Director: Teddy Chan

Cast: Jackie Chan, Min Kim, Eric Tsang

Synopsis: This action movie unfolds with the story of Bei, a salesman at a workout equipment store, who harbors dreams of adventures.

Jackie Chan plays Bei, a jaded, weary salesman who longs for a career in law enforcement. He leads an unremarkable life until one day, after foiling a jewel robbery, he’s approached by a private investigator called Many (Eric Tsang) who advises him that he might be the long-lost son of a wealthy businessman. Wei travels to Korea to meet this man, who is seriously ill. When his father dies, he leaves his newly-found son a crucifix and a key. As Bei attempts to find out where the key belongs he finds himself subjected to repeated assaults by criminal types, and is approached by two women. Carmen Wong is an agent posing as a journalist, who advises Bei that international drug smugglers believe he is in possession of the only known sample of a new highly addictive drug they were harvesting before their operation was sabotaged. The lovely Yong works for one of the gang leaders looking for the sample.

You pretty much know what you’re going to get from a Jackie Chan movie, and The Accidental Spy doesn’t disappoint. It’s more or less non-stop action, with the usual incredible fight sequences and spectacular stunts. This one also features a reasonably engaging plot which, while it doesn’t stand up to any real scrutiny, at least doesn’t leave you snorting incredulously as you watch. Bei’s powers of deduction are acute enough to put Sherlock Holmes to shame, but the plot is really just there to provide a link from one set piece to the next. As usual, there’s a lot of humour in the fight sequences, particularly in a fight involving defibrillators, and a sequence in which a naked Bei uses a series of strategically positioned props to cover his modesty while fighting off a horde of pursuers as he’s chased through the streets of Istanbul. Good, undemanding, forgettable fun.