By Ben Johnson, on 26-11-2007 15:20

The Myth Distributor: Red Sun Format: Region 0 Length: 122 min. Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: Mandarin, Cantonese Subtitles: Simplified Chinese, English, Traditional Chinese Extras: Bonus Disc contains: behind-the-scene features, deleted scenes, music videos, trailers; Director's commentary by Stanley Tong Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Year of Release: 2005; Origin: China, Hong Kong; Studio: China Film Group, JCE Entertainment.

Alternative Titles: San wa (Chinese title)

Trailer: Click below to view the trailer for The Myth

Plot Synopsis

Modern day, Hong Kong : Jackie Chan (who’s character is imaginatively called ‘Jack’) wakes up in his oil rig house after a recurring dream where he is an Imperial guard for Emperor Qin, protecting the Royal Princess (Kim Hee-seon) against separatist factions. Jack, a kung fu archeologist with a passing thematic resemblance to Indiana Jones, travels to India with his eager buddy William (Tony Leung) to investigate the source of a special gemstone capable of incurring feats of levitation. William makes off with the magical rock while Jack narrowly escapes a stoning from the village folk, waking up in a Bollywood vision discussing his dreams with an ancient mystic, who tells Jack to channel the energies of his previous life.

He falls in love with the Princess (in his dreams), and links start to formulate between his former life and that of his own. In the meantime, William sides with some unscrupulous treasure hunters who begin to market levitation for the masses before convincing Jack to climb through the centre of a waterfall to locate a special elixir which grants its users eternal life. It is here, in the Royal Tomb surrounded by levitating coffins and the final resting place of Emperor Qin, that Jack reunites with the Princess who has been enjoying eternal life, waiting for the day when her protector will return.

Review

Essentially we have two films here, one of which is a lot better than the other. Understandably uncomfortable with the prospect of casting Jackie Chan in a straight wuxia picture in league with the current work of Zhang Yimou, the producers have settled for a nonsensical film-within-a-film motif which struggles valiantly to make sense in what quickly becomes an overcrowded mess. Without wanting to upset Jackie’s global market, there is a random section in India with Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat, followed by a labourious fantasy element which brings back disturbing shades of Jackie’s most lackluster Hollywood films. These grisly elements merely act to slow down the main excitement of the film – the wuxia bit - which is a welcomed rest bite, even if it eventually feels slightly crow-barred.

Here, Jackie looks regal as an Imperial guard with considerable sword skills. The fact that Jackie has been on record to criticize the current boom in wuxia epics (the complete antithesis of Jackie Chan’s celebrated style and visual approach) is secondary to the fact that the filmmakers, Jackie included, clearly revel in the occasion. This may be Jackie buckling under commercial pressures, but he still cuts a demanding frame in a period setting, and it is so refreshing to see the actor tackle the sort of role most often characterised by more serious actors, like Chow Yun-fat or Jet Li. He still maintains the boyish innocence of his usual persona, summarised by his coy approach to the developments in his relationship with the Princess, but his slapstick tom-foolery is left virtually vacant and replaced by something much stronger, leaner, and violent. The last of the wu xia segments sees Jackie with a full blood lust, protecting his love right to the bitter end as the rebel forces outnumber him by a thousand to one. He stands amid a pile of fallen warriors, hacking and slicing in a bitter battle to rival scenes last witnessed in Hero. It is powerful, stirring emotive stuff, and juxtaposes nicely with the lighter movements when Jackie is out of costume and leaping around in his more comfortable slapstick surroundings.

Although Stanley Tong clearly doesn’t have access to the same finances that Zhang Yimou had, both the director and the star look at ease in wu xia costume, and it is a shame that the whole film doesn’t pan out this way. The ‘dream’ segments are vastly superior to Jack’s reality, which is best summarised by a couple of typically funny fight scenes, one inside an Indian temple, and another at a glue factory. All very entertaining, as you’d expect, but the rest of the film is pedestrian in comparison, and follows the commercial trend of a lot of Jackie’s recent globe trotting adventures which appear to sacrifice cohesive story telling in favour of elementary trademarks and gimmicks. If there wasn’t so much financial importance focused on every new Jackie Chan project, then maybe the actor would feel more inclined to take a risk. The Myth is certainly the closest thing he’s done to anything remotely alternative in recent times, but it is still calculated, measured and – given how muddled the rest of the film is - gravely undermined.