Greetings valued Dan's Movie Report and Action-Flix.com readers. Let me preface this review by saying I am a fan of Jackie Chan's work, yet recently his prowess and choice of films has suffered significantly. The movies are passable, barely yet seem to lack the vim and vigor of his 80s and 90s work. The comical aspect and action timing just seems to lose a step. I am not one to say if he should just produce and direct films, but maybe it is time to step back and allow the newcomers time to shine and groom the next wave. Vanguard is sadly a new low in the Jackie Chan realm. The villains and plot are so poorly executed that it is not even worth time in this review to describe. Gone are the timely jokes and high flying action. Very basic plot coupled with rather boring execution makes for a really bad and bland film. Even the most ardent fans of Jackie will want to skip this one, no real redeeming qualities.
Jackie is a legend in HK action films, yet in recent years the down-slide is evident. The last great film he made, 'The Foreigner' was serious and represented a tone not usually seen in a Jackie film. Actually I kind of wish this was his new style thus leaving the slapstick action in the past. Ho hum is Vanguard, not funny enough to be slapstick, nor serious enough to be in the mode of 'The Foreigner' the movie is really kind of boring and has that, when will it end, I want to shut it off vibe. I just cannot find anything to like about this film, rating this a 3 out of 10 is about as generous as I can be.
Trailer:
Vanguard
is set for a On Demand and theatrical release in the UK on January
8th, followed by a Blu-ray and DVD release on January 11th.
CineAsia Releasing. Pre-Order below:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vanguard-DVD-Jackie-Chan/dp/B08NQMMDBK
