JACKIE CHAN'S FIRST STRIKE (1997)

Further proof that the Hong Kong-based superstar is the Fred Astaire of action-adventure movies: There's a great, balletic fight sequence in this happy addition to Chan's Police Story series in which Jackie holds off a barrage of bad guys using a tall stepladder and a broomstick, demonstrating all the aplomb of Astaire romancing a hat rack. But then, in the course of this appealing production (directed by Chan's Rumble in the Bronx colleague Stanley Tong and dubbed with gusto), Jackie also displays grace and good humor on a snowboard, on stilts, and underwater -- pursued by sharks. The plot is a merry James Bondish mess, jumping from Ukraine to Australia and involving a stolen nuclear warhead, a rogue CIA agent, and a Russian spy agency, with Jackie caught, as usual, accidentally in the middle, just trying to do the right thing, as usual, in his amiable, kick-ass way. It's only too bad Supercop power femme Michelle Khan isn't here to keep our hero company.

You Might Also Like

• Movie Review Kung Fu Panda (Jun 06, 2008) | Owen Gleiberman
• Movie News The Cannes report (Aug 08, 2008)
• Photo Gallery Jackie Chan in action! 19 roles | Youyoung Lee
• SPOTLIGHT ''Rush Hour 3'' roundtable | Carrie Bell