The Shadow's Edge Review: Veteran Star Jackie Chan Remains Engaging as Ever in Role of Fisticuff-Prone Cop-Turned-Dog-Walker

Hong Kong action-movie icon Jackie Chan reached global celebrity fame during the late 1990s-early 2000s, thanks to mainstream hits such as the Rush Hour films. However, appearances in western-made movies have grown much sparser lately, except for a secondary role in Karate Kid: Legends and some voice acting in the long-running Kung Fu Panda franchise. But in Asia, the septuagenarian performer stays all the time, continuing to perform his personal action sequences while additionally working as a producer and fight choreographer.

Story Summary: An Ex-Officer and His Canine Companions

Set in Macau, this crime thriller movie introduces Chan as an "ex" cop who becomes a professional dog walker called Wong, who supervises a motley group of pooches through the city streets. Previously the top observation agent on the police team, Wong's abilities have remained sharp, as shown when he details precisely which of his canine clients defecated and in what order. Crucially, he remains able to take on youthful troublemakers a third his age, and predictably he winds up fighting using unconventional props in unusual settings, including a hotel laundry room and the narrow space above a dining establishment.

Action Scenes and Narrative Flaws

The Chan's fisticuff scenes that make this film watchable, with plenty to appreciate in a film that's never more than 10 minutes from a fight or a gunfight. Regrettably, the connective plot elements is a bore, featuring an overly complicated yarn about a crime lord known as the Shadow and his deceitful team of robbers who take a whatsit that allows them to obtain crypto, all explained in rapid-fire conversation that will test the caption-reading skills of audience members who aren't fluent in the language.

At the same time, the cops are too dependent on AI supercomputers to investigate cases, which is why they require Wong to teach them how to conduct monitoring the old way. Likable Zifeng Zhang appears as a youthful female officer who can pack a killer punch, and who happens to be the child of Wong's now-deceased partner, killed in the line of duty because of Wong's error. Sentimental memory scenes further lengthen a overly extended duration, but it's always a pleasure to watch Chan, although he's appearing a little aged nowadays.

The Shadow's Edge will be in UK theaters from 3 October.