My Cultural Diet

On paper, the mix of Jackie Chan’s trademark stunts and prop-based martial arts comedy with the world of auto racing seems pretty promising. After all, what could be a cooler prop for Chan to use than a race car? Unfortunately, 1995’s Thunderbolt fails to realize any of that setup’s promise. Chan plays a mechanic who runs afoul of a notorious criminal racer who subsequently kidnaps Chan’s sisters to force him into a final showdown on the track. Plenty of action ensues, as you’d expect from Chan, but unlike so many of his films, where the action is edited with clarity and perfection, Thunderbolt alternates between bleary-eyed slow-motion and Bourne-style hyper-editing, reducing the action to a migraine-inducing smudge. As for the racing, it’s surprisingly dull and tedious, which is a bit ironic given all of the under-cranking used during the race sequences. (All that’s missing is the inclusion of “Yakety Sax” in the soundtrack.) Put simply, if you’re looking for a good mid-’90s Jackie Chan film, reach for First Strike or Mr. Nice Guy instead.

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