“Mr. Nice Guy” is an appropriate title for a film starring martial arts legend Jackie Chan (“Drunken Master”, “Rush Hour”) and that’s because he is. Like many of Chan’s other films the plot and characters are an afterthought but the action scenes are just fantastically creative.

Chan stars as Chinese tv chef Jackie living in Melbourne, who finds himself being pursued by rival gangs of drug dealers that are convinced he is holding onto an incriminating tape. As the film goes on we get see to some impressive fights and stunts from Mr. Chan but the ending, featuring the bad guy’s lair being destroyed, is something I have mixed feelings over as it is impressive but I wanted a big fight for the finale.

Like I said Chan is a nice guy as he’s always smiling, has a sense of humour similar to that of silent comedians such as Charlie Chaplin (“Modern Times”) and he never swears. Chan delivers his trademark action, which is funny and creative. His best stunt here involves him rolling over a buzz saw, which when you see the outtakes in the credits will realise was actually on during the scene. Richard Norton, who you may remember from “City Hunter” (not one of the better Jackie Chan films), is okay here as the villain. Director of this film, friend and regular collaborator of Chan, Sammo Hung makes a small appearance as a disgruntled cyclist and is alright too.

The plot is standard and the characters aren’t too great and while that’s a shame, if you’re used to martial arts movies then you won’t be surprised. The important things such as the stunts and the action are fantastic here and Chan’s choreography flows like some sort of perfect dance. It’s not one of his absolute best but Mr. Chan should be proud of “Mr. Nice Guy”.