Synopsis: A washed-up stuntman and his stunt horse become an overnight media sensation when their real-life fight with debt collectors goes viral. Soon, the offers to return to the film business come flowing in but age, old injuries, and other problems raise their ugly heads to make him think twice about his return to the screen. (126 Mins)

 

Views: It almost feels like forever since we last saw a Jackie Chan movie, but now fans can rejoice as Ride On gets it's big screen release here in the UK on April 7th (2023) courtesy of Cineasia; which also happens to be Jackie Chan's 69th birthday! I mean, this is both amazing and crazy because when you actually think about it, this incredible man has long past retirement age yet is still kicking ass and entertaining the world – and this new film just shows us why! Jackie Chan plays Lao Luo, a washed-up stuntman who struggles to make ends-meet and lives for his stunt horse, Red Hare, who he rescued as a foal and brought up like a son. Over the years, the pair made a name for themselves in the world of action film but today, their only connection to donning a costume is in the hope of selling a few photos during studio tours. But when a debt collector starts hounding Jackie for his money, the pair become an internet sensation after their fight against the thugs is captured on film and put online. Soon, the offers come rushing in from past students and studios who want to give this legendary action-star a second chance. At the same time, a legal battle begins over Red Hare that could destroy Jackie's new offer to get back in the industry and more importantly, make him lose his greatest friend. In a last ditch attempt for help, Jackie reaches out to his estranged daughter whose boyfriend is a young lawyer, in the hope of gaining their support and, in turn, winning back the trust and love of his only child. Together, they must all learn the importance of family, happiness, life, and forgiveness in a dramatic and inspiring chain of events that brings them all together...

 

I don't think I've ever cried so much at a Jackie Chan movie than I did when watching Ride On! Maybe it's the fact that I have been a die-hard fan for over 40 years now and felt more of a connection to his story than the average Joe, or perhaps it was the heartfelt story of the struggles of parenthood and being a dad myself that made it work, or just the beautiful moments between Jackie and his horse that sucked me in – especially in that final heartbreaking chapter. Either way, this was quite an emotional watch (and I certainly wasn't the only one sobbing in the room). Set in the extensive world of the Chinese film industry, Ride On is a particularly interesting film for many reasons, with the main one for me being how it blends many extraordinary and personal elements of Jackie Chan's life into the story. In fact, nearing the end of the film, my husband kept asking me if this was his last movie – and I could totally see why. In fact, if this was Jackie Chan's final hurrah and goodbye to the film industry and his fans, I'd be more than happy to take that. It would be totally understandable!

 

This is absolutely a love letter to his fans, with many throwbacks to his most memorable cinematic moments being re-enacted, shown, or hinted at throughout. These include smile inducing moments such as the Project A signpost that has a 360 degree carving of Jackie hanging from the clock tower, the fun fight on the tram that sees him take on the axe-gang reminiscent of that in Drunken Master 2 – albeit dressed like Donnie Yen's 'Black Mask' character from Legend Of The Fist. There's a hint of his commando character from Who Am I?, and that of the Condor from Armour Of God 2: Operation Condor, a fun fight scene in the style of New Police Story – only this time, with Jackie playing the villain, and even a waiter at the market who is dressed exactly like Chan was in Wheels On Meals while delivering food on a skateboard from a yellow food-van. Drunken Master fans will enjoy the scene that sees him torture his future son-in-law by forcing him into the horse stance over a lit joss stick, and we even get to see him hint back at his days in the Peking Opera School when he interrupts a stage performance featuring seven little stars in action. There's a note of Shanghai Noon when Jackie dresses both him and Red Hare up as Native Americans for photo shoots (and later again when the horse sits like a dog), and a lengthy stunt sequence that puts him back in the same costume for the hugely underrated Knight Of Shadows which was fun. I smiled at seeing Jackie on top of an amusement park wheel once again – much like that in My Lucky Stars – blending a stunt from Police Story 3: Super Cop with a similar shot seen in Who Am I? I loved the moment when he gave his daughter the cuddly seal-hat from First Strike, but I think I was most surprised though to see Stanley Tong appear as the director of a movie – a movie that just screamed The Myth, and saw Jackie Chan return to that very same role in a scene that looks like it was cut right from the original production. I always loved Jackie in The Myth, so it made me very happy to see him don the same costume and weaponry once again. This was actually quite a powerful moment where Jackie realised that the dangerous stunt-work he was so used to, is no longer necessary due to the aid of CGI – something that the man himself has always tried to stay away from in order to keep things real. And I suppose, in reality, this was also his way of letting us know that this is now the case. Why should he be risking his life for us when he's almost 70 years of age? It's just ridiculous to expect that! But perhaps the most amazing moment – and in a scene that almost touched on breaking the fourth wall in some respects – was when his daughter came across a pen-drive that held many of the greatest scenes and stunts from Jackie Chan's real film career. It's an incredibly emotional scene that brings them closer together, while leaving both of them – as well as myself – in tears as she starts to understand the impact, the dedication, and the life that Jackie Chan gave the world of entertainment. I've watched this a few times already, and it has affected me the same way every time.

 

Starring alongside Jackie is the lovely Liu Hao Cun, from Zhang Yimou movies such as One Second, Cliffwalkers, and Sniper, who plays Jackie's daughter with Guo Qi Lin as her boyfriend. The brilliant Ailei Yu, who co-starred with the young actress in Cliffwalkers as well as making an appearance in hits like The Warlords, The Lost Bladesman, Saving Mr. Wu and Sammo Hung's My Beloved Bodyguard, stars as Jackie's close friend and stuntman student while the lovely Joey Yung from My Schoolmate The Barbarian, 12 Golden Ducks, and Soccer Killer, stars as his better half and another stunt performer. Superstar Wu Jing throws his weight behind the legend to cameo as another of Jackie's proteges who convinces him to star in the aforementioned Stanley Tong directed epic – although fans need not get too excited as Wu doesn't actually get to bust a move himself. Of course, the last time these two starred in a movie together was in the 2011 Benny Chan classic, Shaolin – not forgetting Jackie's cameo in Wu Jing's film, The Climbers, a few years before this. Interestingly enough, the brilliant and often overlooked Xing Yu – who also last starred alongside Jackie and Wu in Shaolin – plays a similar role to Wu Jing in being a hugely inspired star and action-director who initially coaxes Jackie to come back into the industry. Again though, he doesn't get to join any action scenes himself. The amazing Yu Rong Guang, who has shared the screen with Jackie many times over the years in films such as Shanghai Noon, New Police Story, The Myth, Little Big Soldier, Police Story 2013, The Karate Kid – and Michelle Yeoh's Project S indirectly – stars as one of the light villains of the piece; an elegant businessman and horse collector who legally secures the rights to Red Hare and aims to take him away from Jackie. Thankfully though, and again, without even busting a move, he does prove to have a change of heart when he really sees how much each of them mean to each other. And the handsome Ray Lui, who last starred alongside Jackie in Project A 2 as well as making a cameo in Miracles, shows-up as the man who gives Red Hare to Jackie as a sickly foal, but it's the wonderful Andy On who proves to be the lucky one that gets to trade moves with Chan the man...

 

Jackie Chan regular, Han Guan Hua, works with He Jun (and quite obviously Jackie Chan) to bring plenty of exciting martial-arts action to the screen. While both names have worked with Chan on many of his Hollywood titles from Shanghai Knights to The Foreigner, they have both worked on many of his Hong Kong films from the turn-of-the-century including The Medallion, The Myth, Rob-B-Hood, New Police Story, Chinese Zodiac, Shaolin, and Vanguard, and do a great job in bringing some fun fights to the screen in Ride On – most of which pit Jackie against the hugely talented Andy On apart from the aforementioned 'Black Mask' fight scene with the axe-gang. The first of these is Andy's introduction when he first approaches Chan for his money, which leads to a fun fight chase that really sets the tone for the most of their clashes throughout the movie. Round two follows with an even more exciting fight at a night market, with Jackie trying to protect his daughter from Andy and his men, which was pretty exciting to watch. Their final round comes in the last half hour, set around Jackie's home and is an exciting closure to the action side of things. To be honest, there's no actual real villain of the piece in the classic sense of the word – as Jackie tries to convince Andy to become his student after their final bout, telling him that he has what it takes to become a great stuntman. It's a grand leap from the deadly showdowns of Jackie's past and even that of Jackie and Andy's epic fight in New Police Story, but it still works and all are highly-entertaining considering the age Jackie Chan actually is at this point.

 

Writer and director Larry Yang, who had gained some attention for his previous dramas Sorry I Love You, Mountain Cry, Another Shot, and Adoring, does a fine job in directing Ride On, but I think that it would have been a much better piece had it been in the hands of someone like Derek Yee or an equally experienced director, with all due respect. All-in-all though, I thoroughly enjoyed this film on multiple levels. The end of Ride On dedicates it to the stuntmen of the industry and a life dedicated to risking life-and-limb for the sake of entertainment. This was an interesting move for Jackie considering how much he was glossed-over and forgotten about in the 2020 docu-film, Kung Fu Stuntmen: Never Say No, produced by Chin Kar Lok. Interestingly enough though, Jackie delivers a line quoting that exact title – making me wonder if it was indeed a dig or a message to his old Hong Kong colleagues that he's still one of the greatest living legends of the industry. And while it may not be perfect due to some odd choices of editing, direction, and melodramatic moments that just didn't need to be, Ride On has proven to be one of the most enjoyable Jackie Chan movies I have seen in a long time and an absolute treat for his fans!

 

Overall: A wonderfully emotional and exciting film for any Jackie Chan fan, Ride On proves to be somewhat of a personal journey for the star, and almost feels like well-deserved goodbye to his time to the world of action cinema!

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Watch my video review of Ride On HERE​

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Watch my unboxing of the Cineasia Blu-ray release HERE

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Watch my unboxing of the Plaion 4K Mediabook release HERE