Produced by Jackie Chan
Written by Leo Zhang,
Erica Xia-Hou, Siwei Cui
Directed by Leo Zhang
Starring Jackie Chan, Show Lo,
Ouyang Nana, Callan Mulvey
Part of me can’t believe that Jackie Chan made Bleeding Steel in the same year he made The Foreigner. Then again part of me says “Of course he did, silly.”
These two films are so diametrically opposites in every way: Style, story, overall theme, and look. This is not a bad thing. They are both equally excellent for totally different reasons.
Where as The Foreigner (which I reviewed here) was a taught action-drama Bleeding Steel is an outrageous sci-fi kung-fu thriller. I mean, come on. It is called Bleeding Steel for Pete’s sake.
Set in the near future, Special Agent Lin Dong, has a very sick daughter about to undergo surgery. When a very important case falls in his lap, Agent Dong must choose between being there for his daughter and protecting a very important witness.
A witness, that subsequently, can also save his daughter’s life.
While transporting this Doctor to a safe house, his team is attacked by a mysterious figure. a deformed man. Part man, part machine he is hell bent on killing the doctor and taking the thing he is protecting. This man/machine is Andre an experiment gone awry and is looking for both retribution and a cure to what afflicts him. A cure only the Doctor has.
What follows is the first in many high octane shootouts and fight sequences. Agent Dong, shot and injured stops the maniac and saves part of his team. Doing so he pays the ultimate price. The life of his daughter.
That is just the beginning.
Flashforward thirteen years.
A new author has published a book utilizing the dead doctors research.
Enter “The Woman in Black.”
She is the henchwoman of Andre. She is after the author and wants to know how he got his research for his book. She is too late however as young thief has succeeded in stealing all the authors research. Another fight ensues and a hooded man joins the fray allowing the thief to escape with the info. The mysterious thief becomes the hunted and it is up to seemingly retired Special Agent Dong to unravel the mystery of who this man is, who is behind the Woman in Black, and what is everyones connection to a young girl they all keep encountering.
Bleeding Steel is jam packed with all the things one looks for in a Jackie Chan film. This film sometimes rides the edge of ridiculous and every once in a while comes off the rails into the absurd. Making it a Sci-Fi film helps in the suspension of true disbelief.
Disbelief that even for a Jackie Chan film can be a little hard to come to terms with. I found it hilarious and the crazy ass science fiction aspects made it not your average Chan film. There were still the signature fights, the crazy ass stunts, and some of the silly humor we have all come to expect. The added layer of futuristic tech and biomechanics man-driods give it just a little more bang for your buck.
Growing up being obsessed with Jackie Chan films beginning with 1983’s Project A, Jackie Chan is still a hero of mine. I can not believe he is still doing these films at 64. I will be lucky to be able to walk without assistance when I am that age.
His films over the years have always varied and the one thing you can say about him is that he will try any genre and is basically up for anything. Sure, he has made some really bad films in his time. He has also made some of the most brilliant kung-fu action comedies ever put to cellulose.
Bleeding Steel is no Drunken Master 2. Thankfully it is not City Hunter either.
Though City Hunter has a special place in my heart if only because he played Chun Li in drag.
Seriously.
I enjoyed Bleeding Steel.
It checked off all the prerequisite boxes for a successful kung-fu action film including the large industrial scoops of schlock. It brings me back to watching “Kung Fu Theater” on Channel 56 as a kid and as long as you aren’t looking for any type of logic and reason in your kung-fu films but you are looking for a lot of badass action, fighting, stunts and Jackie Chan ridiculousness.
Bleeding Steel is a fun popcorn summer film for you to enjoy.
Bleeding Steel is now playing in theaters and is available On Demand.
