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Jackie Chan Exposes China’s Softer Side
It’s been a while since Jackie Chan has been relevant. Once he broke into the US market, he was too bankable to keep on performing all his crazy stunts and seems to have put much more effort into coming up with a wider array of expressive faces to mug at the camera.
His next movie will be a departure from most anything else he’s done, playing a mechanic who goes in search of his girlfriend and ends up working as a killer for the Yakuza. It’s supposed to be heavy on drama and very light on action. Chan himself says it might be about 1% action.
But it looks like even 1% action is too much for China. Shinjuku Incident won’t be released in mainland China because the violence would never make it past the censors. There’s no rating system in China, so either it’s suitable for everyone or it stays the hell out. Violence just doesn’t float in China.
It looks like we’ve been lied to all along about the evils of the Chinese government. They’re just a peaceful bunch that’s always looking out for the best interests of everyone. They like their movies like they like their rewritten history: violence-free and safe for everyone.
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Tags: Action, China, Drama, violence, Yakuza