Review of Who Am I? (2010) by Cole P — 01 Jan 2012

There's a reason why Jackie Chan's Who Am I? is called "Jackie Chan's Who Am I?"--the kung fu stuntman perfectionist literally saves a cliche storyline and a rather egregrious formula from total destruction. I recently reviewed this childhood favorite and my brother noted its similarity to North by Northwest. In this day and age, audiences have been bombarded with action-thrillers about a fugitive man on the run from mysterious attackers; the existential case of mistaken identity. The exception here is that we haven't seen it with Jackie Chan.

Kung fu action movies (actually, Asian movies altogether) run differently from Americanized productions. There's a smaller budget, but money does not diminish the quality of the Asian action films I have seen--including this one. With a smaller budget comes a more down-to-earth approach to filmmaking. Stunts are less CGI oriented. Safety nets and harnesses are abolished. The star of the picture is simultaneously his own stunt double. Car chases are "fast and furious", not heinous and hilarious like a Vin Diesel picture I wish to forget. For these reasons alone, Who Am I? differentiates itself from the other standard action movies and accomplishes thrills and entertainment that we honestly care about.

The story involves the discovery of an underground piece of granite with the force of an atomic bomb, which, several megalomaniacs thirst for. We see only a snippet of the actual rock formation in this movie. The origins of this destructive pebble are never unearthed or elaborated upon--for this reason, (in true Hitchcockian formula), it becomes the film's McGuffin. Almost no sooner than the rock explodes into a digitalized title card, we are introduced to South African scientists who are researching the limitations and capabilities of this rock. Before they can provide mankind (or the audience) with any conclusive explanations, they are absconded away by Marine Corp Special Ops. Jackie Chan is one of these soldiers. In the disarray, the abduction was actually a set up, administered by corrupt CIA agents, and momentarily after that sequence, the helicopters crash. Chan escapes but loses his memory. And so sets forth his formulaic venture into uncharted territory, meeting sly women left and right, fraternizing with unscrupulous masterminds, and fighting unarmed kung-fu henchmen.

I'll admit that the plot is wildly ridiculous, but if audiences have any knowledge of Jackie Chan, they'll know about the facetious elements of his pictures. Who Am I? is actually one of the most ambitious Chan projects. Even though we're faced with an unoriginal concept, it's still illustrated with some dignity (void of any quixotic bullshit like, say, Mission Impossible). Jackie Chan directs all of the action sequences; he's able to highlight and accentuate the danger of abduction while never once firing a weapon. He yields a fine chemistry with his female counterparts (Mirai Yamamoto as the impetuous Yuki and Michelle Ferre as the "femme fatale"); the fight sequences run like clockwork and are ferocious and exhilarating. I only wish the story was more secure. I for one am still curious about the rest of that explosive pebble.

Who Am I? is a stylistic and refreshing take on the mistaken identity formula. Chan's impeccable eye for action keeps the film roaring with entertainment despite an insipid plot. I'm a little bummed that they couldn't have made this film in the 1950's; Chan would've been hanging from George Washington's nose on the Mt. Rushmore monument. The REAL monument.