The Foreigner

The Foreigner is a decent thriller in which Pierce Brosnan’s politician is a more interesting character than Jackie Chan’s avenger. Brosnan is a British Kevin Costner – a charismatic nice guy who, however, can also be a great fit for a dark role when he decides to take one from time to time. Do not expect to see too many of Chan’s fights, as they serve just to spice up the story of dirty political schemes with undertones of IRA terrorism, which the film presents to the audience in an attractive way with rising tension and pushing the characters into a corner. And frequent explosions. I enjoyed it, mainly because of the great Brosnan and his Irish accent, and also thanks to Cliff Martinez’s score comprising electronic music, which is seldom used in this particular movie genre. (22/01/2018)

Exactly what you expect when you look at the title of the film. Main character #1 and a revenge from the east. Action, politics and main character #2 from the west. As you can expect from the director’s name, the craftsmanship is very solid, the action is clear, but there's damn little of it. It's too far-fetched for a political thriller and not action-packed enough for a pure actioner, and they also rip-off Sicario’s score. But it still works pretty good. It's watchable, fine for fans of action entertainment, Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan, and those who like the action-adventure style of Martin Campbell. (03/01/2018)

Jackie Chan, under the direction of Martin Campbell, has made quite possibly his best film in the last five years and it's nice to see that he is still in form, it's just a pity that the real action only comes at the end. The fight in the woods and the confrontation in the house are very solid, Pierce Brosnan is fine as the villain. Story-wise it could have been more interesting, and I found the first half hour a bit annoying as the stubborn Jackie went a bit overboard with the constant questioning of his daughter about the killer, but otherwise a decent flick that doesn't offend. Next time less politics and more action and it'll be a 4. 70%. (06/12/2017)

I didn’t expect the final result. When I saw Jackie Chan’s name, I envisioned a high-octane action movie. Instead, what unfolded was a spy drama about the IRA, focusing more on a sophisticated plot than on action. It might sound like I’m disappointed, but quite the opposite. Pierce Brosnan and his dialogues, spiced up with some very effective explosions and one-on-one combat scenes (which were handled by Chan), were great. The plot started off brilliantly, and toward the end, it seemed like the script was running out of steam, but I was always proven wrong (plus, thumbs up for the fact that even though there were many surprising twists, I didn’t get lost... everything made sense). Martin Campbell knows how to make a solid film (Casino Royale being a prime example). The ending, and especially Chan’s fight in the apartment with the bombers, confirmed that The Foreigner was a success. I definitely recommend it, not only to fans of the two lead actors. I give it 82%. (12/04/2019)

The political backstory is rather far-fetched, though beautifully pulled off by a convincing Brosnan. But Jackie Chan is a badass, for real. I’m going on fifty and when I get home with my groceries and the lift is out of order, I panic at the thought of having to climb the stairs all the way to the sixth floor :o), whereas Jackie, at his blessed age, does one split jump after another and leaps across rooftops like a youngster. He’s a real fighter. I have to get his cardiologist’s number :o). (08/04/2020)