The Tuxedo Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

The Tuxedo Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 10, 2021

The Tuxedo posits that anyone can be James Bond so long as they look spiffy, are powered by radical technology, and already move like Jackie Chan. Director Kevin Donavan's 2002 film is, more or less, a simple crowd pleaser, offering fundamental entertainment that, as inauspiciously as it may begin (a close-up showing a woodland animal urinating into a stream), turns out to be a fun little romp that blends Jackie Chan choreography with James Bond-style plot elements, albeit fairly dumbed down within a story that amounts to little more than the classic "framework" for the action and humor. This is hardly a "good movie" but it's "perfectly good" when the mood calls for something light, easy, and very watchable.

Cab driver Jimmy Tong (Jackie Chan) spends his days speeding through town and trying to muster up the courage to ask the girl of his dreams out to lunch. One day, his fare challenges him to get her to her destination in record, probably impossible, time. He succeeds and is then and there offered a job at four times the pay -- plus benefits -- to drive for the wealthy Clark Devlin (Jason Isaacs) who is more than a mere millionaire: he's a secret agent, powered by an incredibly advanced, and practically priceless, tuxedo, codename "T.U.X." ("Tactical Uniform Experiment”). When Clark and Jimmy barely escape death by bomb, Clark's injuries leave him comatose and Jimmy in possession of the tux. Now, a mild mannered cab driver finds himself bowtie-deep in trouble and danger but finds help in the form of Scientist Del Blaine (Jennifer Love Hewitt).

As noted in the introductory paragraph, The Tuxedo is all but an empty vessel film where story is lackluster at best, strung together for the sake of moving the picture to a point where the stunt work makes some logical sense for flow and purpose to be up on the screen (would anyone pay just to watch Jackie Chan highlights for 90 minutes...no story, no fluff, just a a highlight reel? I would.). Also as alluded to at the top, the film also teeters on a Bond parody, but mostly it's a vehicle for Jackie Chan to do his thing, which he does exceptionally well. The film has all of the typical Chan stunt work, and somehow his on-screen physical antics never grow old. In that prism The Tuxedo is a joy to watch both for its crazy action and for its breezy humor; Chan proves to be nowhere near such a good comedian as he is a physical performer, but since he’s legendarily great with the body, the “lesser” comedic chops still earn a high grade, too. He’s just a joy to watch. It’s a shame there’s not a better movie built around him, but as it is the story is at least of passable quality, shallow and artificial as it may be, good enough to keep the audience moving along to the next stunt or gag without overtly offending the sensibilities.

In the film, Chan’s Jimmy Tong is essentially James Bond, powered by a high-tech suit, not his own physical prowess or quick thinking, though those qualities are ultimately vital to his success in the suit. He looks dashing and debonair in the title costume, which is essentially a superhero suit that is only missing a cape. He’s suddenly capable of doing so much more than his body allows which, from the beginning, is established to be quite a bit; so while the transformation is radical it’s not such a huge leap forward to the point that his body can’t take the sudden shift in ability. In other words, he’s well ready to step into the suit. Again, though, there’s little reason to care about the other things going on in the movie, like plot details, but Chan does light up the screen and elevates the film above and beyond its otherwise forgettable limitations.

The Tuxedo Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paramount spruces things up for The Tuxedo's Blu-ray release. The picture is pleasantly filmic. Grain is natural and organic, very fine and flattering, perfectly reflective of the picture's natural film qualities. Textures are spot-on. It's rarely soft and never shy about pushing hard to reveal fine facial features with depth and clarity. This extends to clothing and environments, too, and with the overload of high-end appointments and places throughout the film this definition is vital to enjoying the movie in its totality. Colors are expressive enough under the film's color timing constraints. As the film opens, it's very gray with only the yellow taxi, a red fire engine, and some other niceties really standing apart from the dominantly bleak overtones. Color never really takes off but never sinks, either. The film's color timing does not allow for the sort of bold, expressive, vivid output seen in other films, running a spectrum from severely gray to very warm, but what's here is perfectly fine. Black levels and flesh tones are accurate within these parameters as well. There are no major print blemishes to note and the Blu-ray appears to suffer from no serious encode flubs. It might not meet the criteria for "stunning," but this is a perfectly good Blu-ray that brings out the best the movie has to offer.

The Tuxedo Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Tuxedo sizes things up on Blu-ray with a well rounded Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. This is a track that works perfectly well but doesn't stand apart in any way. Musical delivery is fluid and crisp, playing well with ample front end stretch and some surround information folded in for good measure. Action elements are widely dispersed across every speaker and the subwoofer kicks in when needed as well, such as during a pivotal scene early in the film when a car explodes and sends Jimmy on his journey to the tuxedo and his adventures. These action elements are clear and well integrated for movement and discrete placement as well. Ambient effects are full and filling and dialogue is clear and center positioned for the duration. There's nothing not to like with this one.

The Tuxedo Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of The Tuxedo includes deleted and extended scenes, bloopers, a featurette, and the film's theatrical trailer. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

• The Cutting Room Floor (480i 1.78:1):
  
  
  • Deleted Scenes (various runtimes): Included are Mistaken Identity, Drowning in a Limo, Sex Machine, Eliminate Him, Arrival at the Mansion, Dusting, Clothing Theft, Professional Ambition, and Del Gets Captured.
  • Extended Scenes (various runtimes): Included are A Botched Mission, Information from the Girlfriend, and Meeting of the Water Company Executives.
  • Outtakes and Bloopers (7:43): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Tailor Made for Jackie Chan (480i, 4x3 and window box, 13:03): A broad-swath behind-the-scenes glimpse and introduction to the film.
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 1.78:1, 2:26).

The Tuxedo Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Kevin Donovan directed The Tuxedo in 2002 and has not directed a feature film since. It's curious because this is a perfectly capable entertainer, certainly one with obvious shortcomings and saved by Jackie Chan, but Donovan does about everything expected for a movie of this scope and style. The film is certainly entertaining in the right context, going in for Jackie Chan, some fun Bond riffs, and not much more, certainly from the paper thin story. Characters are flat and forgettable, too, beyond Chan's Jimmy Tong. Paramount's Blu-ray looks and sounds very nice and a few extras sweeten the pot. Recommended.