Solon So Movies

A simple Chinese immigrant wages a perilous war against one of the most powerful criminal organizations on the planet in this sprawling action drama directed by Derek Yee (One Night in Mongkok) and starring Jackie Chan, Daniel Wu, and Masaya Kato. In Japan, foreign migrants are shunned by mainstream society. Taunted by the yakuza, they live in constant fear of being discovered and repatriated. Into this perilous world ventures Steelhead (Chan), a humble tractor repairman who has traveled to Tokyo in search of his missing girlfriend, Xiu Xiu (Xu Jinglei), who vanished into thin air shortly after arriving in the city. It doesn't take Steelhead long to learn just what kind of hardships Chinese immigrants in Japan endure at the hands of underworld gangsters and foreign crime syndicates, and upon discovering that Xiu Xiu has adapted a Japanese identity and married up-and-coming yakuza chief Eguichi (Masaya Kato), the two men form an uneasy alliance. Over time, Steelhead earns the respect of his fellow Chinese immigrants by establishing a place for them to gather. But the dark side still beckons to Steelhead, because after helping Eguichi dispense with a powerful rival, he is granted full control of Shinjuku's most popular nightspots. Resistant to the allure of the criminal lifestyle, Steelhead discovers a new love and opens a tractor repair business just outside the city. When Equichi begins using Steelhead's former compatriots as pawns to front the yakuza's drug trade, the vengeful immigrant returns to the city determined to exact justice, even if it means destroying the future of the woman he once loved. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The Jackie Chan-headlined action farce Rob-B-Hood concerns Slipper (Chan), a character caught up in a hornet's nest of problems. Raised by poor parents and expelled from school at an early age, Slipper became notorious for his lightning-fast footwork and quick-fingered hijinks, but managed to tally up a massive amount of gambling debt. With no other choice, he accepted his crooked landlord's bid to participate in a series of crazy heists. They paired up with another shady character, Octopus (Louis Koo), and successfully kidnapped BB, a tycoon's grandson, but unforeseen complications led the trio to keep the baby longer than they had originally intended. Now, when the men learn that a triad intends to collect on some unpaid ransom and kill the child in the process, they decide to keep the baby indefinitely, as an unofficial "adopted son," and train him in the ways of burglary. They receive assistance, in this endeavor, from a teenage hanger-on, Pak Yin (Charlene Choi); a nurse named Melody (Gao Yuanyuan); and the landlord's missus, (Teresa Carpio). Suddenly, however, the rollers and the triads begin to close in, and the men must figure out a way to return the baby to his folks. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Historical fact blends with high-flying fiction as Jackie Chan steps into dual roles as a determined archeologist and a loyal general of China's first emperor in director Stanley Tong's lavish historical action film. Jack (Chan) is an intrepid archeologist in search of a mythical gemstone that is said to have the power to defy gravity. Though Jack's days are spent traversing the globe with scientist sidekick William (Tony Leung Ka-fai) in hopes of finding the elusive gem, at night in his dreams he assumes the role of General Meng-yi, devoted servant of Emperor Qin Shi-huang. As Jack and William venture to the mystical Heavenly Palace -- a wondrous fortress rumored to have been built by Qin Shi-huang himself -- Jack's vivid nocturnal journeys find him falling head-over-heels for the emperor's comely Korean consort Ok-soo (Kim Hee-seon). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Jules Verne's famous novel of a daring man who takes on the greatest voyage in history is once again adapted for the big screen in this adventure comedy. In 1872, eccentric British inventor Phileas Fogg (Steve Coogan) has come up with any number of gadgets to help people travel with greater speed and ease, and is working on plans for a flying machine. In a lively discussion with Lord Kelvin (Jim Broadbent), the head of the Royal Academy of Science, Fogg states his belief that it's possible for someone to travel around the globe in a mere 80 days. Kelvin, who makes no secret of his belief that Fogg is a crackpot, challenges him to do just that, and adds a wager to the bargain to make things interesting: if Fogg can't circumnavigate the globe in 80 days, he'll give up inventing forever. Fogg takes the challenge, and teams up with his manservant, a former acrobat named Passepartout (Jackie Chan), and lovely navigator Monique (Cécile De France) to make the epic voyage -- traveling by train, boat, balloon, horseback, or any other means at their disposal. However, Fogg and his companions are dogged along the way by the false accusation that the inventor took part in a bank robbery, forcing him to not only complete the journey but clear his name as well. Like the blockbuster 1956 adaptation of Around the World in 80 Days, this film features a number of major stars in cameo appearances and supporting roles as Fogg makes his way around the globe, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Cleese, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Kathy Bates, Sammo Hung, Rob Schneider, Richard Branson, Mark Addy, and more. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

East and West team up to take on bad guys in the British Empire in this sequel to the action comedy hit Shanghai Noon. Chon Wang (Jackie Chan), once an Imperial Guard in China, is now the Sheriff of Carson City, NV, while his onetime cohort, former train robber Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson), scrapes together a living writing dime novels based on his adventures and waiting tables in New York City. However, when Wang learns that his father was killed by bandits who broke into the Emperor's palace and stole the Imperial Seal, he's determined to bring the criminals to justice. Wang's sister Lin (Fann Wong) has learned that the killers have escaped to London, so Wang travels to England to meet her, with O'Bannon in tow. As Wang and Lin -- whose martial arts skills rival those of her brother -- look for the culprits, they discover that Lord Rathbone (Aidan Gillen), who is looking to shorten his path of succession to the British throne, is in cahoots with Wu Chan (Donnie Yen), the bastard son of the Chinese Emperor's father, who needs the Imperial Seal as part of his plan to win control of the nation. As Wang and Lin try to get to the bottom of Chan's schemes, O'Bannon finds himself infatuated with his pal's sister. While set in Victorian London, Shanghai Knights was actually filmed on locations in the former Czech Republic, which more closely resembled turn-of-the-century England. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Documentarian Mabel Cheung traces the seemingly improbable but true tale of international movie superstar Jackie Chan's realization that the truth about his family's history is much different than he was led to believe. As Chan's mother's health deteriorated, his father decided that the younger Chan should know the truth about his family before either or both of the elder Chans passed away. In actuality, Chan was Jackie's mother's family name and not that of his father's family, which his father fearfully changed from Fong after the advent of China's Cultural Revolution. Additionally, Jackie was not an only child, as his parents each had two children -- all of whom have long since become estranged from their respective parents -- in each of their previous marriages. Traces of a Dragon premiered in 2002 and was screened in the Panorama program of the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide

A young girl witnesses a horrific street accident. A man (Anthony Wong in a pivotal cameo) is hit by a trolley and decapitated. Fifteen years later, June (Shu Qi) is all grown up, and doesn't even remember the accident. One night at a club, Peter (Eason Chan), an unhappy young man, sees June dancing, wearing an eye patch, and approaches her. She quickly uses him to get away from another man, and drags him to a karaoke bar. Just as abruptly, they leave the karaoke bar, and she has him take her to his place. The next morning, he awakens to find his apartment splattered with red paint, and fifty dollars missing from his wallet. He and his roommate, Simon (Sam Lee), then discover Peter's father (James Wong) lying in the bathtub, jabbering about how he doesn't have Alzheimer's, but he's possessed. Eventually, Peter runs into the elusive June again, and they seem to be developing a relationship. But despite his romance with this mysterious woman, things continue to go badly for Peter. He loses his job as a hairdresser, and his father commits suicide. Soon, he discovers June's secret. Ever since she was a little girl, she's seen ghosts. She wears dark glasses or an eye patch sometimes, so she won't have to see them. Soon, it becomes clear that one ghost in particular is haunting June--the ghost of a man demanding his head back. As Peter gets closer to June, he begins to unravel the mystery, and discovers a connection to his own family's past. Visible Secret was written by Abe Kwong and directed by Ann Hui (Ordinary Heroes). Kwong would later direct the sequel. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Hong Kong director Teddy Chen follows up on his hit Downtown Torpedoes (1997) with this breathless action flick that recalls the South Korean mega hit Swiri (1999). Just as Hong Kong's new airport is set to open, a band of terrorists strike a Korean cargo ship, but they leave behind three encoded computer discs and Todd Nguyen (Daniel Wu), an American-educated Cambodian-Chinese man who has complete amnesia. Anti-terrorist cop Ma Li (Emil Chow) and psychiatrist Shirley Kwan (Joan Chen, whose voice is dubbed into Cantonese) struggle to turn Todd against his comrades and to wrest the secrets from his blanked memory. Meanwhile, Soong (Kam Kwok-leung), the crazed leader of the terrorist group, and his sexy sidekick Guan Ai (Josie Ho), plot to unleash a deadly chemical weapon somewhere in Hong Kong. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Jackie Chan has often played a fish out of water, but he's rarely found himself so far upstream as in this comic adventure, in which he puts his fighting skills to the test in the Old West of the 1850s. Lo Fong (Roger Yuan), onetime captain of the Chinese Imperial Guard, has traded upholding the law for smuggling opium. Needing some operating capital, Lo Fong kidnaps the Emperor's daughter, Princess Pei Pei (Lucy Liu), and takes her to America. When the Emperor sends his best men to find her, Chon Wang (Chan), one of the Emperor's less distinguished guards, insists on joining them; he feels at fault for Lo Fong's capturing the Princess, and he wants to make amends. However, while the rescue party scours the West, Chon Wang gets separated from the group and soon becomes lost. When he crosses paths with Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson), a bright but arrogant train robber, the two become unlikely allies. While Shanghai Noon was billed as Jackie Chan's follow-up to Rush Hour, his first successful American-made feature, it was actually filmed in Canada, as was Chan's breakthrough film in America, the Hong Kong-backed Rumble in the Bronx. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Renowned actor/director Sylvia Chang created this richly layered film about memory, regret, and lost love. The film opens as successful filmmaker Cheryl (Chang) discusses a script idea about young love with a young screenwriter. She pitches a story about Shao-rou (Gigi Leung) a beautiful though clumsy schoolgirl who falls for a quiet, guitar-playing young man named Ho-chuen (Takeshi Kaneshiro). They develop a deep and enduring passion in spite of meddling parents, jealous friends, and their own naïveté. Yet when they are caught stealing away for a night at far-off Lantau Island, they face the wrath of Shao-rou's mother. The strain proves too much and they tearfully break up. Shao-rou's best friend Li (Karen Mok) responds to the news by offering both emotional sympathy and a bungled attempt at physical affection. The already distraught teen flees, ending their long friendship. Later, when Hou-chuen and Shao-rou meet by happenstance in Tokyo, they quickly realize that time has not altered their feelings for each other. She has become a successful fashion designer while he has become a less-than-successful tour guide. The twist comes when we learn not just that Hou-chuen is married but also who his wife turned out to be. As Cheryl describes the affair, it becomes increasingly difficult to tell if she is outlining a storyline or reminiscing about an old flame. Leung and Kaneshiro, one of Asia's biggest heartthrobs, give sensitive and charismatic performances as both awkward teenagers and world-weary adults. Chang employs a complex narrative structure of flashbacks and flashforwards to tell this beautifully wrought, quietly touching story. This film was screened at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Jackie Chan has become known for doing the dangerous stunts his characters perform in the films. This documentary, hosted by the actor, shows how some of those stunts were rehearsed and what happens when some of the stunts go wrong. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide