The Accidental Spy on DVD

Many of the victims of the September 11th terrorist attack and its aftermath were helpless, innocent, and probably had no idea what was going on.

We’re referring to movies, of course.

The latest victim is The Accidental Spy (Collateral Damage was another), a typical Jackie Chan action movie that went direct-to-video in Region 1. Apparently, because of the events last year, about 21 minutes were cut from the film, and what is left doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Jackie Chan plays, from what we can understand, Jackie Chan. Chan is an unsuccessful salesman with dreams of getting into law enforcement. One day, when he foils a robbery, he discovers he may be the descendant of a long line of international spies. He then gets the adventure he desires, even if he doesn’t quite understand what’s going on.

Originally, the plot centered more around a terrorist, and a batch of Anthrax. For the North American DVD release, the terrorist plot has been taken out, and the Anthrax has been changed to Ecstasy. If you’re wondering how Ecstasy can possibly be as dangerous as Anthrax, then you asked the same question we did.

The loss of 21 minutes of footage may account for many of the film's flaws. There are plot holes galore, and as it stands it seems nothing more than an excuse for Jackie Chan to show us his stuff again (not that there’s anything wrong with that). In fact, two of the action sequences are lifted directly from other popular movies. Chan finds himself running naked through the streets, fighting the bad guys at the same time as trying to keep his naughty bits covered (a la Rush Hour 2), and the climax is a blatant rip-off of Speed.

But it’s entertaining nonetheless, and that’s about all we can ask for. Chan may be getting older, but he can still kick some serious butt, and why else would you watch his movies?

After having its theatrical release delayed numerous times in Region 1, the film ended up going direct-to-video, and the result is a disappointment. The movie had the highest budget of any Hong Kong made film (at the time), so it would have been nice to have a few extras showing us all about the making-of.

Unfortunately, there is not a single extra, and even the picture and sound are merely adequate.

The picture is 2.35:1 and enhanced for 16X9 TVs, but is not overly stimulating. It’s very soft throughout and there are halos all over the place. It’s pretty much free of grain, which is nice, but it is definitely not reference quality.

The audio is slightly better, although it doesn’t use as much surround as it could. Most of it comes as plane or helicopter pans, which is okay, but there are explosions and sound effects that would have worked nicely coming from the rear. Not bad, but could have been a lot better.

As aforementioned, there are no extras. All you get are a few sneak peeks at a few other Dimension Home Video releases.

The Accidental Spy, from Alliance Atlantis Home Entertainment
87 minutes, anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) 16X9 enhanced, 5.1 Dolby Digital
Starring Jackie Chan, Eric Tsang, Vivian Hsu, Kim Min Jeong and Wu Hsing Kuo
Produced by Jackie Chan
Written by Ivy Ho
Directed by Teddy Chen

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