Gorgeous (1999)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

Something to be avoided for most fans of Jackie Chan, this is a slow-paced comedy-cum-romance that rarely reaches the level of his other movies. For an action lover its definitely his worst film because there is only one decent fight, right at the end. Otherwise we get a sappy Chinese romance with lots of unfunny humour, stupid situations and a really annoying sentimental performance from Shu Qi (who fared much better in THE TRANSPORTER with Jason Statham). The stage is shared by lots of other unnotables, including the increasingly annoying Tony Leung (whenever I see this guy's face, I just wanna punch him) and lots of stupid goons. The comedy is really overdone here, more so in a typical Hong Kong actioner, with lots of gurning villains and a nice "no violence" feel over the whole thing.Ugh! Who wants to see Jackie Chan in a sentimental romance? His performance is fine, but he's wasted here and this is NOT the type of film on which he built his success. Realising this, the producers shoehorn a few scenes of action into the plot, but it's very staged and nothing special. The only really good scene in the film is the final boxing match between American champ Bradley James Allan (whose fighting is sheer brilliance) and Jackie, which is a really good one-on-one showdown with tons of intense punching, incredible leg work, and more flexability than a rubber band. If you must see this movie, just fast-forward until this fight; I can guarantee you won't be missing much otherwise.

I have always loved watching Jackie Chan movies. Seeing the title & cover it didn't look to be pleasing. But oh my god It is so funny & nice in many ways. Jackie has always made good movies. I never seen or heard of this until the past couple days & checked it out.I don't laugh much in comedies but This is funny I like it.Hopes everyone else enjoys this twisted plot. I give it 10Stars This is most worthy.Who is the girl as she is very cute. And plays the part very well I will be checking out more movies of Jackie to check out. Hopefully there will be more with this girl or other movies I could see.

Acrobatic martial-arts superstar, Jackie Chan, and adorable Asian hottie, Shu Qi, star in this silly but likable romantic comedy about a young Taiwanese girl, Bu, who travels to Hong Kong in pursuit of love, after finding a message in a bottle.She tracks down the sender of the message, Albert (Tony Leung), a gay fashion photographer and not quite the potential soul-mate she had hoped for. But it's not long before she really meets the man of her dreams; whilst on a yacht trip with Albert, Bu rescues millionaire, C. N. Chan, after he is attacked by a gang of thugs on his boat, and the two fall in love…But since the course of true love never runs smooth, various obstacles are put in the way of the lovers' happiness: a dedicated bachelor, Chan finds it impossible to actually say 'I love you' (which obviously upsets lovestruck Bu), and rival businessman, L.W. Lo, constantly causes trouble for Chan by attacking him at every opportunity. Of course, the film ends with a predictable happy ending in which Chan finally declares his love for Bu and his enemies are defeated.A schmaltzy and lightweight Lunar New Year offering, Gorgeous meanders lazily through familiar romantic comedy territory, relying heavily on the charms of its charismatic leads. Fortunately, both Jackie Chan and Shu Qi have bucket-loads of charisma to spare, and the film manages to be a lot of fun despite the insubstantial plot.Although this may not be your typical Chan outing, fans of his fight flicks should still take note: this film features some of his best martial arts scenes since his heyday in the 80s. A somewhat lacklustre first battle, which takes place on a boat, may make viewers think that perhaps, with Chan now in his 50s, 'the Man' has lost his edge. Fans, however, have nothing to worry about, because later fights definitely deliver the incredible martial-arts acrobatics Jackie Chan is famous for.A confrontation with four mask wearing thugs wielding baseball bats is absolutely amazing, featuring complex choreography that requires split-second timing and two later showdowns against the diminutive Bradley James Allan must rank amongst the best Chan fights ever filmed!This may not be classic Chan, but given the choice between another Rush Hour or Gorgeous, I'd take the latter any day.**N.B. This review is of the Columbia Tristar DVD, which has a run-time of 95 minutes. A longer HK release is available, which also features a cameo from Stephen Chow.**

This is a Jackie Chan movie with a difference, it is also a romantic film. The same Jackie trademarks are exhibited, the action scenes and the humour, but the romantic angle is fuller than in his other films. The storyline is based on an old concept, a message in a bottle, but updated. The characters are well chosen and believable. The action scenes are up to Jackies usual standard with plenty of humour mixed in. I really enjoyed this movie as it caters for all the included genres equally. For those who enjoy purely action films stick to Bruce Lee or John Woo. It was not the best romantic comedy I have ever seen, but this is one of the best films that span several genres in equal amounts. Awarded an 8 but perhaps should have been a 9 for its successful mix of styles.