As the international man of mystery nicknamed Whoami, Chan's super-heroic kung fu skills (conveniently unaffected by his character's loss of memory), and instinctive evasion of confrontation with authority or any dangerous situation, attract the attention of security forces investigating the aftermath of the botched espionage mission (which opens the film), of which Chan is the only survivor. In the early scenes, we find Chan adapting to tribal life in the South African jungle, but almost immediately after he reaches civilisation Whoami is running for his life with killers working for rogue CIA boss Morgan (Ron Smerczak) on his trail. Posing as a reporter, glamorous young CIA agent Christine (Michelle Ferre) soon becomes our hero's ally, and helps him gain access to the villain's stronghold in Rotterdam, but before he can escape with evidence of Morgan's crimes, Whoami faces a challenging rooftop fight against two expert martial artists...

There's a frantically paced car chase (as is customary for every self-respecting new action film) but in defiance of genre convention, Chan is merely a passenger in the vehicle with female rally driver Yuki (Mirai Yamamoto) behind the wheel. Frequently inventive sight gags - as when the gone-native Whoami is mistaken for a cannibal while trying to save a victim of snakebite by sucking out the venom (I wonder if the iv drip made with a coconut is medically sound?) - provide great fun viewing between the hectic combat scenes. Chan also manages to balance his Buster Keaton inspired slapstick and knockabout routines (the street chase with Chan in wooden clogs is quite amusing) with a few scenes of genuine drama, like the moment of paranoia when Whoami suspects that Christine is spying on him.

Who Am I? (aka: Wo shi shui) is certainly one of Chan's better English dubbed films, superior in many ways to the same year's buddy movie Rush Hour (or its 2001 sequel), and infinitely preferable to glossy nonsense like The Tuxedo...

REVIEW:
Who Am I? is a very interesting movie with significant flaws. This was Jackie's biggest project (budget and scope-wise) at the time and it was shot almost entirely in English. It is a good, universally appealing action film. It has an interesting, if not entirely unique, plot with some good twists as well as some decent stunts and action from our main man. It is a film that could be such a big thing, were it not for some flaws, particularly in the acting department.

The biggest thing to note about this film is the plot. While I often disagree on the opinion that plots are not what matters in Jackie films and that his films are only about action (movies like Dragons Forever and Miracles disprove this, I believe) - it is obvious that in Who Am I? there was definitely a bigger focus on plot. They obviously wanted a plot with greater scope, some secrecy, and some twists. In many ways, the film succeeds. It certainly does have one of the more interesting plots of a Chan film, and there is a lot that is kept back to give the film and the character some secrecy. But, the film does end up falling to some action movie cliches as well as some cheese, here and there. The villains are kind of goofy, too. Still, the movie keeps the viewer interested and is paced very well. The American version of the film messes this up a little toward the beggining, as they cut the African tribe sequence significantly as well as place Jackie's flashbacks at the begginging, where they would happen in chronological order. This does not, by any means, ruin the film - but it is certainly more interesting in its original form.

The action in Who Am I is decent, as expected from Jackie. Certainly not on par with some of his Police Story films and no fights that will make you put down your copy of Drunken Master II. But, the action is adequate nonetheless. Action ranges from car chases to multi-fights to an impressive one-on-one fight near the film's climax. The car chase actually ends up being quite memorable. This isn't Jackie's work, but very cool indeed. It starts out very amusingly with three people packed tightly into the car, Jackie sitting with the gear shift between his legs. Watching the three trying to coordinate their efforts to maneuver the car is quite a laugh. Then Mirai Yamamoto's character gets in the drivers seat and does some cool maneuvering to throw off their pursuers. The foot chases and multi fights in the film are about average for a Jackie film. Nothing exceptional, but plenty amusing if you like Jackie's style. The most memorable moment during the multi-fights is when Jackie fights a villain with some wooden shoes. In the end, though, the part that most people will look forward to is the rooftop battle near the end. Jackie fights two villians one-on-one and then takes them both on. The fight with the second villain is especially cool, as Jackie's opponent uses some awesome kick moves. So, while it is not Jackie's best work in the action department, it is very good and will keep Chan fans happy.

The major unfortunate flaw that hurts the film is much of the acting. While Jackie himself is as good as usual, many of the supporting characters are pretty bad. Michelle Ferre, playing an undercover reporter, is quite cute - but doesn't seem to be able to match her looks with her acting. Mirai Yamamoto is a little better in the acting department, but not much. She has the bigger disadvantage of being one of those annoying side characters, too. The two main villains are not too bad in their roles, but not so great either. They get the job done, but won't send any chills down your spine. The thugs that work for the main villains, though, are very goofy - much like you've seen in other Jackie films. Also, you will notice that the CIA meeting near the beginning is dubbed horribly. This is present in both the U.S. and HK versions. It is obvious that they are speaking the same english words but the lipsynch is completely off and the voices sound like a bad cartoon. Luckily, this is only a small segment of the film. Overall, it is a shame to see bad acting severely hurt what could be such a great movie.

Who Am I is one of those films that does plenty right only to bring itself back down by doing a lot wrong. It definitely has a greater scope than many of Chan's earlier efforts. And regardless of a few cheesy bits, the plot managed to be interesting and had more to it than most Chan films. Action gets the job done and will be enough to keep Jackie's fans satisfied. Unfortunately, with a film of this scope - it is hard to believe they threw it together with such bad acting. Imagine this film with good acting and some better villains and we would have something that could have been one of Jackie's breakthrough films. Unfortunately, that is not so. So, we are left with a good Jackie film that you will want to check out for its story and some good old Jackie Chan. If you do not expect too much, you will be able to enjoy Jackie and a good plot.

The plot is simple but interesting. It’s not terribly original, but in the movie itself it feels fairly fresh and new. Who am I (Jackie Chan) is a CIA special ops member who, after a skirmish in the beginning of the film, falls from a helicopter and loses his memory. The rest of the men on board are killed as an order from the CIA agents that arranged the mission. Who am I recovers with a tribe of Africans that happily accept him into their group. He dons their makeup and dress and even begins to learn their language. One day they discover the remains of the chopper, and bits and pieces of his memory begin to return to him. He meets Yuki (Mirai Yamamoto) and her brother and saves her brother from a poisonous snake bite. When they return to civilization, Who am I is all over the news for his saving of Yuki’s brother and his amnesia. The CIA questions him and, after determining that he remembers nothing, they decide to do away with him. But he escapes, and the rest of the film shows him trying to piece his memory back together while surviving the mass of people that seem to want him dead.

This was one of Benny Chan’s first films to direct, and his execution isn’t at all bad. He handles the fight scenes well, letting the action, not the camera, hold the audience's focus. The rest of the film feels very standard with nothing extraordinary or stylistic, but also nothing terrible or embarrassing in his execution. What does end up quite embarrassing and terrible, though, is some of the performances.

The quality, or lack there of, of many of the performances likely comes from Benny and Jackie Chan’s not natively speaking English. They likely had no one on hand, during auditions or the actual shoot, to make sure the English speaking actors didn’t make a fool of themselves and the film. Because of this, Michelle Ferre is given a major role and gives arguably the worst performance ever put on film. She feels like Mary Kate or Ashley Olson, only happier and with less motivation. When a “twist” comes with her character later on, she continues in this way and truly makes the casting director look like an idiot. Jackie is amusing as usual, and most of the other English speaking actors are at least as good as Xena guest stars, but Ferre’s character sticks out as terrible.

But who watches a Jackie Chan film for the plot, direction, or acting? We all love Jackie Chan films for their humor and jaw-dropping action. While this film is no where near as funny as some of his other work, the fight scenes are among his best. The last fight in particular is long, intense, and simply incredible. The fights alone make Who Am I? watchable. Any Jackie Chan fan would probably enjoy this movie, but if you don’t love him and all of his other films, I would recommend that you avoid this one.

Who Am I? was released directly to cable (and then to video/DVD) in the US, but I don't see why. It's better than many of Chan's re-releases (such as Mr. Nice Guy and Twin Dragons) that have hit the US recently. True, the movie does have its' problems -- mostly due to the butchering editing job Columbia did which cuts out much of the African sequence and creates huge plot holes (for instance, in one scene Chan sees trucks and says "I'm saved," and then in the next he's lurking around in the bush with face paint). Who Am I? also suffers from the no-brain female sidekick syndrome found in many of Chan's movies -- the Japanese race car driver (Mirai Yamamoto) in particular is probably one of the most annoying characters ever in a Chan movie, and that's saying a lot. The script (written by Chan) is also laughably bad in parts.

However, Who Am I? is saved by its action sequences. Though it takes a while to get to them, the fights and chases in Who Am I? are among Chan's best work in years. The finale in particular is great. It brings back what has been sorely missing in many recent Chan movies -- a great final brawl (which will bring back memories of Drunken Master 2 for long-time Chan fans) followed by a breath-taking stunt. The last half-hour of Who Am I? will remind you of why you started liking Jackie Chan in the first place, especially after the anemic (and over-rated, in my opinion) Rush Hour.

Easily one of the best of Chan's recent films, there's a cohesive plot and the fight scenes are among the best Chan's ever done. Chan plays a member of an elite special forces unit (is there ever any other kind?) assigned to kidnap three scientists who've discovered a new energy source. Of course, the mission goes awry and Chan loses his memory (hence the title). Chan tries to regain his memory, and gets mixed up with a journalist who may not be telling the truth (surprise).

But those are all insignificant, because Jackie knows what you want to see... fights and outrageous stunts. And the Chanster doesn't disappoint. I don't know if we're sadists for watching Jackie put his life in danger with every film, or if he's a masochist to keep doing it time after time. I suspect it's a little bit of both. Watch Chan defy gravity and the normal limits of the human body as he battles opponents in a pair of wooden shoes, dodging traffic and rescuing small dogs. Or watch him battle two men atop a skyscraper, nearly falling to his death, and eventually careening down one side in a mad tumble. Watch everyday items become lethal, albeit humorous weapons when they land in Jackie's hands. Oh yes, it's all there.

And people wonder why I hate American action films... Chan makes it look so easy, and his happy-go-lucky slapstick buffoonery is there too. Ah Jackie... when will the masses see the light???