The Tuxedo Review
by Robin Clifford (robin AT reelingreviews DOT com)September 25th, 2002
"The Tuxedo"
Jimmy Tong (Jackie Chan) is a big city cabbie with a penchant for speed. He attracts the attention of sexy Steena (Debi Mazur) who hires Jimmy on the spot, after a harrowing ride through the crowded streets, as chauffeur for billionaire playboy and super spy Clark Devlin (Jason Isaacs). Devlin has only one rule: don't touch "The Tuxedo."
Newcomer helmer Kevin Donovan (he hails from the commercial world) is hamstrung by a badly handled screenplay of what is really an amusing concept - a high-tech tux that transforms its wearer into a superman. The script, by Michael J. Wilson and Michael Leeson (from the story Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi and Wilson), starts off well enough as suave Devlin struts his stuff wearing the titan tuxedo but the tale becomes a routine, fish-out-of-water situation comedy as, inevitably, Jimmy must wear the multi-million dollar suit and take the place of his employer in international intrigue.
This is where "The Tuxedo" begins to fall flat. Jackie Chan's draw has always been his amazing stunt choreography as he fights the bad guys using whatever device came to hand - whether it be major household appliances, power tools, monster trucks or a cluttered construction site. You always got a good look at the master doing his thing and could marvel over Chan's dexterity. In this latest showcase, director Donovan's commercial chops come into play and editing overwhelms Jackie's patented physicality. Instead of watching unadulterated action, we get rapid camera work, close-ups and fast inter-cuts to display Chan's stunts. As such, it looks more like special F/X and less like choreography and takes away a lot of the charm that Chan usually infuses into his films, even the bad ones. He is still a joy to watch, as always - even here.
Jennifer Love Hewitt, never a favorite of mine, does admirable yeoman's work as the constantly miffed rookie secret agent, Del Blaine. The actress is hampered by a character that starts off with a snotty tone of intolerance that never softens from the caustic beginnings until near the very end. Hewitt handles the action stuff well, as one would expect with Jackie Chan as her mentor, but never gets beyond the one-note character.
Bad guy Dietrich Banning, played by Ritchie Coster, is an amazingly un-menacing menace as the man who is about to unleash a calamity upon the world. Banning has pressured mad scientist Dr. Simms (Peter Stormare chewing scenery as usual) to invent a kind of water that not only doesn't quench your thirst, it dries you out - to the nth degree. The actor is saddled with cliché dialog and a really dumb story premise. This is unfortunate as a really good bad guy role can help save a mediocre movie.
Jason Isaacs is woefully underutilized as the suave super spook that is really a regular Joe beneath his platinum-card persona. Isaacs has become something of a bad guy icon since his perf as the dastardly Colonel Tavington in "The Patriot" so it is refreshing to see a more mirthful side to the actor. (Isaacs is a fine character actor and has also appeared, sans bad guy cloak, in such films as "Black Hawk Down" and "Windtalkers.") The problem with his Clark Devlin character in "The Tuxedo" is that the actor is not given nearly enough onscreen time. In this case more would be definitely better.
But, when you come right down to it, the reason most of us go see a film "starring Jackie Chan" is because of the sheer pleasure of watching this marvelous personality perform. The techs for "The Tuxedo" are OK with special F/X used to supplement Jackie's physical ability. I just wish there were more Chan and less editing - and a better script. I give it a C.
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