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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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Keith Allen. All rights reserved.
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