Chan was convincing as a distraught father. He should have at least been nominated for an oscar. This movie was much better than critics thought.

I love this movie through and through. I've made all my friends and family watch it, and I've seen it myself no less than a dozen times. It is precisely my cup of tea. Why? Well, I'm not too great at explaining myself or critical thinking on film, but I'll give it a shot.The pacing. Starts out with a bang, dials it way back, then turns up gradually. We don't so much see a mystery unfold as we do go through a process somewhat behind the eyes of Jackie Chan's character. He takes his time, not that he bides it.The fallible hero. Jackie Chan is old. You didn't know? Well he is. And it shows. They don't try to go the Stallone route where he somehow hasn't lost a step and can fight a tank even though he's in his 70's. When he gets hit, it hurts. No more 30 minute long fights with ladders and folding chairs.The villain. Pierce Brosnan is one of my faves, and he turned up a good performance, in my opinion. An ex-extremist gone soft, playing politics. His presence enough would've been enough to satisfy, but he played the part well. Thankfully.The score/soundtrack. Carpenter-esque, and it really sets the tone. Keeps it tense. People who aren't familiar with Carpenter might liken it to the score used in Stranger Things. And I think it's perfect.I guess those are the major points. Now go watch it. It may be the last time you get to see Jackie Chan in a decent movie.

A colossal digression from his stereotype roles - The Foreigner is the ideal comeback for the legendary Jackie Chan, a part-action part-political thriller based on the IRA bombings. Miles away from the silly and entertaining Rush-Hour, Shanghai Noon type flicks, Chan does one hell of a job emoting pretty seriously as a vulnerable and repressed parent seeking out redemption. Jackie Chan plays Quan, a small, unassuming Asian man whose daughter happens to be a casualty in a politically motivated London bombing. His search for the elusive killers leads him to a British / Irish government official (Pierce Brosnan), whose own murky past with the Irish Republican Army holds clues to the killers and their motives. With all the possibilities of being a standard action movie with a weak plot, the surprise factor in The Foreigner is the screenplay which switches between the IRA conspiracy part and the Chan vendetta quite cleverly, progressing parallel in extreme pace and converging enough at different points. Added to the plot twists is the dour and serious Jackie Chan who doesn't break into a smile at all through the major runtime. Fans expecting hardcore or overdone martial arts scenes or Kung Fu bloopers are in for a surprise, for this part Rambo-part Taken-part Patriot Games thriller carries off a quite dark vigilante version of Chan without excessive CGI laden action scenes of his last few movies. While Jackie Chan surprises with some fine dramatic performance and his usual agile stunt works, Pierce Brosnan has gracefully aged from his bond franchise in to the Former IRA-turned cunning and conspiring politician role. A fine political thriller + action movie !

'The Foreigner' is quite formulaic action revenge thriller that doesn't offer much new or fresh, but still somehow manages to stay away from the path of dull clichés. Dedicated and masterful performances by its two leads, Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan, who both are little bit in a different water than most of us are used to see them. For me (I think I'm not the only one), the two actors were the only reason I watched that film, and I felt not a second of time wasted. It was nice breath of fresh air to see Jackie Chan's darker, and more serious side. Also, it seemed that writer had put some effort into plotting the 'cloak and dagger' situation between government officials with hazing the clear borders between good and evil.Above average recent action piece that is enlivened by great performances.