The Medallion

Going in I knew pretty much nothing about the film, beside it featured a medallion, Jackie Chan, and a little boy (most likely, the chosene one). I had some time to kill while waiting for my car to be repair (I hate unexpected large repair bills!), so I walked on over to catch a movie at the nearby theater, and "The Medallion" was the only one that would end before closing time at the repair shop.

The film is pretty much a standard Jackie Chan vehicle in terms of very little characterization (though there are some bits of background that try to flesh out how the main characters relate to one another, it's all pretty superficial) and some good stunt work, with bits of comedy sprinkled dryly throughout the film. So know that it's your standard Jackie Chan flick, with some supernatural bits tossed in so Jackie gets to do some special effects within the framework of the film (a la wire-work, etc), but he still does some of his amazing stuntwork when he's still normal in the 1st act of the film. There are 2 pretty big laughs in the film that had the audience rolling.

It was a treat to see Claire Forlani in a film where she seems pretty happy to be in the film because she seemed to have a good time shooting it. It was getting a little morose seeing her in overly dramatic parts in the last 5 years. Also, she gets to kick some butt, but for some reason they used a stunt double for Claire in some of the more athletic scenes, and her stunt double appears to be an Asian woman with purplish highlights in her hair.

Lee Evans, probably a name you won't recognize, but has a face you will (was the psycho guy in "Something About Mary" who deliverered pizzas, I think, among other disguises). He's annoying at first, but once he settles down into his groove, he gets off a few funny lines based on who his character is.

Julian Sands didn't have much material to work with as the villain in the film. It could have been anyone in that role, for the most part.

The child playing the Chosen One was okay, he didn't have a lot to do, but had a winning smile.

So if you have 90 minutes to kill, it's a decent enough flick, but don't have high expectations.

I give it 2.5 stars, or a grade of C+.

Oh, don't forget to stay for the outtakes, there are some funny ones and painful ones (that remind you that Jackie still does many of his stunts and they don't always go right on the first take).