Chinese action star Jackie Chan proves once more his popularity with the $40.1 million box-office receipt of an action-comedy movie he leads. “Railroad Tigers” topped China’s box office, causing “The Great Wall” to move down to second place with weekly box-office earnings of $18.6 million.
The 10-day total of “Railroad Tigers” reached $71.4 million, which LA Times noted provided a strong finish to China’s weak box office in 2016. What likely set the movie apart is Jackie Chan offers something new here as he does away with his usual tumbling and punching routines.
Smart Jackie Chan
LA Times, in a review, pointed out that Jackie Chan’s character, Ma Yuen, the head of porters in the rail company, had the abilities and strength of a normal man, but he is smart. However, there are several downsides to the movie despite the excellent performance by Jackie Chan.
The reviewer found the supporting cast goofing in the movie, the film has so much action that it failed to connect the audience with the characters because the camera did not linger on the actors’ faces and there was lack of some moments of quiet spotlight on the heroes. Nevertheless, the daily said that the movie was beautifully shot and its animated interludes brought back the “primary-color block illustration of WWII propaganda posters.”
Slapstick Comedy
Citing a scene when the train conductor hits himself on the head with a hammer when a robber instructed the conductor to pretend to be dead, the reviewer wrote that the slapstick comedy of “Railroad Tigers” suggested “Three Stooges” or “Star Wars.” The daily gave the thumbs up to director Ding Sheng’s deft maneuver of 15 key characters with their own small battles on the train packed in the second half of the film.
One anecdote shared by the reviewer is that Jackie Chan swept the floors himself after shooting.