In Twin Dragons we have 2 Jackie’s, separated as babies in ridiculous circumstances that only filmmakers desperate to come up with a supposedly clever plot device could call justifiable.
1 Jackie stays with the birth parents and goes to the United States, where he becomes a renowned concert pianist, the other remains in Hong Kong under the care of a drunk woman, (apparently).
Being a twin story there are a lot of dumb jokes about the synergy that twins are supposed to have, especially a series of jokes about one twin’s movements causing the other to move in unison involuntarily.
The other hook that all twin stories have is the mistaken identity angle, with one person, almost always a woman picking the wrong guy and treating him to what could be seen as a freebie.
There is sooooo much mistaken identity in this film, each provoking a spontaneous (and apparently hilarious) instant faint, this happens by my count at least 8 times.
As far as the action goes this is very much a case of Crap Story / Solid Action. There is a boat chase that doesn’t look like it was filmed in safe conditions at all, and the final fight almost validates all the mugging, mistaken identity and twin influence jokes…
Almost.
1/ Are there any “WOW!” fights?
There are two good fights on show here, I remember Jackie kicking more than normal, but too much in this is played for laughs despite the tired premise.
2/ Are there any “WOW!” stunts?
The speedboat chase is pretty insane, and Jackie jumps over a car not once, but twice in this one.
3/ Which Jackie is it?
Serious / Whimsical / Cocky… Mainly a mugging for the cameras Jackie. No Oscars here.
4/ Does he get to use Jackie-exclusive toys?
Not toys, but Jackie keeps his sponsors happy by hosting the final fight in a Mitsubishi testing facility, surrounded by product placement.
5/ Do stolen relics come up?
No.
6/ Are there hot chicks (that usually can’t act)?
X 2 of course. 1 for each Jackie.
7/ Is there a blooper reel over the credits?
No.
8/ Were there injuries on the shoot? Severity?
Unknown.
9/ Has he still got it?
Yes.
10/ Is it a “Jackie Chan” film, or just one he is in?
It’s a Jackie Chan film, just not a great one.
Final Rating – 6.5 / 10. The presence of 2 Jackie’s doesn’t make this twice as good as anything else Jackie has done, in fact in many ways this is a disappointment by his standards.
