Directed by and starring Jackie Chan, and set in 1930s Hong Kong, Miracles is a gangster film that is equal parts comedy and action film, with a touch of melodrama thrown in for good measure. Chan stars as a young man who ... more »rescues a dying crime boss in 1930s Hong Kong. When the boss passes away, he is tapped to become the new leader. He attributes his good luck to an old rose seller and the roses he buys off of her. To pay her back for all of his good fortune, he helps her pretend to be a wealthy socialite, just as she had described herself in letters to her daughter in order to help impress her daughter's wealthy fiancé and not queer their upcoming marriage. The plot is lifted from Frank Capra's Lady for a Day (1933), which Capra remade in 1961 as Pocketful of Miracles. Of course, like all Jackie Chan films, this movie contains more--and more innovative--fight scenes than Capra could ever dream of. Two set pieces in particular are stunning: A big fight in a restaurant and the final battle in the warehouse of a rope factory. Along the way, Chan throws in a musical number inspired by Busby Berkeley and a whole lotta heart, making this a well-rounded and entertaining film, which Chan himself has allegedly referred to as his favorite. --Andy Spletzer« less
"Does anyone here know how to read? It clearly states that this version contains BOTH the subtitled and the dubbed version. If you don't want to read the subtitles, it contained a dubbed english version. How hard is it to realize this? Before you complain, why don't you read the back of the box."
A not-so-great digital transfer of a great film
curtis martin | Redmond, WA, USA | 10/14/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
""Miracles" is one of Jackie Chan's best overall movies, with funny comedy, great sets and cinematography, and wonderfully acrobatic fight scenes. its not a non-stop action fest, but that's also what makes it more of a "real" movie. Unfortunately, i found Columbia-Tristar's DVD version to have a significantly degraded picture quality. Sometimes the images break up quite a bit, looking like a third generation dub of a vhs tape. Characters in long shots will often look as though they are on the COPS show as criminals with their faces electronically obscured. I wish C/star had gone to the trouble to get ahold of a real print of the film and had then handed it over to a digital transfer expert (in contrast,for example, much care was taken with the new Shanghai Noon DVD, and it has a spectacular look to it). Anyway, this is the only version of the film available in the states, so its still worth buying. ps--if it matters to any of you, there is no English dub track. Just Cantonese and mandarin, with several languages in subtitles."
This is Jackie Chan's most complete film.
louieart@webjogger.net | Red Hook , New York | 07/31/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I saw this film 10 years ago in the local Chinatown theatre and it still holds up on DVD as his most complete film. The film is shot with higher production values than it's Hong Kong counterparts. The comedy elements don't seem really out of place like in his later films and there is actually a story in this one ( borrowed from Frank Capra's "Pocketful of Miracles" ) The action sequences are as clever and inventive as anything he has ever done ( I didn't mind that there weren't as many of them ). The Restaurant sequence and the Rope factory fight are stand-outs. Even though the film was made for a Hong Kong audience, it transcends that and has something for everyone. It's great movie-making."
Get the facts right, this DVD has the Uncut version.
D. Hogan | NH, United States | 04/11/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Again, unfortunately someone has been jumping the gun and accusing every DVD released in America to be cut. Usually a warning is apropriate, as foreign films are often cut, however, you should know whether or not that's true before you write a bad review. Not only does this film have both the original dialogue/ uncut version & the english dubbed(on one double-sided disc), but it lists it right in the features above. Please do your research or at least read the description before you continue to make these harsh allegations.
That being said, the audio and video quality on this DVD is very poor. The other R1 version by Tai Seng is the 22 minutes shorter cut, so avoid that one. So, region free player? Hong Kong Legends version, if not, either this one, or some cheaper HK import that will probably also have subpar quality."
Options!! (It is a Miracle!)
D. Hogan | 02/09/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I see a bunch of people have made comments
like "Good if you like subtitles" - this
is annoying and stupid, since the disc contains BOTH
the original version (fir those who 'really'
appreciate hong kong cinema), and the a dubbed
"Chan-for-dummies" version, obviously for those who
only speak 'American.' Ironically, though
Columbia has done a great service by providing
choices for "everyone's" benefit, I have to read such
trifling comments by those who get weak in theknees when they see a subtitle - even if the dub
is right in front of them."