Search - The Accidental Spy (Import) [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

The "butchered" version of HK film

A. Liu | 12/12/2002

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I'm sure most of us who have ever come across, and perhaps even have grown to like, some classic Hong Kong movie (such as Police Story, Drunken Master II), would have heard the not-so-secret about how Miramax/Dimension films bought most of the Hong Kong movies distribution right. It seems like they bought more than just the right the distribute, they have bought the films and, despite the Directors/Filmmakers original intention, they cut it as they see fit. The problem is, they don't see very well. Without a good understanding of other's cultural background, they simply categorize what they do not understand as redundant. The result are some horrific, hollow effort that will lead the American viewers believe that Hong Kong or other countries are unable to produce quality motion pictures. While Miramax/Dimension are considered to be "Independant Studios" who respect the artisic view of the filmmakers, they are nothing more than bunch of short-sighted, self-righteous hypocrites.Though they do make an effort to digitally restore/remaster the original film to provide a sharper, clearer image, they more than often largely mutilate the film: creating new, trailor-like (useless and sometime even become spoiler) credit sequence, replacing original music score with cheesy/ridiculous techno, awful dubbing and worst of all, cutting out numerous sequences of the movie. Slap on a laughable cover and it is ready to be re-sold as a Miramax/Dimension production.To make this long aggravation short, The Miramax/Dimension version of "Accidental Spy" is a perfect example. The cover of the DVD has got nothing whatsoever to do with the film except it features Jackie Chan (Who the hell are the two women holding pistols?). Secondly, 20+ minutes of the film was trimmed (That is the equal length of an episode of "Friends"!), thirdly, a cool(?) titile sequence is inserted basically give away all the stunt and action scenes at the beginning of the film, and finally, though most of the dialogue in this movie are originally English, for the part when the characters are speaking Mandarin/Cantonese, they somehow got Jackie himself to do his own English dubbing, only they are bad, and does not provide the story as it should be (Note: Jackie's Character "Bei" actually has a certain "psychic" power). I mean, they even dubbed the "outtake" sequence, wouldn't you think it's absurd?I eventually obtained an original version, and enjoyed it much more as I have a better understanding of the characters, or you could say I was into the story more simply because I was not distracted by the dubbing.The original version even include some "making-of" documentary, cast & crew bio, trailors, and oh! DTS soundtrack (though somehow the DTS track on this disc proved to be a disappointment).If you somehow got the Miramax/Dimension version, I am sorry but you are not watching this movie as it really should be. I give 2 stars for this version. For the original version, I believe it actually deserve a 4 star rating."

Chan is back, better than ever

Alex Shum | Brooklyn, New York United States | 05/02/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"International action star Jackie Chan, is back, in the highest Hong Kong budget movie in history, and boy, its worth it. Unlike his latter, 'tamer' Hollywood starred movies, (Rush Hour, Shanghai Noon) and unlike Gorgeous, The Accidental Spy is pure action, Jackie Chan style. Even though people may say age is catching up to Jackie, I'll say other wise. The Accidental Spy, plot wise, is very intriguing with a tad of mystery. The plot shows signs of maturity compared to his other movies, where it may seem linear. In this movie, forgein languages are plentiful, ranging from Cantonese, Manderian, to English and Turkish. But what is a Jackie Chan movie without the language barrier? Even so, the film is very well done. Action wise, too, is very intruiging and it lives up to the standards of Hollywood. A lot of the stunts/fight scenes are fast paced and are very unique, courtesy of Jackie. You'll just have to watch it yourself to catch my drift. This DVD version includes behind ths scenes, character bios, etc. which is always neat to mess around with. There is also a DTS option for those lucky ones with home theatre peripherals. If you're a fan of Jackie Chan or just wanting to watch and own a pure action movie, The Accidental Spy should be it. This film, to my knowledge might be bought to be shown here in the states sometime soon. So i suggest you get your hands on this copy before they chop it up in the American release!"

Yes, This Is True Jackie, Action Film in His Style

Tsuyoshi | Kyoto, Japan | 12/03/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Finally! Now a truely international action hero of our era, Jackie Chan came back to Hong Kong movie. This is what he wants to do, and avid fans should not miss it!Of course, the plot is only an excuse for involving him into a series of actions. But it is his action scenes that count. And "Accidental Spy" gives them to you. This time we have two standout scenes, both of which take place in Turkey: one of them shows how Jackie escapes from thugs in spice market, stark naked (Yes, naked!!!), using various props you can think of in a lightening speed. Silly? Sure, but absolutely funny and hilarious, and I even respect him for doing that in a hot country, his body all over spices (think about how he felt)! The other comes at the end, in a "Speed"-like way, with a tank truck set on fire running on a bridge, and fans, you know what he is going to do? Of course, he jumps from there!As in Jackie's movies made in Hong Kong, the script is weak and sometimes you have to sit through occasional slack. To be fair, the script of Ivy Ho, who is responsible for that of much inferior "Gorgeous," is better than you might expect, and I have no complaint about it. And true Jackie Chan fans should know that death-defying action is not a thing you can do every day. Naturally you want more, and more, and more (yeah, I understand), but think about it; 5 minutes of HIS action is always worth your money.And lastly, as one of many Jackie fans in Japan, I believe this is his movie should be. I am ready to go to see another "Rush Hour" but it is a Hollywood-made, not-exactly-his-style work. Remember, "Accidental Spy" is clearly made with mainly Asian audience in mind (cast of Vivian Hsu, popular in Japan and Taiwan, and Min-jeong Kim, who comes from Korea, testifies to that) but this fact should not discourage any movie fans from seeing it. Just sit back, relax; get laughs, get thrills, and enjoy it. Just like we do."

Good movie, butchered DVD

Simon Booth | UK | 09/08/2002

(1 out of 5 stars)

"The Accidental Spy is one of Jackies better recent movies. There's no disguising the fact he's getting older, and can't quite manage the jaw-dropping feats of his youth, but in this movie he still shows that he has more understanding of action scenes than almost anybody else on the planet. The Accidental Spy also has a reasonably good script.However, what you will see with this DVD is not really the movie The Accidental Spy at all. The distributing company have, for reasons best known to themselves, decided to cut about half an hour out of the movie for it's US release. They have also decided for us that we should watch the movie in English, despite it having been recorded in Jackie's native Cantonese. Dubbing ruins movies, pure and simple.Hence, whilst I believe that people should see The Accidental Spy if they are a fan of Jackie Chan or action cinema in general, I cannot recommend that anybody purchase this DVD version.Track down the Hong Kong DVD instead, which might not have Miramax level mastering, but at least presents the movie as it was meant to be seen. The butchery Miramax have applied to the movie is an offence to the movie makers and the US audiences in equal measures. Don't support releases like this, and maybe one day the US studios will learn to treat their audience with respect."