Yat goh hiu yan (1997)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Sammo Hung Kam-Bo

Writers:

Fibe Ma (screenplay)
Edward Tang (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 March 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

Fight first. Apologize later.

Plot:

A Chinese chef accidentally gets involved with a news reporter who filmed a drug bust that went awry and is now being chased by gangs who are trying to get the video tape.

Plot Keywords:

Reporter | Chef | Martial Arts | Drug Lord | Guesthouse

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Jackie Chan	...	Jackie
Richard Norton	...	Giancarlo
Miki Lee	...	Miki
Karen McLymont	...	Lakisha
Gabrielle Fitzpatrick	...	Diana
Vince Poletto	...	Romeo
Barry Otto	...	Baggio
Sammo Hung Kam-Bo	...	Cyclist (as Sanno Hung)
Emil Chau	...	Ice Cream Vendor
Joyce Godenzi	...	Cook Show Audience (as Mina Godenzi)
Peter Houghton	...	Richard
Peter Lindsay	...	Grank, Demon Leader
David No	...	Victor
Rachel Blakely	...	Sandy, Demon
Judy Green	...	Tina, Demon

Also Known As:

Mr. Nice Guy (Australia) (Hong Kong: English title) (UK) (USA)
A Nice Guy (Hong Kong: English title) (working title)
No More Mr. Nice Guy (USA)
SuperChef
Yi ge hao ren (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for pervasive action violence, some sensuality and drug content.

Runtime:

94 min | USA:88 min | USA:113 min (original running time) | Spain:84 min (DVD edition)

Country:

Hong Kong | Australia | USA

Language:

English | Mandarin | Cantonese

Color:

Color (Cineart)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS (US prints) | SDDS (US prints)

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:12 (re-rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) | France:U | Germany:12 | Netherlands:AL (video premiere) | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 (video premiere) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 (direct to video) | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Chinatown Mall, Fortitude Valley, Queensland, Australia

Company:

Golden Harvest Company

Trivia:

Because of the mess they left behind (from the demolished house), the production company was barred permanently from ever filming in that part of Australia again.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Giancarlo's mansion is shown to be completely made out of plywood when Jackie demolishes it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Killer Spirit (2009) (TV)

Rumble in the Melbourne CBD?

In my review of 'Who Am I?', I mentioned that 'Rumble in the Bronx', 'First Strike', 'Mr Nice Guy', and 'Who Am I?' all followed a similar formula as Jackie tried to capture western audiences. After watching 'Mr Nice Guy' again, I was actually kind of surprised to realize that it was almost a carbon copy of 'Rumble in the Bronx' - a Rumble in Melbourne's Central Business District, anyway.

Giancarlo (Richard Norton), Melbourne's top drug lord is angry because Diana (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick) has a tape that incriminates him. Jackie (Jackie Chan), a TV chef and arse-kicker extraordinaire comes into possession of the tape, making Giancarlo angry enough to kidnap Jackie's girlfriend Miki (Miki Lee). This makes Jackie angry. The end.

Wow. It seems like I've written out the whole plot and embellished upon it rather than summarized it. I'm just kidding - or am I? 'Mr Nice Guy' might be a contender for the thinnest plot in the universe prize, and the so called "supporting actors" don't even seem to be trying to act. Almost everything that happens in 'Rumble in the Bronx' is recycled for this. Unfortunately, the hovercraft was replaced by heavy machinery. Nothing can be an adequate substitute for Rumble's hovercraft.

Jackie kicking arse is the only reason for anyone to watch 'Mr Nice Guy'. It doesn't feature anything new or innovative, but any keen fan of Jackie should notice various 'Protector', 'Police Story' or 'Rumble in the Bronx' moments. It is a fun and exciting action film though, and that's what Jackie is all about.

And now for something completely different: Yet again, 'Mr Nice Guy' features Jackie playing a character called Jackie. I'm convinced that Jackie quit acting for several years, and took up a life as a cop, spy, chef, etc. All the while he had a film crew filming his adventures in order to create easy action movies. It's the only logical explanation - the writers can't be that lazy, right?

'Mr Nice Guy' reeks of being direct to video, but that doesn't stop it from being a fun action movie. Fans of Jackie Chan or Sammo Hung should give this a look - 7/10