JACKIE CHAN & PIERCE BROSNAN IN THE FOREIGNER

 A Reservoir Doggy Style Poster for Foreigner Year: 2017

The Bruce Willis remake of the Charles Bronson cult classic DEATH WISH was pushed to next year, and it was originally intended to star and be directed by Sylvester Stallone — yet it's pretty much out now and is also, ironically, a lot like FIRST BLOOD...

Those are during the surprisingly few scenes centering on the film's lead, Jackie Chan, looking like a tired, somber, swollen Panda Bear, perfectly fitting the overall mood after his daughter's death from a possible IRA-backed terrorist attack on a London street. Nothing but a blank expression and mostly dead silence makes up for the kind of tireless melodrama usually needed to ignite a high-octane "They'll Get Theirs" action flick, but... here's a double-edged warning for RUMBLE IN THE BRONX (etc.) fans...

Score: ****

THE FOREIGNER is really not a kickass kung fu flick, which isn't bad since it's intriguing and meticulous enough to fill an espionage-style canvas that, with so many twists and turns, could have fit within four or more episodes of a binge-worthy cable series. And yes... actually.... there are bloody fights but that's not what this thing's about...

The real star, in a technical sense, is Pierce Brosnan as a former extremely important member of the IRA who now works as a comfortable, safe-seat ambassador to stop the familiar brand of literally explosive terrorism that's crept up again: Cutting back from his desperate, hunted pawn to Chan's sneaky, resilient phantom serves the story more like bookends than your typical testosterone-driven mono-e-mono fare — all others involved in-between are caught up in what one person started, and it may not be who you think.