The story is pretty much rubbish and the sidekicks (Chan himself noted that they were chosen for their looks and to provide more of an international audience) are annoying as all-get out. The part where they take on a thug using helmets while mariachi music plays still makes me cringe. But, thankfully, the action comes fast enough so you really don't notice all the shortcomings in the script... well, you do, but I think you get my point. The movie cost HK$115 million (about US$15 million) to make, making it the most expensive HK movie up to that date, and you can tell most of the money went into the action bits. There's a motorcycle chase that ranks among Chan's best and several inventive fights, including one in a wind tunnel that has Chan flying about like Superman. This isn't a great movie by any means, but it is pretty fun to watch and should please fans of Chan's more recent work.

REVIEW:
Jackie Chan's second foray into the Indiana Jones-inspired adventure genre is filled with exotic locales, a trio of beautiful ladies and numerous, outrageous "Chan" stunts and fight scenes. Yet without a more comprehensible plot, an appropriate soundtrack or Hollywood polish, this homage to Spielberg's work ranks below them and much of Chan's more original work.

Jackie follows the formula set in the first film, "Armour of God" (1987). The film opens with a bit unrelated to the main plot where Jackie enters a temple to pilfer a tribe's three jade stones which end up being offered to him much to Jackie's surprise. But after nonchalantly drinking the tribe's "sacred" water, he's also offered the chieftain's rather large daughter. This results in Jackie's quick getaway, thanks in part to a fantastic ride down the side of a mountain inside a large, inflated bubble.

Then the film's weakest point rears its ugly head as the story muddles through the main plot's setup. Pretty much the same thing happened in the first film although it could have been blamed on Jackie's near-fatal fall from a tree and the long hiatus between filming. In this case, its Jackie's fanatical level of control that sapped this film of some of it's energy. He directed, produced, wrote, starred, and choreographed in what was at the time the most expensive film ever released in Hong Kong. While it may have been a learning experience for Jackie that helped later projects, "Armour of God" is simply too ambitious for the level of actual action that is contained within.

Of course, this doesn't imply that the film is outright bad. In fact, there are several standout stunts that are quite incredible. In addition to the opening scene, there is great car chase with Jackie dodging cars, eventually climbing on a motorcycle that ends in a fantastic leap from the motorbike onto a crate suspended above water. Perhaps the most memorable is the final fight scene in a giant wind tunnel. Many of the other fights scattered throughout the film involve his female co-stars in mildly humorous situation comedy.

Despite a rather silly story and the fact that Jackie simply takes on too much in this film, his trademark physical antics shine through. And I guarantee you that you'll not likely see "Fritz" helmets used as a weapon in any another Hong Kong film.