Hardly anyone expects an action thriller to be as moving as The Foreigner. There are tons to choose from that begin with the exact same inciting incident – protagonist's loved ones get killed. Often they even waste unnecessary time so that the audience can grow attached to the soon-to-be-deceased and relate more strongly to the main character. However. Jackie Chan will break your heart from the get go. Maybe it's his own personal lovable demeanour that we've more often than not used to see smiling happily, that helps in the matter, but Jackie's acting skills are nothing to sneer at either. He does a wonderful job.

The film is it's definitely darker and more realistically portrayed than quite a few Jackie's latest works. Jackie's age shows, but in his favour and definitely does not hinder his abilities as one of the world's top action stars. Every punch, kick and fall his character receives reverberates in the viewer, making you believe that this time the protagonist is not invincible.

Though the trailer perhaps might be somewhat misleading in the sense of the full on action ratio in the film, the story unfolding with the Brosnan's character holds its own. It's solid and believable and Brosnan is top notch. Story is compelling and thought provoking. Fits in the current political climate but viewed from another angle than the already overused Islamic terrorist tropes.

Not to say the films doesn't have it's issues but those are pretty minor. Occasionally there's too much reliance on the exposition, which may be necessary to some who are unfamiliar with IRA and such, but there's definitely a better way to do it than to use a beginner's solution of giving relevant exposition through a phone call for example. Few worn out clichés but nothing that would diminish the suspension of disbelief a great deal.

It's a standout film for both, Chan and Brosnan, in their already impressive résumé. Definitely my favourite by director Martin Campbell. Go and watch it! If you like Jackie Chan, you'll like him even more. Even if you don't like Jackie (then I don't know what's wrong with you but) you'll enjoy his performance in The Foreigner.

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2017