I think I must have been in my early teens when I first saw Jackie Chan’s Armour of God (1986). I vividly remember picking it up from the video store with my father. This was at a time when we used to go to the video store every week to rent out another martial arts action movie.
One week it was Bruce Lee, another week it would be another martial arts movie. I seem to remember the fortnight or so before we rented out Armour of God I was getting a bit bored of watching Bruce Lee knock off movies or some crazy martial arts movie where the plot didn’t really make sense or the characters were so one dimension and flat that it sucked all fun out of the movie.
That was until I saw Armour of God. I was really impressed me. I seem to recall rewinding the movie at least 3-4 times to watch the movie again. It made such an impression on me I would end up buying the VHS movie, tried to learn a little Cantonese (which I wasn’t very good at).
So, I decided recently to rewatch it. Purely out of nostalgia for a time long since gone.
Nostalgia is the major reason why I like this movie. Even, on reflection, if it isn’t on the par of his other movies.
The movie is a nod and a wink to the Indiana Jones movies with Chan’s own spin. Chan plays a modern Indian Jones character “Asian hawk” who steals artefacts, principally to sell them at auctions.
In this movie, he steals one of the pieces known as the Armour of God; except he gets targeted by an evil cult who intends to blackmail Asian Hawk into bringing together all five pieces so that they (the evil cult) can destroy them. They intend to blackmail Hawk through kidnapping Rosamund Kwan’s character Lorelei (Laura).
The film starts incredibly briskly. Within a few set pieces we see Asian Hawk steal one item, then we cut to the evil Cult discussing how to blackmail Asian Hawk, then we cut to a really fast-paced sequence set at a fashion show where Rosamund Kwan gets targeted and kidnapped by Monks armed with Kalashnikovs storming the catwalk; positing a level of danger that I don’t think we see from the rest of the movie.
Along for the ride is Asian canto-pop star Alan Tam who is mostly a comedy side-kick and his character is part of a love triangle story angle which drives some tension between Alan and Chan’s characters; though whether he is a good substitute for fellow action stars Sammo Hung or Yuen Biao is up for discussion. I feel he is ok.
Regardless of the questions about his fit with Chan, I find a deep nostalgia for the songs that Alan Tam brought to this movie. Whether it’s the cantonese version of “A friend with mine”, the impactful rock song “Midnight rider” or “Lorelei” — it brings back memories of a different time; it’s something I don’t think any of his other movies did.
Action sequences in this movie are a plenty. The opening sequence with the strange cult, the car chase through the streets of Croatia, the fight sequences with the monks and the final fight sequence with the four Amazon women.
Of course, most movie reviewers will know – Armour of God is the film that came closest to killing Jackie Chan. As seen in post-credit sequence, Jackie performs a stunt where he grabs and holds a branch; except it breaks and he ends up in hospital and severe injury to his head; and according to an interview he did some years back with Jonathan Ross, he still has suffers from to this day.
The fight sequences are really good. The multi-man fight sequence with the monks is peak Chan. There was a period of time where he was known for this multi-man fight sequences, and I even remember this sequence even made the documentary “Cinema of Vengeance” (1994).
And of course the fight sequence with the four Amazon women. Whilst its clear that most of the women are replaced with Chan’s stuntmen, the sequence is still funny, fast and a little bit dangerous to Chan; who doesn’t quite know (at first) how to fight women who constantly aim at his crotch.
I seem to remember reading somewhere that Cynthia Rothrock was picked to be the final boss; I still wonder to this day what that would have been like.
Looking back on the movie, I find some sequences are a bit odd and perhaps don’t connect with a Western audience. The sequence with the “Losers” band won’t make sense to a Western audience, its only when you find out it was a parody of a band in the 70s, then it makes sense. Other sequences are also odd. Why is Hawk given bitter, rotten cheese by Alan Tam; and he doesn’t like it.
A final stunt sequence I had odds with was Chan’s jump onto to an awaiting hot air balloon. Chan starts at a mountain side, then suddenly the film cuts with him being hundreds of miles up. It doesn’t really work.
Although that part where he jumps into the balloon paired up with the Lorelei music really adds weight.
Strangely, I remember getting annoyed at one of the Police Academy movies (it was probably 5) where one of the heroes jumps onto a hot air balloon and performs almost exactly the same stunt as in Armour of God. I guess Chan’s impact in America although not mainstream, was generating some interest.
So, does Chan’s Armour of God live up to expectations? I think the early part and late part certainly do, the fast introduction of the who-what-where and geography is really fast.
The stunts are good, and the fight sequences are effective. Whilst some plot points don’t make sense, and maybe it slows down too much and maybe it never ventures back into the danger heights that the fashion show gets to, and perhaps part of it just don’t make sense to a Western audience; and yet, it still has its charm.
I think overall, I enjoy Armour of God for what it is; and for me, its about nostalgia.
7/10