Movie Review: CZ12 or Chinese Zodiac

Courtesy of Wikipedia

CZ12 or Chinese Zodiac (十二生肖) is an Asian action movie co-produced, written, directed by and starring Jackie Chan as Asian Hawk (or JC), a well-known   treasure hunter. He and his team set out to fine and collect the long-lost 12 bronze heads of the Chinese Zodiac signs that were looted in the 1800s by the British during the Opium War. Disguising as a National Geographic reporter, he and his partners Simon (Kwon Sang-woo), David (Liao Fan) and Bonnie (Zhang Lan Xin) set out to find the remaining lost bronze heads for MP Corporation to be sold in auctioned. During their adventure, they would meet Coco (Yao Xing Tong), a young activist and part of Professor Guan's team who is trying to find all the missing bronze heads and return it to motherland China; and Katherine (Laura Weissbecker), who is looking for her great-grandfather who was involved in the looting for the Old Summer Place. What will JC and his partners do once they find the treasure?

I was eager to watch this movie because I really love Jackie Chan's style of blending action and comedy in a sequence and this was his last action movie. Yep, you read that right, this movie is the last time we will see Jackie Chan do death-defying stunts and mind-boggling moves like no other action star has done before. Some critics have compared this movie to his past Armour of God franchise to which he almost lost his life. The movie was easy to follow with the sequence not moving away from the story line. The acting was great with him and his co-stars mixing drama and comedy at the same time to produce some laughs within the movie. The action sequences, the main forte of Jackie Chan, was brilliant. His co-stars also showed their skills especially Zhang Lan Xin who is a model and Taekwando champion in real life. There is one sequence where she showed her flexibility but picking up a box of keys with her left feet (in heels) and then doing a very low split afterwards. You can tell that some of the sequences have been CGI'd but the hand-to-hand combats were all for real. The various location of the film was fantastic from the wineyards and majestic gardens of France to the lush forest of Vanuatu. There were also cameo appearances by some of Hong Kong and China's biggest stars. And with typical Jackie Chan movie, make sure you stay for the end credits.

Fans of Jackie Chan will truly go and see this movie knowing that this was his last action film. This movie is definitely for you if you are an action-adventure junkie. Most film critics gave the movie a bad review but it has grossed more than $135 million in China alone (Wikipedia). It was just released in most Asian countries and will soon be released in Europe and North America.

5 Stars (★★★★★)

DID YOU KNOW:
Jackie Chan earned two Guinness World Record for this film - "Most Stunts Performed by a Living Actor" and "Most Credits in One Movie" with 15. He is the writer, director, lead actor, producer, executive producer, cinematographer, art director, unit production, manager, catering coordinator, stunt coordinator, gaffer, composer, theme tune vocalist, props and of course, stuntman. (TwitchFilm.com)
Eventhough this is Jackie Chan's last action film, there is a rumor of a sequel for the film (Jayne Stars)


CZ12 - Movie Site