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Highly Overrated But Still Good

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

"The Medallion" is truly an all-time great film starring the legendary Jackie Chan in a pleasant action comedy that requires one main ingredient for keeping this film from making it a must see. Just take a camera, follow Jackie around with it, and let him do what he does best, beat baddies with creative martial arts, give him leeway to perform energetic stunts and most of all, enjoy the every moment he's on.Sure I may be sugar-coating the rules to directing the typical Jackie Chan but it's a lot harder than one could imagine. You have to remember a few things that make Jackie Chan the action star that he is. For one thing, his stunt work is graceful like a musical dance scene. taken in the same veins as the likes of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The other main idiosyncrasy that stands Jackie Chan out from other action stars is that his comical energy could rival that of the silent film era stars like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. But under the direction of Gordan Chan and his crew, they are able to see through him and have every trait of his perfectly acknowledged.Any other star, "The Medallion" would've been another fine line action film that has Julian Sands once again playing the evil dude, prancing around sporting a dark cloak complete with a hyena fur boa like did a decade ago in the film "Warlock". But what they got right was that they patented down every move and mindset that Jackie Chan possesses. First we see him at a Hong Kong restaurant feasting down an exquisite food delight, when a stray dog comes right toward him. Feeling bad for the little stray he offers his plate and orders another one for himself.Shifting between Hong Kong and Ireland, "The Medallion" tells the familiar story of a diabolical villain who wants to steal a precious medallion that holds the key to immortality along with more advanced speed, strength and agility. With his menacing blond locks and well educated demeanour, Snakehead (Sands) is a vibrant antagonist, who lives in posh Irish castle with a modern feel to it. Of course the only thing he wants more than anything is to outlive the human race and continue his mission to thrash his ancient castle more.Chan plays the role of Eddie, a Hong Kong detective assigned by Interpol to hunt down this magical medallion. He joins forces with a tough ex-girlfriend Nicole (Claire Forlani) and a bumbling, but courageous British agent named Watson (Lee Evans). The absurdity of the Watson character may not appease to the non-Western audience, but those of the Western audience will enjoy the presence of Watson's character very similar to Chris Tucker's character to the "Rush Hour" franchise. And even though the filming is American based, "The Medallion" is clearly designed for a Hong Kong audience, the direction is done by Gordon Chan and the rest of the crew make their homes primarily from Hong Kong.And because of this, Jackie Chan can say he feels like home, in front of his fellow countrymen. And it makes a difference because his people knows what he's capable of and doesn't have to be bogged down or watered down just to make an impression towards the American spectrum. Sure he always seems at ease in his surroundings, but unlike films like "Rush Hour" and "The Tuxedo", his stunts aren't part of the story, they are the story. Unlike the films where he shares the spotlight to American co-stars like Owen Wilson and Chris Tucker, he has no worries of sharing or upstaging them, because he's not the sidekick attraction, no here he is in full stardom.The action is definitely all over the place. In one scene while chasing some baddies, a person kicks over some bicycles like dominoes, and Chan just leaps over the seats similar to James Bond in "Live and Let Die" like the crocodile stream scene and it all happens in a span of five seconds compared to scene that could last five minutes.The action scenes are what its all about. What's special about it is that it never looks superficial. There's no long takes or quick cuts. It's Jackie Chan moving naturally the whole 90 minutes of this film. The comic timing adds the right spice to bring this film to life. What more can any action fan want?Forlani is a great partner for Chan. This underrated performer is not only attractive, but she's tough and intelligent to want to be on any team. She knows that he's more than just a butt-kicking hero, but a humane individual fighting against all evil and all obstacles. She knows as much as we do what's he like and how he does it.

They put this on the television the other night, and that would have been the second time I'd watched this film if I hadn't realised how crap it was twenty minutes into it and switched it off. The Medallion is the absolute worst Jackie Chan film...a film that takes a similar plot to the Tuxedo of all things and chucks in a bit of The Golden Child to make a confusing unfunny mess of a movie. They must have had some amount of trouble during the production of this film, because the story seems chopped up into little bits, not a lot of it makes much sense, and the DVD extras contain scenes unrelated to the story. Plus (or minus even) - it has Lee Evans in it, and he's not funny, Julian Sands, who is just plain crap, and some chick who had learned every 'coy' chick facial expression but is completely confused as to when and where to use them, and therefore throws every expression into every scene. On with the story. The Golden Child has been kidnapped and...no wait. The Chosen One, a kid with a medallion, can somehow bring back the dead with special powers, and Julian Sands wants these powers. He sends loads of crap gangsters out to carry out this task (I think this bit takes place in Hong Kong), and in a very Golden Child-like scene Jackie rescues him. Or doesn't. Because after a brief introduction to Julian Sands, we are now shown the gangsters with the kid (wait I'm confused...looking back I think there were too different container filled ship scenes here...one in Honk Kong and one in Dublin (?)) This is the trouble with this flick. It jumps from one scene to another without any kind of warning. One minute every one is in London - the next Dublin - then seemingly back in London again (I think). Jackie and the bad acting chick had apparently split up and Jackie had also fell out with Lee Evans, and they are all cops or agents or something. No wait - they are Interpol...I remember now. I'll cut this short - Jackie gets killed and the kid brings him back with superpowers, meaning he can get shot and jump really high and run really fast but Julian Sands gets the same powers and they fight it out in Julian's high tech baddie lair. Chick gets killed but then brought back and she and Jackie fly off into the sunset. Lee Evans pulls some faces. The first time I watched this film me and the missus sat for a while trying to figure out what was going on. Here are some of the questions that arose during this film:1. If the kid is Chinese why does he have a cockney (or dutch) accent? 2. Why Dublin? Has Jackie run out of exotic locations to travel to? 3. Why is it never explained why Lee Evans' wife is suddenly a shotgun shooting karate expert when previously she didn't even know Lee Evans was an Interpol agent? 4. When Jackie saves the kid from drowning in the water filled container, how come Jackie is drowning and yet can put his hand inside the inflatable tent without any water going in? 5. Am I crazy or does no one get killed in this film? 6. Why does Jackie have such bad luck when making films in the US? 7. Why, if that's the case, can you not escape from this fortress? 8. You're my little brother, Mikey! 9. It's Chinatown. 10. Boingo! 11. 1..1.1..11.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1111.1.1.1.111.1.1.111.1.1.1.1 Sorry - I got bored back there...This film isn't worth watching

I love Jackie Chan, so much to the point where he inspired me (partially) to start doing karate (Tang Soo Do) and after sticking with it for three-and-a-half years, I finally achieved my black belt. In a way, Jackie is one of my all-time heroes.However, this film is probably his worst yet -- possibly ever. Every single attempt at comedy falls flat, which is a real shame, as I was expecting a lot more from the star of Shanghai Noon and The Legend of the Drunken Master. Chan's performance is lackluster, Forlani is okay, John Rhys-Davis seems bored and unenthusiastic, and Evans is total lackluster in every way.The action is mediocre, and to finally see a film where Chan didn't do the vast majority of his own stunts was sad. The lame attempts at resembling an old (corny) martial arts' film and possibly The Matrix at some points, made me cringe too much. The final battle is preposterous and made me lose a lot of hope for Chan's future career in film.All in all, with very bad acting, story, and action to match, there's just nothing to appreciate from this movie. Nothing works, except to bring another guilty pleasure into my collection. This is a film I highly recommend to anyone who likes to make their own commentary, as I can't think of any discernible reason as to why someone would have to endure this. I give it three-stars for the fact that it really is a guilty pleasure for its extreme lameness. Don't watch this.

This is not a great movie; in fact it isn't even funny when it tries to be. Jackie Chan has starred in so many great movies that one could've imagined when he'd have a flop of his own. The Medalion is just so woeful, it is difficult to explain how utterly poor this movie is. And to think that this was produced in Hong Kong as well, now that to me is a big shock.The makers pumped so much money into the CGI and special effects that they limited the amount of fight choreography and action sequences, of which weren't all that spectacular. It looked heavily disjointed and out of sorts; there was too much CGI, not enough genuine action. The story was frustrating at times, unexciting and lacked depth; the characters were either one dimensional or flat. The romance between Claire and Jackie was embarrassing to watch, it's hard to believe that they had chemistry, because it looked totally unconvincing, and may I add it was a flawed idea to hook them up, anyway. The acting was not so much the problem but rather the woeful script and tedious dialogue, it was boring to boot as well.Lee Evans does his typical one- man English routine to minimal effect. I think he is okay as a stand-up comedian, but his role in this film did him no favours whatsoever. He was wasted in the Medalian, which is unfortunate to say.In fact, this is a waste of a movie and a waste of Jackie's talents- the editing was all over the place. The premise sounded interesting for a while, but overall, it just didn't work and the end product is terrible.I loved Police Story, Drunken Master, Wheels On Meals and My Lucky Stars but this film, the Rush Hour series and The Tuxedo have been disappointing. The truth is Chan is effective when he is given the freedom to do things, but also when the story itself is good; he however is not so effective and at his best when the script is poor and Jackie doesn't get to showcase his strengths and talents. The latter is certainly the case, in reference to his American efforts and in particular to The Medalian.This is not the Jackie Chan we all know and love: as fans of this genre, we all are aware that he can do better than this. But I for one just couldn't bring myself to recommend this to any JC fan, of which I'd say to them avoid this movie at all costs