Today, the Chinese-American thriller “Tougher than Nowhere” with the participation of Jackie Chan and John Cena returned to the Russian rental.
The curiosity is natural in that the movie was filmed in 2018, but never went into wide release. This film is a kind of skin-reflecting time capsule as fragile Chinese-American co-productions clumsily reveal skin contact with the audience.
We already went to the premiere and grew up, whether the production of the American-Chinese product was real, or the film was gathering dust in vain for several years on the shelves of film studios.
Stallone can play here, but it didn’t work out
What is the movie about: History speaks of the near future, in which oil becomes a resource for which there is a ruthless struggle. Hero Jackie Chan captures a team of Chinese special forces involved in the evacuation of workers at an oil plant in Baghdad.
There he finds himself with a deceived would-be mercenary, and despite their dislike, the pair must fight their way through bullets and sandstorms to stop the discovery and prevent the theft of the oil.
The history of the creation of “Nowhere cooler” began from the moment when Sylvester Stallone was chosen as the main star of the project. But due to scheduling discrepancies and other events, Stallone bailed out of the project and starred in Creed 2 instead. And that’s fucking shameful fact!
While Stallone has undeniable authority and attention, Cena, who replaced him, is still looking for his place in the film industry.
You can be sad, imagining the situation if Stallone still remained in the project. In the 90s.
It would be interesting to see the interaction between Stallone and Chan on screen, two legendary actors with a distinct style and charisma. Unfortunately, this potential has not been realized.
Another badie movie, funny and spectacular
As Bad As It Gets is a film that tries to take the best of badie movies, add a dash of Mad Max, and still create its own style. It turns out not very convincing, but the writers and actors did what they could.
Of course, the film failed to achieve the same level of comic acting and charisma that we saw in Rush Hour. Jackie Cena is not as good a team as Chan and Chris Tucker, but better than Chan and Johnny Knoxville. Movie buffs know what I’m talking about. In general, when Jackie and Cena are on screen together, the film is special charm.
As befits this type of film, fate (the script) causes contagion in order to create a common enemy. And here the fun begins! Their embarrassing consequences may begin, funny misunderstandings and endless funny jokes the outcome of a unique playful production. Well, awkward situations due to the language barrier cannot but cause a smile.
Problems of the film: the plane of the plot and the cheapness of special effects
Unfortunately, the acting duo doesn’t save the film from its other problems. The rest of the characters do not cause much interest and are quickly forgotten after viewing. Even the main antagonist, who should have paid attention to the danger, comes across as uninteresting.
Plus the film’s impressive visuals leave a lot to be desired. Explosions, intended to make the fight scene epic, are disappointing due to their poor implementation. As if budget on a normal schedule is just not ideal.
The visuals look unfinished and implausible, and the places where the events take place look artificial and unnatural. Something synthetic!
Jackie is still fire, the best absurd fighter in the world
In general, “The Coolest of Nowhere” inherits the famous action style of the 90s, Jackie Chan was so famous. Scenes featuring Jackie are absurd combat detentions and cool acrobatic stunts. He literally dances with external data, using everything that comes close to his hand to overcome them. Everything we love. The stunts and choreography of the fight scenes are at the highest level here.
He is, unsurprisingly, director Scott Waugh, who has directed films such as Law of Valor, Need for Speed and the upcoming The Expendables 4, a former stuntman himself. Attitude to tricks is connected.
John Cena with his powerful and professional wrestling qualifications is not coming out. His fight scenes are full of bestial energy, the viewer can feel every crushing blow that falls on the enemies.
However, patients have a clear sense that a movie with Stallone would have been better. Brighter and more charismatic. Maybe the budget would be bigger.
In general, “Nowhere cooler” can be presented well and make the viewer laugh. But the film may disappoint with its storyline and cheap visuals. It’s worth watching if you’re not looking for something serious or deep. Just give it a chance to get a rare east-west collaboration and leave your high expectations at home, then the movie will go!
Source: Iphones RU
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
