fantasy movie for kids, but anyone wanting to watch an action movie should watch this up until a short cameo appearance by Sammo Hung and then turn it off very quickly. Now I'm not a fan of CGI action, but I assumed that with Jackie Chan starring and Sammo Hung directing the action - two action masters - could still pull of some entertaining action scenes. Apparently not, as 'The Medallion' is only marginally better than, oh, say 'Charlie's Angels 2'.

Fun for kids, but action fans should avoid entirely. I'm being generous when I give this 5/10.

Disappointing but likable Jackie Chan film

[gridoon2024 · 5/10 · 13 April 2008]

"The Medallion" has a pretty good first half: there are enough scenes to prove that Jackie Chan's still got it, from a fight aboard a ship (where he ties a guy's arm to his leg using his own shoelaces and a piece of clothing!) to a fun freewheeling foot chase, and other minor stunts. But after Jackie "dies" and comes back equipped with superpowers, there are no more real fight scenes for him: they are all special effects - enhanced and wired. From a pure martial arts perspective, Claire Forlani's close-quarters fights near the end are the best that the second half of this film has to offer (more proof that Sammo Hung can make anyone look like a genuine martial artist!). The story is basically a rehash of Eddie Murphy's "The Golden Child", and it has a rushed feel to it (it's probably no coincidence that the DVD contains about 15 deleted scenes). But the cast is likable: Forlani is utterly lovely, Julian Sands is ideally cast as the immortality-seeking villain, and Jackie is always Jackie. "The Medallion" will probably disappoint most martial arts fans, but those who like the main actors will definitely get some enjoyment out of it. (**)

To say this movie is awful is an understatement!

[TheLittleSongbird · 1/10 · 15 June 2009]

Usually, I try not to judge a film solely on its failures, but unfortunately, as much as I wanted to like this movie, The Medallion has more flaws than you can count. There are some films of Jackie Chan that I like, Rush Hour especially. However, this is not one of them, and I will say right now that Chan is the only redeeming quality to this clunky mess: it certainly didn't help that the film looked as though it had been edited on a bacon slicer. The stunts are usually the best thing in a Jackie Chan movie, but the execution here is very confused, lacking drive and energy. The fact that the film is also devoid of a convincing enough plot is yet another disadvantage, and the script is uninvolving, was forced at times and lacked bite. The chemistry between Chan and his girlfriend (played by Clare Forlani) was unconvincing. Now I liked Julian Sands in The Scoundrel's Wife, and as an actor he is generally watchable, but his villain Snakehead was poorly written, and not at all threatening, and the child did literally nothing but stare which was rather unpleasant at times. The film also wasted the talents of John Rhys Davies, a very good actor, when he has some decent enough material, not the case here. I suppose the worst thing about this movie, is the truly irritating performance of comedian Lee Evans as Chan's partner. Honestly everything he said and did made me cringe, it was strongly reminiscent of Marlon Wayans in Dungeons & Dragons, proving that anyone who's going to try to bring some humour into an overall hopeless film, is going to fail miserably. Overall, a film that is a bit of a mess to put it kindly. If you like Chan, you may like it, otherwise avoid. Not the absolute worst movie I have ever seen, but it certainly lingers at that end of the film spectrum. 1/10 Bethany Cox.

A sloppy effort best watched on DVD..

[movielad · 6/10 · 23 April 2004]

Despite going on 50, Jackie Chan is still up to his antics in this action and special effects filled fantasy.

What could have been a fantastic film ends up a complete mess what appears due to studio interference. Silly music cues, unfunny 'comedic' moments and sloppy editing (and blatant continuity mistakes) has resulted in a mish-mash of various sequences thrown together to resemble what looks like a plot.

Good points - the special effects. However, I must admit to being biased. Claire Forlani, Jackie Chan and Lee Evans. Good cast - but not put to good use at all. There are very few laughs in this film (but at least there are some!). The fine action work by Jackie and the stunt team. You can't fault that.

Bad points - just about everything else.

This is a film you'd probably best off renting when drunk or when there really isn't much else on the TV.

On DVD, you get a decent enough audio commentary from the producer and editor and some deleted scenes.

Typical Jackie Chan movie of later years

[Enchorde · 5/10 · 14 September 2006]

Recap: Police officer Eddie Yang traces known gangster Snakehead to Ireland after Snakehead kidnapped a holy kid in Hong Kong. According to the myth, the kid, with a certain medallion, can resurrect people and give them superpowers (like immortality). Yang, and his colleagues Watson and James, tries to free the kid as Snakehead tries to smuggle the kid into Ireland on a boat. The result however is that the kid and Eddie falls in to the water, trapped in a container. Eddie drowns, but saves the boy, and in return, the boy later resurrects Eddie. Now, Eddie, with superpowers must stop Snakehead once and for all.

Comments: I thought they really had something going there. Started out nice. As I expected, a lot of martial arts and fights, all nicely choreographed and with augmented with extra aids (like wires), of course, but still with a good feeling and some nice touches. The story was nothing fancy, but they had found the balance in the fights. Just enough fancy kicks and jumps. Action director Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan were onto something here. Then came the superpowers. Then everything went just silly. The balance went right out the window (along with Jackie Chan/Eddie Yang actually). Instead of nicely choreographed fights we get ridiculous fights with a lot of special effects. Net result; Silly. And the story didn't get any better either.

Jackie Chan delivers what is expected of him, he does what he usually does. But I can't do anything but wonder why the character Arthur Watson is in the movie? To add some comic element apparently, as that was needed. Watson is annoyingly clumsy, petty and incompetent and has mysteriously risen to a high position within Interpol. Evans plays the part well, I guess he does what is asked of him, but again, why is the character in the movie? Claire Forlani got the role of Nicole James, agent/love interest, of Eddie Yang. Though Nicole is much more competent than Watson she is clearly side-stepped both in the movie and with the virtual Interpol. Therefore her role is small, her potential and talent not used, her major part is as the one taking care of the kid (Doh, she's a woman - and this is a boring stereotype). She gets to show her skill in martial arts a few times though, showing she (or her stunt double - some shots make it easy to assume she has one) got them. Her only major fight though is, of course, against the female bad guy (to the sound of screeching cats... oh, come on!).

So, the beginning was promising, the second "half" disappointing. On average a 5.

It Almost Worked!!

[jrat6200 · 23 August 2003]

Being a long time fan of Hong Kong cinema and a big Jackie Chan fan, I had high hopes for The Medallion. Shanghai Knights was pretty good. When I saw the trailer for The Medallion, it showed Jackie performing as usual plus the cgi crap. But, I wanted to give it a chance. A lot of film experts and other sources of information gave insight into the movie, and it received a lot of promotion. I thought Jackie would return to his original style in this one considering his age. I'm going to look at two perspectives of film, the pros and cons.

PROS - There were two action scenes where Jackie doesn't do any wire martial arts nor requires cgi involvement during the first half of the movie. Given the fact that Jackie is reaching 50, he can still get down. The female lead was great. Claire Forlani exceeded my expectations of the female character, and her acting wasn't really bad either. She gets to do some martial arts herself (couldn't stand Jennifer Love Hewitt in The Tuxedo egh!!!). Lee Evans provides the comic relief along Jackie's martial arts and stunt work. I liked the way Hong Kong and American filmmakers collaborated to do the film. Look out for veteran Hong Kong actor Anthony Wong in a supporting role as the bad guy.

CONS - The cgi incorporated into the film just didn't do it for me. Filmmakers can't use cgi for everything. I'm tired of seeing people running through trees and jumping over things that's not possible in reality. The plot in the film had to many holes and seemed to be rushed at times. Jackie's acting didn't seem to fair well including the chemistry between him and Claire. It seemed to dull. Julian Sands wasted his time in this film. Hope he takes this as a lesson learned. Bey Logan's writing skills needs a brush up before he can continue on in my opinion. I hope he doesn't utilize the same form in the upcoming movie, Kung Fu Master. The mystical kid in the movie annoyed me too much, and he only said two sentences throughout the whole movie. Repeating the Golden Child theme is just ridiculous.

All in all, the movie was alright. Compared to Jackie's recent American releases, this better than The Tuxedo but less than Shanghai Knights. Jackie doesn't have to take every movie offer he can. Take a break and come back with the Police Story series or something. This is a type of movie that can only be seen once or twice if you want to consider your judgement about the movie.

My final vote 6/10

Great

[Timofey1980 · 7/10 · 20 April 2021]

Hong Kong police officer Eddie Young manages to survive in an absolutely hopeless situation. His life is saved by a mysterious magic medallion. This antique jewelry gives Eddie incredible, superhuman power, turning him into an invincible warrior. Young, along with his partner Nicole, is trying to solve the mystery of the medallion, and at the same time fight back against members of an ancient military order trying to get hold of a powerful relic...

Too Painful to Watch, Too Loud to Sleep Through

[BangPing · 3/10 · 20 September 2003]

In 3 words, awful, awful, awful.

I began watching Jackie Chan movies because it was SO cool that anyone could move like that. He didn't need the stuntmen, he didn't need the CGI, he was just that good. Plus, his movies had a sense of humor that was subtle enough to be funny without feeling you were being hit in the head with a 2x4.

And now this travesty of a movie. The action scenes? CGI'd up to the point that Ben Affleck could pull 'em off. The comedy? Lame, and forced.

As I sat in shell-shocked silence at the end of the movie (having tried desperately yet unsuccessfully several times throughout to go to sleep), all I could wonder is, what was Jackie Chan thinking? :(

feel good comedy

[gordon-wright4 · 7/10 · 20 August 2005]

Lee Evans and Jackie Chan make this great feel good comedy a good one to watch, with great stunts as you would expect from Mr Chan and they always leave you thinking how does he do that!! Mr Lee Evans is so funny. This light- hearted comedy gives Lee Evans some brilliant scenes to show his funny visual excellence!Claire Forlani makes a great support actress. You may recognise her in that funny movie Mystery Men.There are no slow bits and the story unfolds at a nice rate. Don't miss the usual out takes we all know and love with Jackie Chan movies running through the credits. Enjoy the great locations and scenery throughout the film.

Surprisingly Disappointed

[Hoopla · 5/10 · 29 August 2003]

I expect a lot more from Jackie Chan's movies. The story line seemed to jump around and the editing was poor. Some of the special effects made me feel like I was watching streaming media over a slow connection.

The relationship between Jackie and his girlfriend was not very convincing.

Don't use this movie as a gauge of Jackie's USA productions. The Rush Hour and Shanghai series we much better.

Spoiler:

Why didn't they ever explain why the Librarian's wife had weapons?

Entertaining, Fast-Paced Genre Melder

[BrandtSponseller · 8/10 · 13 January 2005]

Every 1000 years a child is born who can wield the power of two halves of a supernatural medallion, which can bestow superhuman strength and immortality, as well as take life away. Snakehead (Julian Sands), your typical crook with world domination ambitions, has discovered the identity of a modern-day chosen child, and pursues him. Meanwhile, Hong Kong police detective Eddie Yang (Jackie Chan) and Interpol agents Arthur Watson (Lee Evans) and Nicole James (Claire Forlani) have been pursuing Snakehead because of his criminal activities, and stumble into the grander scheme.

While The Medallion is certainly not a film without flaws, it is satisfying on the whole if you approach it as a comic book/cartoon-styled Jackie Chan actioner. The film combines even more genres than that, actually, and there are times when it seems almost to be a spoof of James Bond-styled thrillers. There are also more straightforward comedy elements--especially when Evans is on screen, the film almost becomes a slapstick farce--there are Matrix-styled fantasy/action aspects, and there is a romance subplot. On top of all of that, The Medallion moves very quickly. Director Gordon Chan packs a lot of information into the film and barely pauses for a breath--if you blink, you're likely to miss some bit of crucial action, a plot point, or a joke.

In short, it's a complex stew of different genres, with a mixture of adult themes and childlike lightheartedness, wrapped in a dense mythology of fantasy and served at a non-stop, breakneck pace. Undoubtedly, those qualities will turn off a great deal of viewers, whether because they hate MTV/attention-deficit-disorder-styled editing, genre hopping or a lack of real-world believability. I don't mind any of those qualities, and in fact I tend to prefer films that forgo realism.

I only had two small complaints about The Medallion. One, it took me a few scenes to get up to speed with the film, both plot-wise and in terms of style. Once I got into the groove, though, I didn't want the film to stop--enough that my second complaint is that the film was too short (and in general, I strongly dislike the fact that most films seem to be forced by studios to end within 90 minutes). I wanted to see more of these characters, especially Evans, who stole most of the scenes he appeared in. Jackie Chan fans seeking a return to films that are solely kung fu-oriented will likely be disappointed, but if you have broader tastes, The Medallion might hit the spot. An 8 out of 10 from me.

Not that bad.. but not that great either

[Mr_Spiffy · 6/10 · 24 August 2003]

I just saw this film last night. Honestly, I wanted to see another film, but I digress. To be honest, I was impressed. I'm not the martial arts freakazoid type. You can read other reviews to see a plot layout. I did notice, as others have said, obvious cuts in the story.

One spoiler: One of the character's wives ends up being a kick butt martial artist. One of the plot points is that he pretends to be a librarian. Nothing more is said. I assume she belongs to the Interpol police as well, but nothing is touched again.

But overall I enjoyed the film. Jackie Chan is really starting to show his age, as others have said. And the probability between him and a 20-something relationship wise is rather unlikely. However, it's escapist fun. If you just want to go out and have fun at the movies with no expectations, watch this film. It's no Matrix, but at least it isn't drek like The Four Feathers or Star Trek 5. Expect nothing and you'll enjoy yourself. Expect great art, and you'll be disappointed.

6/10

How come a film like this is ever released??

[egilDOTnet · 1/10 · 4 December 2004]

First, I have to tell you - I am a HUGE Jackie Chan fan. His mix of comedy and martial arts is a thrill to watch - under normal circumstances that is. Whatever made Jackie decide he wanted to do this movie I don't know, and frankly - I don't think I want to know!

The story, or what's left of it, is like a copy of "The Golden Child" from Eddie Murphys black years (pun intended). However, its even worse than Golden Child - where GC had some laughs, this one really have nothing to show. Well, to be honest, the first 10-15 minutes is not THAT bad, but apart from that it's really horrible. In the DVD commentary, the director is actually trying to tell us the plot along the way! Thats how bad this movie is.

The supposedly funny sidekick appearing with Chan, Lee Evans, is a total disaster. Don't know whatever he has been doing before, but he acts like this is a children movie. Maybe it should be.

CGI and Jackie Chan is just an awful combination. I would not touch this flick even with a virtual 3 feet pole if I were you. Fix your act, Jackie!!!

One of Jackie's worst!

[Wizard-8 · 3 January 2004]

They had $35 million or so dollars to make this movie! If you've seen plenty of Hong Kong movies like I have, you know they are able to stretch a dollar to incredible levels. So you might think that this would be the Hong Kong movie to rule over all others.

Think again! The first and obvious mistake they made was having Jackie using wirework and other special effects. Huh? Did they somehow forget that Jackie made a name for himself by NOT using wirework and special effects? Plus, you could see that he was taking real risks by not using that stuff, so his antics were more thrilling and entertaining as a result. Also, ANYONE could have easily done what Jackie did in this movie because of all the special effects work - so what was the point of hiring Jackie?

Even with all the money and time put into these action sequences, they are a mess. The editing gives us a different shot every millisecond or so, making it hard to get a handle on the action. (Also, the camera was a lot closer to the action than in Jackie's other movies, so much so that even seeing the movie in widescreen still makes it confusing at times.) Look at Jackie's other movies - the camera stays back, and the editing is kept to a minimum. We see everything of the action in those movies, and the minimum editing prevents any breaks in building excitement.

Speaking of editing, the American editors did a TERRIBLE job altering it for North American audiences. The story makes no sense, with even a lot of the minor details not being explained. (For example, the surprise revelation of Watson's wife.) The DVD contains a number of deleted scenes, though watching them clears up very little of the confusion - in fact, the deleted scenes just reveal new murky details that add MORE confusion! I suspect there were a number of other scenes cut that did explain things better, but that were left out by Sony in perhaps embarrassing realization their American editors did a terrible job.

But even with a story that would make no sense, this would still be tough going, not just with the mishandled action scenes but also because of the movie's incredibly bad sense of humor. Particularly with Lee Evans' character, who is unbelievably annoying - at least the editors showed SOME sense by cutting out some of his painful scenes. So even if you have a region-free DVD machine and are a die-hard fan of Jackie, I strongly suggest you don't even pick up the Asian DVD release of this movie when it comes out!

Waste of money.

[Streetwolf · 1/10 · 4 October 2003]

Lately every Jackie Chan movie i've seen has been a disappointment, I really didn't expect much from this movie and i was right.

Eddie is a Hong Kong cop helping Interpol grab a criminal called Snakehead, who seems to be after an ancient medallion and its a keeper, a young boy, who has been chosen to give life, power and immortality to whomever he heals with it. After the boy is kidnapped during a failed attempt of capturing Snakehead, Eddie is sent to Dublin, Ireland to continue his investigation with Watson, a nerdy Interpol officer, who can't seem to get anything right and Laura, another Interpol officer, who has a history with Eddie. When Eddie dies whilst saving the boy, the boy gives life back to Eddie, which leads him to discover new things about himself.

The movie is senseless, the comedy sidekick (Lee Evans) Watson is a total bore and the only thing good about this movie were the few stunts and scenes by Jackie himself, I'm still wondering how he managed to fit through that gate, but I guess that's just Jackie. I was going to give a 1/10 but because of that gate scene Im rating it a 2/10 in hopes that Jackie makes some decent movies in the future.

Sort of like National Treasure

[HotToastyRag · 6/10 · 17 July 2022]

If you like the type of movies like National Treasure and Tomb Raider, but you want a lot more action inserted into the plot, you'll probably really enjoy The Medallion, starring Jackie Chan. It's a fantasy story about a magical ancient medallion that gets sent down through the generations and gives the owner some magic.

Jackie teams up with Claire Forlani, who has some seriously hidden talents. It's really fun to watch her kick and punch like a regular Charlie's Angel. Together, they fight against bad guy Julian Sands (why are we not surprised?) while trying to protect an innocent child, Alex Bao, the rightful owner of the medallion. Along for the ride and for comic relief is Lee Evans, who will probably be the favorite of those who are bored in the audience. If you don't like the fantasy element and just went to see Jackie Chan, you might not like this one. Inane comments and incompetence from Lee might be the only bits that bring a smile to your face.

For die-hard Jackie fans, though, every movie is a treat. This fellow has to risk broken bones, speak in a foreign language, work with children, and manage to not look in the camera. Isn't that entertainment enough?

Don't try it the American Way, Jacky!

[heungkong · 4/10 · 23 August 2003]

I saw the movie, it was a big disappointment. Actually I didn't have high hopes, because I saw the director was Gordon Chan, that said enough. : awful acting, over the top "funny" scenes etc. However I was hoping for some old school HongKong style action, since the stunt director was Sammo Hung and the movie was a HK production. But no, no crazy falls or stunts, and what's even worse, Jacky always mentioned that he doesn't like SFX. But in this movie there are loads of SFX and the fighting is not good at all. The fights were shot in an "american" style. That means close ups and a flurry of fists and feet and lots of fast editing techniques. Without actually seeing the whole "wide angle" shot. No, better give me the original Drunken Master and the Fearless Hyena. I know, Jacky becomes older and older, maybe it should be better to show some impressive fighting techniques, instead of filling up the movie with meaningless brawls and SFX. Tip: have a look at the end fights from Drunkenmaster and Drunkenmaster II and the Fearless Hyena (endless fights but immensely entertaining). That's the REAL Jacky and the kind of kung-fu action I started to love a long time ago. Please let me be the director next time, I guess everyone could be a better director than Gordon Chan. Actually the same thing goes for Jet Lee, if you ever saw "the Shaolin Temple" movie, one of his first movies, then you know this guy is extremely good in Kung-Fu. However when making "American" movies, things aren't looking so good anymore. Why do they need to shoot those movies in such a unrealistic (spectacular) way, while keeping things simple helps to create a greater impact. Because you know it's a real kick or technique and not a unrealistic movement. That's why Bruce Lee became so famous. His kung-fu was serious off and on screen. And that made an impact on the viewers. (the fight against Chuck Norris for example) Just one punch or kick can level an opponent. I know that Jacky wants to entertain, and with good reason, he is very good in that. But please do it in the "old school" way and not the "i must fight like an western actor" way. Don't get me wrong I am a big fan of Jacky, but I just have some comments on his recent developments that I had to post here. The music was composed by someone called something like Adrian Lee, it was on par with the movie, that's means it was bad.

Sorry Jacky, next time better I hope. Do it "your" own way not "their" way. Also a note to Gordon Chan, just make local HK movies and don't try to make Western movies. People don't buy it. Sorry.

A Reasonable Adventure of the Still Agile Jackie Chan

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 12 July 2004]

In Honk Kong, the detective Eddie Yang (Jackie Chan) together with many Interpol agents leaded by the Irish agent Arthur Watson (Lee Evans) try unsuccessfully to arrest the bandit Snakehead (Julian Sands), who kidnaps a powerful boy with his magic medallion. Eddie is sent to Ireland to catch Snakehead, where he meets Watson, and his former love, the agent and liaison of Interpol in Asia Nicole James (Claire Forlani). Together, they try to locate Snakehead and the kidnapped boy. Although full of special effects and flaws in the screenplay, this movie is a reasonable adventure of the still agile Jackie Chan. In the past, he was proud of making by himself the daring scenes, without the use of stunts or special effects. Now that Hollywood has found him, what a difference (for worst) in his last movies! I miss his style in his funny, naive and full of action Hong Kong movies. The annoying and horrible Lee Evans destroys all the scenes supposed to be funny. The guy is so awful and ridiculous that becomes hard to see him. His best participation is when his character Watson makes fun of one of the many flaws in the screenplay: when Eddie is resuscitated, he appears completely naked, while the same does not happen with Nicole. The nasty soundtrack, trying to make a cue of the supposed to be more laughable scenes, irritated me. Why Watson's wife is able to fight so well? Is she also an undercover agent? If the boy was so powerful, as showed in the end of the story, why the need of his pursuance by the agents? My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): `O Medalhão' (` The Medallion')

so...so....HORRIBLE!

[mega_mike · 1/10 · 20 August 2003]

Don't see this movie. Thank god I saw it for free at an advance screening. Jackie Chan movies have always been a bit silly, but this one is just plain bad. On top of that, there are only TWO FIGHT scenes worth watching, and both happen in the first half of the movie (the dock fight and the street chase). Pointless scenes (why the hell were they dancing and cooking at that dudes house? And more importantly...WHY THE HELL WAS THAT SCENE SO DAMN LONG!!!), horrible acting, and bone-gringly bad humor add to this horrible mess made by Jackie Chan Productions. Jackie can't blame any directors or writers for this mess...his name is all over it. Jackie made his name doing his own stunts....Jackie on wires is just horrible. It cheapens everything he does. Rent and watch a real Jackie Chan movie, not this.

Pee-yew

[filmboydoug · 6/10 · 24 August 2003]

Poor movie. Even worse than The Tuxedo even though it has a similar plot. I am also growing tired of wire-fu fight scenes. One bright spot is a chase scene where Jackie climbs a 15 gate, squeezes through a grate and climbs back down faster than I can sit down on my couch. All this being said, I would be happy to pay $7 just to watch Claire Forlani drink a cup of coffee.

OK, but not the best...

[doyler · 5/10 · 4 September 2003]

I like all of Jackie's newer movies (i.e., not crap like Drunken Master) and this one is OK. But it actually is a repeat of "The Tuxedo" which was almost identical, except instead of a Tuxedo giving him the magic powers it is a medallion.

The same duel between him and the bad medallion wearer is at the end just like The Tuxedo. But the Tux was better all around, no romance, which he isn't good at yet.

Also, the leading lady in this one was poor compared to Tux.

I think he needs some new writers and he will come back...can't wait to see "Around the World in 80 Days"!

Jackie Chan is the Man!

[g-bodyl · 9/10 · 23 November 2008]

I liked this movie even though there are way too many holes in the film. If you compare this movie to the Rush Hour movies or Shanghai Noon, you will probably hate this film. I saw this movie with a laidback mind and expecting nothing more than a fun action movie. That is what I got. The story is about a medallion that has two halves. Each half gives superhuman strength to the user, but you have to be dead first. If the halves are combined, you get immortality. Now Chan and his gang of Interpol cops must keep the medallion and the user, a kid away from the people who want to use the medallion for bad. Jackie Chan is very clever in this film. He acts well and adds a bit of comedy. Claire Forlani also did a great job. Lee Evans was so-so. He can be a bit annoying. The special effects sucked. A rule of advice is never add CGI to a Jackie Chan movie. It will make that movie bad. What is the point of the cat meowing? It made the movie even worse. Overall, this is a good family film, even though it's a bit cheesy. I rate this movie 9/10.

Underrated Jackie Chan Film,That's Pretty Entertaining With Fantastic Performances All Around!

[callanvass · 7/10 · 14 July 2005]

This is an underrated Jackie Chan film, that's pretty entertaining, with fantastic performances all around!. It's very well made, and i thought the special effects were great, plus Jackie Chan and Claire Forlani had amazing chemistry together!. Most critics panned this film, however i found it to be pretty entertaining, and sure while it's no masterpiece, it's a pretty fun film, with lots of exciting action and a cool, story, plus all the characters were great!. Lee Evans is extremely hilarious here, and i was really surprised by how much i enjoyed it, plus the finale was awesome!. Julian Sands is very menacing as the main villain, and i really dug the plot, plus Jackie's stunts were incredible as usual!.This is an underrated Jackie Chan film, that's pretty entertaining, with fantastic performances all around!, and i highly recommend it!. The Direction is pretty good. Gordon Chan does a good job here, with good camera work, good angles, some stylish shots here and there, and keeping the film at a fast pace!. The Acting is awesome!. Jakcie Chan is AMAZING as always, and is amazing here, he is extremely likable, funny, had amazing chemistry with Forlani, kicked that ass, was tons of fun to watch and really seemed to being enjoying himself! (Jackie Rules!). Claire Forlani is STUNNINGLY GORGEOUS!, and is amazing here, she is incredibly sexy, extremely likable, had amazing chemistry, with Jackie, is excellent in the acting department, and is one of the most gorgeous woman i have ever seen!. Julian Sands is great as the main villain, he was evil, and was also pretty menacing!, i loved him as usual (Sands rules). John Rhys-Davies has barely anything to do, he did okay i guess. The boy does really good. Rest of the cast are fine. Overall i highly recommend it!. ***1/2 out of 5

Disappointing movie.

[MadWatch · 4/10 · 23 August 2003]

I am an avid fan of Jackie Chan and respect him as a person and as an action hero/martial arts actor. However, I still have to admit that Medallion left me confused and unfulfilled.

Summary: Eddy Yang is a Hong Kong police officer that is teamed up with 2 Interpol officers, Nicole James and Arthur Watson, in Dublin, to rescue a kidnapped boy. During the rescue, Eddie dies and the boy uses the supernatural powers of the medallion he holds to reincarnate Eddie. After this, Eddie has supernatural healing ability, strength and speed. Meanwhile, a villain named Snakehead (the one who had the boy kidnapped) is trying to get the immortal power of the medallion. All this leads to a confrontation between Eddie and Snakehead.

Oh, where to begin. The pacing of this movie was way off. Frequently scenes seemed out of place or as if you had missed something. The dialogue was rather poor and frequently the interaction between characters was really, really forced. Occasionally throughout the movie, my friend would turn to me (or I to him) and ask, "Um, did I miss something?"

The plot is nothing new and has been done before. The Medallion is a fusion between The Golden Child and Bulletproof Monk.

However, I am still hesitant to give the more a horrible rating because, although the movie was frequently incoherent, cheesy and had poor dialogue, there were some honest-to-goodness really good scenes. For example, there is a scene when Eddie first discovers his invulnerability and has Watson stab him with a knife to prove it. After the first thrust did not injure Eddie, Watson repeatedly stabbed Eddie much to his chagrin. The scene was well played out and was hilarious! There were other good scenes too. The pace of the movie went rather like, "This is dumb." "Oh, this is good!" "This is stupid!" "Wow! This is a cool scene!" and so on.

So, here is my final result. The movie was rather disappointing overall, but did have some genuine good scenes. Also, Jackie Chan is always a pleasure to see doing his "Jackie Chan" role with his style of fighting and acrobatic (even if most of it was 'enhanced' in this movie). I give the movie 4 out of 10.