Customer Reviews

Jackie Chan's Who Am I [VHS]

5 star:		(90)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I really like the original movie. But this release has been so much cut. I don't know what was the reason for it. But some really funny scenes (like a lion chasing Jackie) don't show up. Try to find uncut version.

Well, as usual, the US Film Industry screwed us again out of what could have been a great Jackie movie. For some reason, the US Film people think that Americans are incapable of understanding or enjoying the full version of any of Jackie's movies. It has been a frustration of many Jackie fans for YEARS! Scenes cut to save time, also ruin the continuity of the movie. Important scenes are cut to squeeze a movie into that 90 minute time frame. Any of you who have ever seen the Hong Kong versions of ANY of Jackie's movies know what I'm talking about. Many times it changes the mood and meaning of the whole movie. Who Am I? was a good movie, but the HK version is 100% better than the US version. I just wish they would release it the way it was meant to be release...COMPLETE!

This is a great flick for both devotees and novice fans of Jackie Chan.

Why Jackie Chan's U.S. distributors didn't release this in theaters is beyond me. Before I saw it, I thought that it would be c**p, but hell, it's Jackie, so I gave it a whirl. Though the first half hour is slow (by Jackie Chan standards, at least), once this flick gets going it ranks right up there with Drunken Master II and Police Story. The escape from the police with a rope and bucket, the chase and fight in the streets of Amsterdam (what Jackie can do wearing of wooden shoes...), and the final fight on the roof are amazing examples of action and comedic artistry. Stuff that ONLY Jackie Chan could pull off. There's even a car chase scene that breathes some life into the old warhorse of action movie cliches. I feared that Jackie Chan might be slowing down as he reached 45, maybe doing less dangerous stunts...no way.

The actors are terrible, the plot non-existent, the dialog silly, the production values shoddy at times, but one might as well complain the writing is poor in Playboy. You're there to look at the pictures, and Who Am I? has some that took my breath away.

This is one of Jackie Chan's best movies. Although maybe suffering from a thin plotline, the action, suspence, comedy, and of course, the Jackie Chan trademark of death defying stunts are all in this movie. Differencing from the movie everyone seems to compare it with, Who Am I? is a true Jackie Chan film, unlike the American film Rush Hour.

Of all the Jackie Chan movies I have thus seen, Who Am I? gets my vote for the best Jackie Chan movie, perhaps over many other types of movies as well. Its one of the rare types of movies I actually want to purchase after I rented and view it several times, and Who Am I? turned me from a "Chan-fan" to a "Chan-aholic" (as said by a fellow reviewer). Although plotline is somewhat soft and may be confusing at first, it all fits in as the beautiful scenes travel from Africa to Europe. This film makes you feel like Chan is once again risking his life to make us happy. Even the music (which I am now looking for the soundtrack) is great, and taught me that Jackie Chan can sing! (no kidding!)

Over all, this movie deserves a 5 star rating, because Chan should deserve it in this humourous and exciting film. I reccomend you don't pass this one up, because its a disappointment already that this film isn't as famous as it has the potential to be.

Nobody actors, death defying stuts, hilarious momments, subpar plot..What does this all add up to?...the elements of a Jackie Chan movie that make the movies entertaining. Who am I? is one of the many movies where Jackie takes the action level higher. The fight scenes are well done, and it even has a plot (Well, a plot that's better than some JC movies, anyway). As usual, Jackie's fancy kicking is more interesting to watch than his co-stars acting abilities. Even though I do think Michelle Ferre has serious potential to be a better actress if she goes that way (She was hired on a whim by JC and this is her only film). Cable got a huge break as it was able to premere this JC flick. Still, it suffers from the American editing job that has been put on many of Chan's films. It makes me wonder why they can't release his films in their original length. They could probably make more money rather than $16 million. I would've like to have seen this film, as well as Operation Condor and Mr Nice Guy, in its entirety. Still, Who Am I? has enough plot and action to keep JC lovers entertained. I rank it up there with the Police Story movies.

the acting really blows but who the hell cares really? the martial arts that Mr. Chan presents in this movie will boggle anyone's mind. As everyone has said, the skyscraper scene is awesome. In this scene, Jackie Chan fights two suits, one is a Kung-Fu master and the other is a Tae-Kwon-Do master. They really give Chan one hell of a time while fighting, it's a very entertaining sequence and is by far the best fight in this movie. Buy and enjoy!

As I'm sure we have all come to expect, Jackie Chan has once again performed some of the most impressive martial arts captured on cinimatic video to date in "Who Am I?" And though I only gave this film a 3-star rating it wasn't because of the action which, come on, that's all we really want to see, right?

I'll start with the negatives and get straight to the point; the acting is right on par with what you're used to. I could see that the producers attempted to 'do-it-themselves' rather than bring in knowledgable writers who can articulate engaging western dialogue. When compared to epic movies such as Lord of the Rings which contain only the highest quality standards in all aspects of cinematography, I can't in all conscience give it any higher than a three. Fortunately, I didn't find myself balking at the writing and acting as much as I was astonished by the picture's true purpose: to kick some ass!

Once it begins, however, the action is intense. First, the city car chase I found plesantly surprising. Though I wouldn't say it was the best, it was definitely very well done. Had they more of a budget, they might even have made it as purposeful and artistic as similar scenes in The Italian Job, Ronin or The Bourne Identity.

But that's just icing on the cake. As I'm sure you've read from the reviews up till now, the skyscraper scene is without comparison. Though Jackie performs many of his trademark wily moves, I found this scene in particular was true to more traditional martial arts technique.

Jackie's co-stars in this scene deserve just as much or even more credit than Jackie, as you can tell their real-life skill is precise and probably quite deadly. Though I'm at a loss for names, the legs on Jackie's second opponent in this scene are literally made of steel. In short, I believe the only reason Jackie survived this onslaught was because it was in the script. These guys are definitely monsters in their field.

This isn't the only scene worth mentioning, but for the sake of time I'll just say I found no fault in any of the copious action sequences throughout the movie.

Moving away from that however, I must give credit to the cinematography; not something I'm apt to mention in this genre. My opinion here is not so much based on how nice it looked, but rather how simple and complete the shots were. In many martian-arts movies, editors are apt to cut and splice individual punches, kicks or moves into a series of cut sequences, usually to hide or remove some bad shot or angle that didn't work out in post.

Here, you had practically none of that. Every action sequence used in the final cut was top quality. Each significant cut lasted far longer than I traditionally see, allowing you to experience all the perfectly executed moves as they occured in filming. It's my opinion that this film's success in the realm of action was only possible through the amazing filmwork done to capture it. In other words, there was no Jean-Claude-Van-Damme'esque slow-motion or quick film splicing to create the illusion of actual, skillful martial arts technique. What you see is what you get, and it's nothing short of amazing. I'm particularly impressed with how Matrix-like the action seemed, without all the need for special effects and animation. Nope, this is as good as unretouched live action will ever get.

In short, this movie's appeal is in the pure and untainted action. The plot only serves it's purpose in leading us to the real content of this film. But that notwithstanding, it is still a must-own in every martial arts/Jackie Chan fan's library.

My friend Nhyung suggested this-and I've been a fan ever since.Yes,like Shatner-he plays himself in an X-Files type scenario-with every possible plot twist and turn one could ask for!Not too mention his comedic ability,with amnesia and every government agency after him.His use of props,fighting ability,and humor are truly showcased here.I can't recommend strongly enough-after this-buy "Legend of the Drunken Master"
An overlooked action/comedy masterpiece.

After Drunken Master II, I didn't think Jackie could ever top or even match the fight scene at the end. But you proved me wrong again my man! The fight scene at the end of this movie is classic Jackie, combining awesome "get-the-move-right-or-get-hurt" choreography and his trademark humor. One of his best, but maybe not THE best (see below).

Then why only 4 stars? First, I don't understand why Jackie was ok with using the actress who played the reporter/CIA agent. Jackie's used annoying women before in his much earlier movies, but her acting was absolutely terrible - every time she spoke, I couldn't help roll my eyes.

Second, I agree with everyone who thinks that the first 1/3rd of the movie is a bit boring. The sequencing of the helicopter crash flashbacks could have been much better. Having said that, the scene where he plays with the lion cubs is hilarious - who knows what the tiger would have done if she caught up to him!

Anyway, these 2 points are more than offset by the spectacular action, which is why we watch Jackie Chan movies in the first place, right?

I also highly recommend Drunken Master II (equally, the best fight scene ever), Police Story and Dragons Forever. Don't waste your time on those New-Line "Americanized" versions of Supercop, Police Story, First Strike, Rumble in the Bronx, etc. If you want to watch those, you're much better off watching the Chinese versions with English subtitles. (Something you should also know is that half the time, the dubbed English says something completely different from the underlying Chinese).

Probably the last of Chan's great movies, at least in terms of fights and stunts. Certainly not in plot: A highly skilled soldier with amnesia? Chan traveling with two female companions? Hmm... haven't seen either of those before! Honestly it doesn't really matter. This is still Chan doing what Chan does best. Plus it's always interesting to see a Hong Kong production of an English-language film that takes place in Europe and Africa. That alone makes it worth a view.

Chan plays a soldier who wakes up in Namibia with no memory of who he is or how he got there. After making some new friends he travels to Johannesburg where he asks the local authorities for help. Some government goons then show up and take him into custody. He escapes and journeys to the Netherlands in his continuous pursuit of the truth and ends up facing intrigue, betrayal, and more goons.

If you read the back of the case you'd think this was a serious film. It does take a little while before the comedy kicks in but it's quite frequent once it does. Fortunately a lot of the humor is stunt-based and there are some good moments. Unfortunately there aren't very many fights... but the quality of the ones here are top notch. From fighting while handcuffed to fighting while wearing wooden shoes to an awesome rooftop finale against two opponents who are timing one another to see who can knock Chan down the fastest!

The Columbia Tri Star DVD has flipside widescreen or fullscreen picture with very good quality. English language with a French dub and English or French subtitles. Sorry, no special features. The Hong Kong version contains several more minutes of footage and supposedly fills in a couple of the gaps. It would be cool to see this in its entirety but this version should satisfy most Chan fans for the majority of its 108 minutes.

1998