Jackie Chan is a master of many arts and has my utmost respect. It is not unusual for me to watch one of his movies twice, maybe more. This film had me trying to find a way to get out of the first viewing! If this film is an example of his so called Hong Kong movies then he should go back to the US.

There were a half dozen rumours flying around the net about the plot. One rumour was that the “Three Dragons” Jackie, Biao and Sammo would return as three mischievous thieves, in an updated “Dragons Forever.” I keep telling people it ain’t gonna happen. And then the rumour regarding this being a very dark film. Jackie - baby - dark - no way.

Jackie (Slipper), Louis Koo (Octopus) and Michael Hui (Landlord) are all high stakes thieves. Slipper and Octopus are in the midst of stealing medication from a hospital (that’s a hospital?). As they are making their way out chaos begins! The son of a Triad boss thinks he has a newborn son. In reality it is an old girlfriend and her husband. In his mind it is his son and he is trying to kidnap the woman and baby. Unfortunately the Triad’s son is killed in an accident and his father vows to get his grand child because he too, is deluded and wants the baby.

The three thieves have alternative lives. Landlord is self explanatory, and his wife, Land Lady who needs major mental health care. Octopus, who is married but ignores his wife and looks for women who have a lot of money. Slipper pretends to be a business man but his father and the rest of the family know he is a thief and gambler. No matter what Slipper does he cannot please his father. Considering Jackie's age you would hope such displays of being a good loving son would be purged by now. However this movie is so formula you could give it to the baby! When Landlord is robbed of all his money the guys agree to take on a job to replace the money, but he doesn’t really tell them exactly what the job is at hand. Suffice to say it involves Slipper, Octopus and the baby. Yes two hours of watching two guys and a baby. Every baby joke ever used is used again. And again. And again. And again. One thing that would have definitely improved the movie was Yuen Biao whose on screen time was barely more than a cameo. Biao is a master in martial arts, action choreography and humour. And yet for some reason Jackie relegated him to a very short role.

There is no requirement for Jackie to do stunts and serious fighting, but if he is going to continue them he needs to be able to do them with finesse. One requires him to jump from one floor to the next by jumping on the air conditioners which are set staggered and not much of a stunt especially with a wire. Unfortunately it looked like a child could do it. Another “stunt” he slides down a long stairway banister. Not a lot of skill is required. I certainly don’t want Jackie to be injured or take stupid risks. I think he still has difficulty believing audiences will accept him as an actor without a few stunts along the way. He would he wrong on that count

One major complaint - the bad “gay” joke. Absolutely uncalled for and completely tasteless. Jackie should be ashamed to have something like that in “his” movie!

Everything is going along with the endless baby jokes when suddenly the movie whiplashes into a dark and ugly mode. Two hours of hackneyed jokes and it’s like running into a cement wall at high speed with no warning!

When the baby is turned over to his grandfather’s staff the gang has accomplished their task. But none of them feel good about what they have done. The sudden immersion into a macabre affair is not something you would usually see in a “Jackie” film but then it is not a “Jackie” movie and that’s the problem. Rob B Hood is part action, part drama, part comedy, part sap and as many “awwwww” moments as you can tolerate without requiring insulin. Jackie had virtual control over the film however he seems to have experienced difficulty in determining what kind of movie he wanted to make. It just didn’t work. As for the ending all I can say is Jackie hasn’t done this before and let us hope he will not do so again.

...except for a couple of points. 1) I was able to suspend my disbelief for the majority of the film, except for some really, really, really over the top things with the baby--those things just took me out of the film. 2) The sudden and tremendous swing into the melodramatic at the end of the film totally destroyed what was an incredibly well balanced movie.

Now, for the good stuff. Typically I'm not that big of a Jackie Chan fan in the sense that I can only watch his movies once, for the action. Then I never have the urge to watch them again. For me, the only exceptions are "Dragons Forever" and "Wheels On Meals" (moreso "Dragons" than "Wheels"). For most of this film, I would have ranked it above "Dragons Forever". But those points above really hampered this film and took it down one full star.

And i agree with a couple of the reviewers. Jackie needs to stay in Hong Kong and do these types of movies instead of the cr*p he's releasing in the states. Also, gay joke very not funny--just misplaced, awkward, and out of left field. Woulda' been better with just using all the innuendo during that scene.

Wonderful directing by Benny Chan. Exceptional dramatic acting by Jackie Chan. I saw the 134 min extended version and was engaged from the beginning to the end and I was like wow, 2 hours passed rather quickly.

The movie moves along at a good pace, and I laughed more in this movie than I did in all of Chan's American productions put together. Some of the jokes definately wouldn't be found in a western movie...baby in a washing machine, dirtied nappy in the face, its all here!

Louis Koo makes an ok sidekick, although as a kung fu fan I would much rather have seen him swap with Yuen Biao's barely there police role than the main co-star, I can't help but wonder what the final showdown would be like if it was Jackie and Biao versus the thugs instead!

Still there's plenty of action to see, there's no need to mention the now yawn inducing comments of how Jackie isn't as fast as he used to be, and even if this is the case, he carries the scenes off with such creativity and physical wit that you won't even care, and everyone will be counting their blessings to see the CGI'd Jackie of the Myth nowhere in sight (baby Matthew isn't so lucky).

All in all a good all round movie, definately worth a purchase, the only downside I would say is the ridiculously drawn out ending once the bad guys have been done with. I watched the extended version so I don't know if the theatrical one is any different, but the films switch in tone from comedy to panic driven melodrama is a bit too much to take, but then the outtakes come along to cheer us all up again, and watch our for the bizarre but hilarious cameo by Daniel Wu!