The Tuxedo

Jimmy Tong (Chan) is the best but most reckless taxi driver America has even known. His skill has bought him to the attention of the C.S.A who offer him a job as chauffer to their top agent Clark Devlin (Isaacs). When Mr Devlin is severely injured by an unknown assassin, he tells Jimmy to wear his Tuxedo and find out who is behind his attack. The only problem is that the C.S.A. don't know about his injures so they send a rookie agent Del Blaine (Love Hewitt) to work with him and she thinks that Jimmy is Clark Devlin because as soon as he puts on the Tuxedo he becomes a super secret agent.

If this movie had have been made with any other star is would have been awful but thankfully Jackie Chan makes this film a hell of a lot better than it should have been.

Jackie Chan's charm and all around screen presence saves this from been a complete mess. There is something about Jackie that you just can't help liking. He could be reading out his shopping list and you would still watch to see what he did next.

The problem with the film is that the filmmakers don't know how to utilise Jackie's talents. Instead of letting the master lose by giving him free reign over the fight sequences, they have seen fit to use computer graphics, extensive wire work and tight camera angles that restrict Jackie's action performance in every way. It's a good job that they have at least kept some of his trademark comedy elements if this would have been a Jackie Chan movie at all.

As for the rest of the cast, Jennifer Love Hewitt is never really challenged in her role. All she has to do is look beautiful, so she succeeds on that front and her cleavage has the larger part of the role anyway. Ritchie Coster is another pantomime movie villain, with a completely outrageous plan to rule the world and you have to wonder what Fargo's Peter Stormare is doing with his career. The same could be said about Jason Isaacs but his was only really a cameo anyway.

Yes this is Jackie's worst Hollywood movie he has done but just his presence transforms a poor movie into a slightly above average one.

Deleted and extended scenes, Outtakes and bloopers, 'HBO First Look: Tailor Made For Jackie Chan' programme, Filmographies, Production notes, Theatrical trailer, Interactive menu & Scene access

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2003