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Parents' Guide to

The Foreigner

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Jackie Chan out for revenge in violent, lackluster thriller.

Movie R 2017 114 minutes
The Foreigner Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 16+

Based on 9 parent reviews

age 17+
age 15+

Jackie Chan is back

Here's a movie that had great tension all the way through it.chan's performance is on point here the best I have seen him in. Pierce Bronson is great also as you try to figure out his character is he good or bad maybe both. Martin Campbell directs this one and it's good to see him back at his best.(casino Royale).

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9 ):
Kids say (7 ):

This thriller casts Chan in a bracing, dynamic role but then wastes that potential as the story sidelines him, focusing instead on other characters in rooms explaining the plot to each other. The Foreigner could have been another Die Hard or The Fugitive, with Chan at its center as the guy who gets things done. But the way it plays now, it feels more like he's been reluctantly tacked on and could easily have been removed. This is not to disparage Brosnan, who gets a great deal more to do, and is extremely appealing, as always.

Rather, the blame rests on the filmmakers, who don't seem to trust that Chan can carry a movie in a visual, nonverbal way. Moreover, the heavy dialogue that does drive the movie can be numbingly expository and repetitive. Director Martin Campbell stages his scenes in a static way, with characters mainly sitting in rooms or barking into their cell phones. It's too bad; there's a good story here, and both Chan and Brosnan are very good when the movie allows them to be. The Foreigner could have been a great entertainment, rather than a forgettable one.

Movie Details

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