Robin-B-Hood

Can the beloved Jackie Chan ever play a negative character? For the first time he does in the Benny Chan comedy, Robin-B-Hood. However, I would not consider Fong (Jackie Chan) a bad guy. Sure, he is a thief who steals from the rich and then squanders all his wealth on Black Jack games and horse races but he is a gambler with a good side. When Fong and the rest of his cat burglar team, Octopus (Louis Koo) and the Landlord (Michael Hui), get caught up in a kidnapping plot involving a baby, Fong and Octopus have a change of heart. As a result, the two find themselves as interim parents fighting off the bad guys and keeping the baby safe and trying to get him home. Fong and Octopus put a new spin on childrearing in this hilarious action packed film.

One of the more profound cinematic devices the director uses is the choreography. Jackie Chan is famous for the fight scenes in his movies and in Hood he doesn’t disappoint. With the overly emphasized punches and roundhouses as scene in many Asian martial arts films, the fighting draws the audience in. The team work between Fong and Octopus makes them an unbeatable force. What makes this movie differ, however, from the other films I have watched is that many of the scenes are hilarious. The other martial arts movies I have viewed have fight scenes that take place in the middle of war and there is often bloodshed. In Hood, the fighting is laugh-out-loud funny and cleverly choreographed. Here is a link to YouTube of a video clip showing a fight scene where Fong and Octopus fight off men trying to steal the child from them: Fight Scene.

In spite of its goofiness and light heartedness, the story line of the Hood is complex. A narrative pattern that exists within the movie is that there are multiple stories that revolve around Fong and Octopus. Fong has gotten himself in deep with McDaddy—a man whom he owes thousands of dollars. Fong is being chased down by McDaddy and his possie at the same time the child thieves are after him. He also has family issues after being shunned by his father for being a “crook.” Octopus has a pregnant young wife with whom he wants nothing to do with. He is a womanizer who is too obsessed with his Ferrari. However, his wife won’t give up on him and he goes through a personal journey to seek and find what family should really be. There is also the baby’s grandfather who is behind the entire kidnapping plot. Though what he is doing is a horrible offense, once the audience learns his tragic story their heart can’t help but break for him. He is nothing more than a troubled old man who fell into psychotic turmoil after losing his family. The story lines are complex but are woven together in a way that makes it look simple and almost shallow.

Robin-B-Hood is a movie that is fully illogical, irrational, and a total blast. I found myself driven to tears because how hard I was laughing. It is a witty film filled with humor, action, and a lot of heart. It teaches about family and finding redemption despite your past. Behind its silly and ridiculous exterior, lies a story for anyone. Besides, who wouldn’t want to watch a movie with an adorable little baby in it?