Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Vanguard Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 5, 2021

Jackie Chan’s star seems to have faded at least somewhat, both in his native China, where Vanguard came and went without the expected gigantic box office returns (though it did bring in several tens of millions), and here in the United States, where it performed considerably worse. This kind of odd actioner wants to be all kinds of things at once, including everything from Kingsman: The Secret Service to Homeland to James Bond, though it seems spectacularly ill equipped to get there at times. Like a lot of Chan vehicles, this one moves briskly and has its requisite share of action set pieces (many not really featuring Chan in any significant way, perhaps a sign of his increasing age), and it’s often goofily enjoyable in a “traditional” Jackie Chan way, but there’s a kind of carbon copy aspect to the film that never quite gels.

Vanguard turns out to be one of those high-tech security firms which doesn't seem to be able to prevent (more than one) kidnapping, but which miraculously has agents nearby when terror strikes, allowing them to run to the site of the problem and engage in various shootouts and/or hand to hand battles. Vanguard's big kahuna is a guy named Tang Huanting (Jackie Chan), who is informed early in the film that client Qin Guoli (Jackson Lou) has been taken by some bad guys during Chinese New Year festivities in London (because. . .well, why not?). You might think that a client needing bodyguards would have bodyguards, but this is one of those films where you just kind of need to go with the often illogical flow in order to proceed.

The film kind of madly ping pongs in its early going in order to be able to introduce a glut of supporting characters, the two most important being Qin's beautiful daughter Fareeda (Xu Ruohan), a wildlife activist who is also a model (because. . .well, why not?), and Lei Zhenyu (Yang Yang), an agent of Vanguard who happens to be the godfather of an adorable little boy who belongs to Vanguard agent Zhang Kaixuan (Ai Lun). If you haven't figured out what happens with regard to these two, you need to turn in your membership card to the Syd Field School of Screenwritingm but suffice it to say Jackie Chan does not have any romantic adventures in this film.

There is an incredibly convoluted and arguably needless set of plot points dealing with Qin, who turns out to be an accountant who may have facilitated some terrorist activity. In a subplot that frankly seems ripped from some Homeland headlines, Omar (Eyad Hourani), a middle eastern prince and son of the terrorist Qin worked for, is out for revenge after Qin spills the beans to Scotland Yard and Omar's father ends up dead. Kind of hilariously (at least for those with jaded senses of humor), Vanguard isn't content to just identify Omar's "gang" as the Brothers of Vengeance, there's a whole secondary gang called the Arctic Wolves (because. . .well, you know by now).

What's also kind of funny in terms of overly elaborate backstories and the like, and how Vanguard repeatedly tries to insert "family matters" into an action film (does it even need to be mentioned that Fareeda is taken prisoner by the bad guys?), is that Vanguard seems to exist mostly to provide traditional over the top Chan set pieces (even if Chan himself is noticeably missing from many of them). You get everything from car chases to boat chases to "cars that turn into boats" chases, not to mention a generous supply of both gunfire and brutal smackdowns. Vanguard intermittently perks up during these moments, but this often feels like an unsold television pilot than a feature film.

Note: My colleague Brian Orndorf had about the same reaction to Vanguard that I did. You can read Brian's thoughts here.

Vanguard Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Vanguard is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. I haven't been able to track down any authoritative technical data on the shoot, but I'm assuming this digitally captured outing had a 2K DI. That said, detail levels are strong enough here that perhaps there was a 4K DI (as always with my reviews, if anyone can point me to verifiable information, I'll post an update here). The presentation often offers really excellent fine detail levels, especially with regard to some of the fabrics on costumes. Unfortunately that generally excellent sharpness doesn't particularly help some really almost laughable CGI. Everything from a Chinese New Year dragon to various wildlife in Africa seems to have been digitally created, and while not horrible, the eagle eyed will spot occasional anomalies along the way (the whirling dragon shot from overhead is a notable example). The palette is really nicely suffused, and the film is kind of refreshingly free of aggressive grading choices most of the time. Some very minor banding can be spotted, but I personally didn't consider it a big distraction.

Vanguard Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Our specs above are "cheating" a little bit due to how our database works, but this Blu-ray release offers two DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks, the original which is in both Mandarin and English (depending on who is speaking, and in some cases when they're speaking, as one character may ping pong between the two languages), and a completely English version. The Mandarin-English track offers forced English subtitles, as can be seen in some of the screenshots accompanying this review. This is an audio onslaught at times, as befits Chan's legacy, with nice engagement of the surround channels in a number of completely hyperbolic action scenes. The chase the begins with cars and ends with boats is a great example of not just thunderous LFE and almost insane panning effects, but also smart prioritization so that occasional lines of dialogue and even score are well layered. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout this problem free presentation. Optional English and English SDH subtitles are available.

Vanguard Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Making of Vanguard (1080p; 7:01) is a decent EPK with some fun moments with Jackie Chan.

Vanguard Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Some with jaded senses of humor (ahem) might be prone to saying that at least Vanguard offered CGI lion Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe his first screen appearance in several years (and, yes, that's a joke). Unfortunately, Chan hasn't subscribed to the maxim that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and he keeps churning out these predictable, paint by numbers efforts. If you're a Chan fan, you'll probably find enough to enjoy here, but chances are you've seen it all before, including (but certainly not limited to) several Chan films. Technical merits are generally solid for those who are considering a purchase.