A group of ragtag misfits that include a thug, pickpocket, tailor and a handywoman led by humble head porter for the railroad, Ma Yuan (Jackie Chan) whose in love with the local pancake seller, Auntie Qin, hijack a train in order to blow up a bridge that’s a crucial supply route for the Japanese during the 1941 occupation of China.
Not content with stealing from the occupational military and their food supplies to feed their starving village, they decide to rob a moving train that’s ripe for picking, and this is also where we see the Robin Hood-esque villagers who are introduced with title cards so that we get to know them right away as they’re robbing the Japanese soldiers.
When Daguo, a wounded Chinese soldier, appears and is taken into hiding by Yuan (Darren Wang), explaining that he and his platoon tried to blow up the supply bridge but failed and he was soon discovered and shot by Japanese soldiers, Yuan decides that he best get his band of outlaws together, steal a Japanese military train and complete the mission.
There’s lots of action and Jackie is in full form. Though he doesn’t do as many stunts as he used to (though he’s still going strong at 60), there’s plenty of outrageous moments to go around. Jackie’s son, Jaycee Chan, turns in a solid performance as well as the other featured actors. The slapstick, comedic elements are spot on as the group of misfits embark on a race against time to get to the bridge to blow it up.
Ding Sheng (who directed Jackie in two previous movies; Police Story 2013 and Little Big Soldier) pays tribute to the train robberies of Hollywood Westerns as he does a great job keeping the film moving at a solid pace with the combined, breathtaking cinematography
Lots of fun, lots of action and comedy, Railroad Tigers is a treat.
RAILROAD TIGERS / CERT: 12A / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: DING SHENG / STARRING: JACKIE CHAN, JAYCEE CHAN, ZITAO HUANG, DARREN WANG, KAI WANG / RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 6TH
Expected Rating: 6 out of 10
Actual Rating:
