Much of "The Foreigner" revolves around the back-channel dealings of Irish diplomat Liam Hennessy ( Pierce Brosnan), a former-IRA member who is now hellbent on protecting his decades-long legacy of diplomacy with the British. Imagine all the worst parts of a Robert Ludlum novel-overlong expository dialogue, monotonous and all-too-brief action scenes, and a hero who can never be found when you need him-and replace Jason Bourne with Jackie Chan playing an unflattering Charles Bronson-type character and you have "The Foreigner." He also wears a mile-long face, and isn't as energetic or graceful as he has been in superior recent films like "Chinese Zodiac" or " Railroad Tigers." Chan also tends to vanish for long stretches at a time while a bunch of British and Irish diplomats, policemen, and terrorists talk, debrief, and generally drown viewers in a convoluted story of political intrigue. Now that I got all this off my chest, I might be able to fall asleep.Quan is defined by his age, and his monomaniacal need to get eye-for-an-eye justice since his daughter was blown up in a bank explosion by an organization calling themselves "the Authentic IRA." So Chan is heavily made-up with exaggerated crow's feet, gigundo, raccoon-like bags around his eyes, and Party Giant-quality grey streaks in his hair. Violadé’s storytelling skill is the star and supported by a fantastic crew. I haven’t felt this way since seeing the Oscar-nominated short Fauve. Do you fear the water? Let’s add some brilliant cinematography in, and under, the water and plenty of incredible shots surrounding Mark to reinforce that his situation is not good.įoreigner features all the right stuff that makes a simple thriller thrilling. Then he slowly walks you down that path of dread beginning with an ominous, slow-building score telling you something terrible is about to happen. He disarms you at first with an innocent gathering over a meal and makes you feel all warm and safe. Writer/director Violadé slowly pulls us into peril from the very beginning. Foreigner does not have much to say message-wise, but it effectively tells a simple story of a man abandoned at sea and then draws us in as close to that experience as possible. Over the remaining 20 minutes, it’s a battle of survival as Mark finds himself in an impossible situation. As the sun sets, Mark is stuck in the middle of the ocean with no sign of rescue. Amaro tells Mark to wait until he can get help and warns him not to fight the current. “As the sun sets, Mark is stuck in the middle of the ocean with no sign of rescue.”Īmaro calls out and tells him to wait for him to pick him up, but the boat engine won’t start. He is pulled past Amaro by the strong currents. It’s only a short swim to the boat, and so the two are off and running-except Mark is distracted by the beautiful sea life.
Then Amaro invites Mark on a quick boat ride along the gorgeous Spanish coast, and he accepts. The group takes an instant liking to Mark and offers to throw a party so he can meet some pretty girls. He meets a friendly crew of locals, including Amaro (Luka Peros).
Our young protagonist, Mark (Josh Taylor), is a British businessman on holiday in Spain. Maybe your constitution is more robust than mine, but this 27-minute short film does the job. Someone get me a Xanax as I succumb to uncomfortable moments pretty fast. Carlos Violadé’s Foreigner is an exercise in tension and anxiety.