The film “The Foreigner” is a truly brilliant thriller that holds your breath from the first minute to the last minute. You never know what will happen and have to stare on the screen all the time. The makeup, sound mixing, action choreography, and acting performances are all top-notch. Jackie Chan perhaps gives his career-best performances, both physically and emotionally.
More specifically, there are two disparate story lines in “The Foreigner”. The first is an action line, where Quan(Jackie Chan) seeks revenge after the death of his daughter, and the second story line is a political one, in which Hennessy(Pierce Brosnan), a former IRA member, gets involved in a complicated conspiracy. The two story lines progress in parallel in an extremely fast pace, and converge from time to time. The directing is just amazing in the sense that such a complex story can be told in less than two hours. Some action fans might get confused when they find out that only half of the film is about action, but the political story line only adds to the complexity and depth of the film, making it more relevant to real life.
This is a super engrossing action-thriller-drama.
An innocent child is the victim in a terrorist bomb but the perpetrators do not know of the desperate determination and grit of the victim’s father.
There are two astonishing performances: first from Jackie Chan as the aggrieved father; and second from Pierce Brosnan as a suspicious and duplicitous politician.
Jackie Chan is outstanding as the grieving parent out for justice. And despite some action being of the kung fu variety that does not detract from a great show.
Pierce Brosnan is equally remarkable, displaying amazing realism in his portrayal of an Irish political leader.
This movie is highly recommended: 8/10.
