Mr. Nice Guy (1997)

Welcome back! Another Sunday brings with it another installment in our A-to-Z challenge. This week, my first time watch for the letter “M” was Mr. Nice Guy (1997). Let’s get right to it.

Title: Mr. Nice Guy

Director: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung

Released: January 31, 1997 (Hong Kong)

Runtime: 1 hour 28 minutes

Available to stream on: Kanopy

IMDb synopsis: A Chinese chef accidentally gets involved with a news reporter who filmed a drug bust that went awry and is now being chased by gangs who are trying to get the video tape.

Honestly, there isn’t much of a synopsis or overview to give with Mr. Nice Guy (1997). Chef Jackie (Jackie Chan) has a successful cooking show on Australian television. One day after filming he bumps into an investigative journalist named Diana (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick) who is fleeing from local gangsters. As it turns out, Diana witnessed the local gang, The Demons, make a deal with drug lord Giancarlo (Richard Norton). During the deal things go sideways and Diana attempts to escape while managing to hang onto the videotape where she captured the deal.

So, when Jackie and Diana bump into each other and Diana tells him why she’s running, Jackie decides to help her escape. He fights off the gangsters and as they’re driving away, Diana’s videotape gets mixed up in a box of videotapes Jackie has in his car. That’s it, that’s about all the substance there is here. From here on out, everything becomes one giant action scene after another with gangsters trying to get their hands on the videotape now in Jackie’s possession.

There are multiple versions of Mr. Nice Guy out there. Two main ones being the original Hong Kong version and the edited down New Line Cinema version that was distributed in the United States. What I watched on Kanopy was the New Line Cinema version which apparently edited out 13 minutes, includes a partial dub, a new score, and also some rearranged scenes. I have not seen the Hong Kong version but would be curious to watch it to compare notes, not that I would expect a vastly different film though.

The script exists just to connect action scenes. The plot begins and ends with “bad guys chase and fight Jackie Chan”. The lack of a plot sure helps explain the acting we got. Our villains are all laughably awful. It’s like they took the most generic idea of what a cartoon villain would be and just ran with it, attempts at silly humor and all. One that comes to mind is Giancarlo telling his goons to take a woman to the “guest house”. Well, turns out the “guest house” is a giant gravel pit where Giancarlo buries bodies. Talk about not making your guests feel welcomed.

But let’s be real, nobody is tuning into a Jackie Chan movie for the plot. You settle in for a Jackie Chan movie to see bonkers action and fight scenes and Mr. Nice Guy (1997) delivers. There are scenes chock-full of action such as the construction site and the runaway horse carriage. But the best is saved for last as that’s when we get the giant earth mover. Take a monster truck, double it in size and probably triple it in weight, then let Jackie Chan solve all his problems with it.

While I’d rather rewatch Rumble in the Bronx, Project A, etc., before rewatching Mr. Nice Guy, that’s not to say that Mr. Nice Guy (1997) is a bad movie. Instead, it is the perfect big dumb action movie and I mean that in the nicest way. Giant action sequences? Check. Crazy stunts? Check. What more can you ask for from a Jackie Chan action movie?

Buckle up and leave your brain at the door to get the most out of Mr. Nice Guy (1997).

So, what say you? Have you seen Mr. Nice Guy (1997)? If so, let me hear your thoughts on it! Drop a comment below or reach out to me on social media!

Next up will be the letter “N”. Do you have an idea for what the movie should be? You know the drill; you have until Wednesday morning to get those suggestions in.