At
this point, Jackie Chan has probably replaced all his bones with titanium, but
he does not play one of the “bioroid” genetically-enhanced soldiers. It doesn’t
matter, he’s still indestructible in Leo Zhang’s Bleeding Steel (trailer here), which opens (again) today in New York.
Dr.
James was a Frankenstein-style mad doctor, who created the so-called bioroids,
before attempting to defect back to law-abiding society. It is Agent Lin Dong’s
duty to escort him into protective custody, which he does, even though his ailing
daughter Xixi is slowly slipping away. It is a good thing he is there, because his
team is ambushed by a lethal squad of bioroids, led by the sinister Andre, who
looks a lot like the MST3K version of
the mutants from Beneath the Planet of
the Apes.
Sadly,
while Lin is getting his butt kicked sideways, Xixi tragically dies, except
maybe she doesn’t, if Dr. James manages to pump her up with his super-secret-nano-bio-Macguffin.
For a while, the film tries to be coy on this point, but duh, obviously. Lin
had made himself scarce to protect the college kid now known as Nancy, but he silently
watches over her. He is also investigating the bioroid cabal, as is a punky hacker-thief
named Leeson. Of course, they will have to work together and reveal themselves
when the ‘roids try to abduct Nancy for her blood.
And
then a bunch of stuff that makes little or no sense happens. It is darn near
impossible to discuss Bleeding Steel coherently.
It is not even worth explaining the title, because that would open up too many other
cans of worms. Yet, the film is not without its merits. For one thing, Chan
spares us the rah-rah Chinese flag-waving this time around.
You
also have to give Zhang, stunt coordinator Max Huang, and the JC Stunt Team
credit, because the opening ambush-fight sequence is a knock out. People will
re-watch this movie on DVD repeatedly, just for that scene. The climatic battle
isn’t bad either. Chan also goes a few rounds with Andre’s cape-wearing femme
fatale lieutenant on the roof of the Sydney Opera House. It is definitely a cinematic
spectacle, but Zhang should have let it play out longer.
Unfortunately,
there are just as many misfires in Bleeding,
particularly the embarrassing scene in which Nancy visits her fortune-teller in
a blighted housing project that is apparently home to every paroled sex
offender in Australia. It also seems like Leeson’s only purpose in the film is
to annoy the audience.
Frankly,
Chan looks his age and then some in Bleeding,
but he still has the moves and the high pain tolerance. Everything about Show
Lo’s Leeson is unnecessary. There is no great need for the character of Lin’s
cop buddy Susan either, but at least Erica Xia-hou shows some real action
chops. Plus, she gets to drive a sports car no honest cop could afford and
never ages a day over the film’s thirteen years.
