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Synopsis
In Who am I?
Jackie Chan plays a secret agent who loses his
memory after having fallen from a helicopter into the wilds of Africa, where he
is rescued by a local tribe. When asked his name by the tribesmen, he responds
by asking them, "Who am I?" They take this as his name and call him "Whoami."
Once he has recovered from his fall, Whoami leaves the tribe and sets out
across the desert, where he encounters a young woman named Yuki (Mirai
Yamamoto), who takes him back to civilization. There the amnesiac agent
discovers that he is a marked man. Teaming up with Yuki and a feisty reporter
named Christine (Michelle Ferre), he does battle with those who want to kill
him, first in Africa and later in Rotterdam.
Analysis
While Who am I? is genuinely
exciting, there is little in it for which it can be recommended other than its
fight scenes, and it is burdened with a number of flaws. As is generally the
case in Jackie Chan's films, the plot of Who am I? exists only to
provide excuses for the inclusion of a variety of action sequences shot in
exotic locations. The characterizations are frankly silly and overdone and the
acting is often dreadful. The movie is further weakened by the presence of
humorous elements that could easily be interpreted as racist. For example, when
Yuki first meets Whoami, he is dressed like an African tribesman and cannot
speak, having chewed on a numbing medicinal herb, and she is terrified of him
because she believes he is a cannibal intent on eating her.
The action sequences, all performed by Chan, of course, are,
however, well done and are the movie's reason for being. The concluding fight
sequences in Rotterdam, which include a rooftop contest between Chan and a
kickboxing opponent and a slide down the glass side of the same building, are
particularly rousing.
Anyone looking for anything other than a typical Jackie Chan
action film will, most likely, be disappointed by the movie. Those who enjoy
Chan's films will probably enjoy Whoami?, although some, such as myself,
may find that enjoyment muted by its occasionally racist humor.
Review by Keith Allen
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© 2004
movierapture@hotmail.com Keith
Allen. All rights reserved.
Revised 2005 |
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