The Medallion
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| The Medallion | |
|---|---|
 USA DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Gordon Chan |
| Produced by | Alfred Cheung |
| Written by | Alfred Cheung Bennett Davlin Gordon Chan Paul Wheeler |
| Starring | Jackie Chan Lee Evans Claire Forlani Julian Sands |
| Music by | Adrian Lee Steve Porcaro |
| Cinematography | Arthur Wong |
| Editing by | Don Brochu Chan Ki-hop |
| Distributed by | Screen Gems Sony Pictures Entertainment |
| Release date(s) |  August 15, 2003 August 22, 2003 |
| Running time | 88 min. |
| Country | Hong Kong/USA |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Medallion is an action comedy starring Jackie Chan with Lee Evans, Claire Forlani, and Julian Sands. It was released in 2003 and was much less successful than Chan's other North American vehicles of the Rush Hour series, Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights.
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[edit] Plot
Eddie Yang is a Hong Kong police officer cooperating with Interpol in the capture of a crimelord named Snakehead. The operation is headed by the officiously paranoid Agent Arthur Watson and also involves a former girlfriend of Eddies's, a British agent named Nicole. The investigation leads the team to the kidnapping of a young boy named Jai, who holds the secret to a powerful medallion that gives its possessor superman powers and immortality. After a near-death rescue of Jai from drowning, Eddie is given supernatural martial arts powers, which assists him in tracking down Snakehead and putting an end to the arch-criminal's scheme.
[edit] Cast
- Jackie Chan as Eddie Yang
- Lee Evans as Arthur Watson
- Claire Forlani as Nicole James
- Julian Sands as Snakehead
- John Rhys-Davies as Cmdr. Hammerstock-Smythe
- Anthony Wong Chau Sang as Lester
- Christy Chung as Charlotte Watson
- Johann Myers as Giscard
- Alex Bao as Jai
- Siu-Ming Lau as Antiquerium Dealer (as Lau Siu Ming)
- Diana Weng as Undercover Woman
- Chow Pok Fu as High Priest
- Chan Tat Kwong as Monk
- Mak Wai Cheung as Monk
- Anthony Carpio as Guard Monk
- Edison Chen as waiter (cameo)
- Nicholas Tse as waiter (cameo)
[edit] Reception
In its US release, The Medallion was No. 5 at the box office on its opening weekend and fell steadily lower during its 10-week release. Overall, it has earned $22.2 million, ranking 42nd among all martial arts films released in the US and eighth among the Jackie Chan films distributed in the US.[1] The film fared poorly with critics and has a 19% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[2] Critics and fans were disappointed by the use of CGI special effects in place of the daring stunts usually present in Chan's previous films.
[edit] Trivia
- The film's working title was Highbinders, the name of an ancient race of mystical, supernatural warriors.[3]
- Martial arts choreography was by Sammo Hung.
- The original director of the film was Reginald Hudlin, but he bowed out due to creative reasons.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ The Medallion at Box Office Mojo (retrieved on December 3, 2006.
- ^ The Medallion at Rotten Tomatoes (retrieved on December 3, 2006).
- ^ Info and tidbits about The Medallion at Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ production news and photos at Monkey Peaches.
