Summary
Jackie Chan hasn’t appeared in movies a lot recently, and Hollywood misses him greatly. Back in the 90s, he appeared in some of the great action movies of the decade, and when he merged his martial arts skills with comedy, it was a match made in heaven. He starred inRush Hourwith Chris Tucker, and the unlikely pair struck box office gold, and went on to make two sequels to the hit 1998 film. There are always rumors swirling around thatRush Hour 4is in the works, and both actors would like to reprise their roles in a new installment in the action comedy series. However, nothing has been officially green-lit thus far.
It wasn’t always plan sailing for Jackie Chan, and the movie roles began to dry up in the 2000s, and it’s hard not to put part of the blame at the door of one of his least popular movies. The movie in question isThe Tuxedowhich came out to poor reviews in 2002. It seemed that his career struggled to revive itself after this particular misstep in his long career.
What is The Tuxedo about?
The storyline forThe Tuxedois one of the most bizarre to ever grace the big screen. Jackie Chan plays a hapless chauffeur who has to take a comatose secret agent’s place, using his special gadget-filled…..tuxedo.
The secret agent in question is a playboy billionaire called Clark Devlin, who is played by Jason Isaacs in a funny supporting role.
The cabbie turned chauffeur, Jimmy Tong, is warned not to touch Devlin’s special tuxedo, but as the title of the movie suggests, alongside its front cover with Jackie Chan wearing said tuxedo, it’s no spoiler to announce that he does end up wearing the suit. He soon discovers that the suit has special powers and transforms him into a black-belt fighter. Jimmy Tong uses his new tuxedo to fight crime, and he discovers a plot to poison the world’s water supply.
Easily, the highlight of the movie is when superstar singer, James Brown turns up for a memorable cameo. Jackie Chan’s character, for reasons only known to the screenwriter ofThe Tuxedo, decides to beat up the legendary crooner, and take his place in his band. He then proceeds to wow the crowd with his singing and dancing abilities. Nobody knows why any of this happens, and its totally bizarre but seeing Jame Brown on screen is never a bad thing.
Why did The Tuxedo flop at the box office?
The Tuxedohad everything going for it leading up to its release in 2002. Jackie Chan was hot off the release of box office smash hit,Rush Hour 2, and he was one of the biggest action stars in the world, with hisimpressive action set piecesmaking him a household name. The movie was also bolstered by a fantastic supporting cast including Jennifer Love Hewitt, Peter Stormare and Jason Isaacs.
Jackie Chan is as charming as ever in the movie, but surprisingly doesn’t get to showcase asmany action fight scenesas the audience would’ve hoped, which is partly the reason it bombed at the box office. It also has one of the worst plots ever, and is so badly written, not even the best of actors could’ve made it into a coherently good story.
The budget was reportedly around $60 million, and it grossed $50.5 million in the United States. In its opening weekend, it only grossed $15 million. The overall worldwide gross forThe Tuxedowas $104.4 million, making it one of the biggest flops of the decade, and certainly not one ofJackie Chan’s top ten films of all time
How does The Tuxedo end?
The final act ofThe Tuxedoreveals that Clark Devlin is not actually dead, as he faked his death, so he could enact his evil plan without people suspecting him. He was using a robotic clone of himself to carry out his wicked plan, so he would not be suspected of any crime. This sets up an epic final showdown with Jimmy Tong, as the pair lock horns.
Jimmy confronts Devlin, and it’s not an easy task taking him down. Devlin possesses all the same abilities as Jimmy when he is wearing the tuxedo, making him a very difficult antagonist. Jimmy has to outsmart him to save the day in this scenario.
With Jimmy Tong’s newfound powers, he is able to beat him, and he returns to life as a taxi driver, with the tuxedo long gone, and no longer needing it to feel that level of confidence. He develops a romantic entanglement with Del Blaine, who was his partner during the case, so it’s very much happily ever after at the end of the movie. The movie is not a particularly memorable entry into Hollywood’s long list of action comedies, butJackie Chan shinesin everything he’s in because of his lovable persona. Don’t expect Chan to becast in a sequeltoThe Tuxedoanytime soon though.
MORE:Jackie Chan And Pierce Brosnan Star In This Underrated Action Movie
