Before becoming Hong Kong's answer to Stallone and Scharzenegger (by way of Harold Lloyd), Jackie Chan was probably known better to Chinese audiences as a physical comedian than as an action star.
Along with fellow actors and childhood friends Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung (also a well-known director in his homeland), Chan starred in a series of popular action-filled comedies during most of the mid- and late 1980s.The Tower Theatre is presenting two of these comedies, 1987's "Dragons Forever" and 1984's "Wheels on Meals (also known as "Meals on Wheels"), which have rarely been seen in the United States:
- "DRAGONS FOREVER" is by far the better of the two movies (which are not playing as a double feature; there is a separate admission charge for each film).
In it, Chan stars as Johnny Lung, an unscrupulous lawyer hired to defend a crooked industrialist, Hua (Yuen Wah), who's being sued by a fish hatchery owner, Miss Yeh (Deanie Yip).
To help his client, Lung sends two of his friends, Fei (Sammo Hung, who also directed) and Tung Te-Piao (Yuen Biao), to spy on Miss Yeh. But Fei winds up falling for the woman, while Lung finds himself attracted to her cousin, Wen Mei-Ling (Pauline Yeung).
Fei and Lung wind up uncovering Hua's drug-smuggling operations and are forced to battle his men (including American kick-boxer Benny "The Jet" Urquidez), in a furious finale.
As with many Chinese comedies, the jokes doesn't always translate well. But the action is nearly nonstop, and Hung and especially Biao, nearly match Chan in the athleticism department.
The film is not rated but would probably receive a PG-13 for violence, profanity, some drug use and a couple of vulgar gags.
- "WHEELS ON MEALS," on the other hand, is more comedic than action-oriented, although things do end with a bang.
Chan is again paired with Biao, and the two play Thomas and David, Chinese entrepreneurs selling fast food in Barcelona. To help their struggling business, they decide to hire a beautiful streetwalker, Sylvia (Maria Delores Forner), as their waitress.
And as it turns out, Sylvia is the illegitmate daughter of a Spanish nobleman and stands to inherit a fortune. But she is also being pursued by a private investigator, Moby (Hung, who again directed), as well as some vicious thugs, who kidnap her. The three leads team up to get her back and storm the bad guy's castle, where they fight his henchmen (including Urquidez).
Despite Hung's fluid direction, much of the film is a snorefest, with unfunny gags that seem to go on forever. Chan's climactic comic battle with Urquidez almost makes it worthwhile, however.
"Wheels on Meals" is not rated, but would probably receive a PG-13 for violence, profanity, a couple of vulgar gags and brief partial nudity.