This is one of those preposterous screwball action/comedies that uses a case of mistaken identity to drive the movie forward; in this case, it's twins (both played by Jackie Chan)—separated at birth but reunited as adults—that create the chaos, as streetwise, kung fu fighter Boomer gets himself into trouble with gangsters and unwittingly drags his more refined sibling, classical musician John Ma, along for the ride.
With Twin Dragons already split 50/50 for comedy and kung fu, and one of Chan's characters unable to throw so much as a single punch, the film is far from the all out fight-fest one might expect; double the Jackie doesn't necessarily equal double the action, and while Boomer flips, kicks and punches, Ma spends most of his time cowering in fear. Sadly, the amount of action on offer isn't the only disappointment, the predictable and repetitious mix-ups proving more cringe-worthy than chuckle-some, and the effects used to allow Jackie to interact with himself being far from special.
It's not all a total loss, though: Maggie Cheung and Nina Li Chi provide some welcome eye candy as the brother's girlfriends (it says a lot about the beauty of Li Chi that she manages to make Maggie Cheung look rather plain in comparison), and director Ringo Lam finally gets his act together for a rousing fight in a car testing factory, an environment that allows for some impressively dangerous kung fu craziness from at least one of the Chans.
5.5 out of 10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.
With Twin Dragons already split 50/50 for comedy and kung fu, and one of Chan's characters unable to throw so much as a single punch, the film is far from the all out fight-fest one might expect; double the Jackie doesn't necessarily equal double the action, and while Boomer flips, kicks and punches, Ma spends most of his time cowering in fear. Sadly, the amount of action on offer isn't the only disappointment, the predictable and repetitious mix-ups proving more cringe-worthy than chuckle-some, and the effects used to allow Jackie to interact with himself being far from special.
It's not all a total loss, though: Maggie Cheung and Nina Li Chi provide some welcome eye candy as the brother's girlfriends (it says a lot about the beauty of Li Chi that she manages to make Maggie Cheung look rather plain in comparison), and director Ringo Lam finally gets his act together for a rousing fight in a car testing factory, an environment that allows for some impressively dangerous kung fu craziness from at least one of the Chans.
5.5 out of 10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.