Netflix’s Hidden Strike was almost a disaster, but Cena and Chan saved it

Netflix had an excellent year for movies. Three of their originals are on our list of the best movies of 2023 so far, and that doesn’t even include Extraction 2You can also watch other genre movies, which may not meet the standard of excellence but are still good.

This is the latest song on Spotify. Hidden StrikeIt’s not an original Netflix film, but it made its much-anticipated premiere last July. The post-production process took more than five year. It’s been the No. It’s been the No. The out-Laws Beat the beaters The Clone of Tyrone.

Hidden Strike The pairing of John Cena and Jackie Chan, two charismatic stars from their respective generations is an obvious choice. The movie spent so long in development that Cena replaced Sylvester Stallone, who couldn’t make the movie work because of commitments to Creed II. Fast forward through five years post-production. Hidden Strike Comes out after Creed III. What sounds like the worst case scenario, is in fact perfect Netflix material.

Image: XYZ Films

Although the stars suggest an action film, Hidden Strike doesn’t actually settle into that groove until about 40 minutes in, when Chan and Cena’s characters first meet up (and play catch). Before that, it’s a pretty serious “protect the convoy” movie, with plenty of explosions and man-made sandstorms (non-Darude variant).

Chan plays commander Dragon Luo Feng, sent to Iraq to safely transport oil refinery workers across the “Highway of Death” to Baghdad; Cena co-stars as Chris Van Horne, a former mercenary now living in an Iraqi village and helping take care of local children who is tricked by his brother to hijack Dragon’s convoy (heading off spoiler complaints by letting you know the movie telegraphs this extremely clearly).

Hidden Strike’s post-production woes are definitely apparent, both in the extreme tonal shift of the movie and in some janky backdrops that take the concept of the “uncanny valley” to locations. Once you’ve seen it, the post-production woes are evident. Hidden Strike The movie becomes a light-hearted (and funny) experience when Chan and Cena appear together.

Image: XYZ Films

Chan and Cena have very different physicalities, but they are also both funny. Director Scott Waugh plays their styles off each other for both humor and different styles of action, leaning on Cena’s brute strength and Chan’s still-remarkable acrobatic skills and physical comedy chops. The funniest recurring bit in the movie is the pair’s efforts to communicate in hand signals, which end up in some crossed wires as they differ on whether a sign means “six o’clock” or “let’s have a beer.” Both Chan and Cena (and their respective characters) speak English and Mandarin fluently, which adds another fun wrinkle to the “odd couple action comedy” format, as they switch back and forth between the two languages.

Waugh, a former stunt performer (and brother of fellow stunt-performer-turned-director Ric Roman Waugh), is best known for Act of Valor, Need for Speed, and will soon be back with September’s Expend4bles. He’s a strong pick for this type of material; Waugh and members of the Jackie Chan stunt team help the action stand out , lending even the more serious first part of the movie fun choreography and camera movements. Wirework stunts are used in the convoy hijacking, and there is a thrilling fight on one of buses which sends the character and the camera flying through the window. A man-made storm adds an element of excitement. Dune-There is a slight flair in the proceedings. Things really go off the rails in the second half — you You can also find out more about us on our website. to see Chan’s foam party fight to believe it.

Hidden Strike feels a bit like a throwback to Chan’s classic era of Hong Kong action comedies — certainly more so than some of the more serious fare he’s starred in recently. It even includes a blooper video (including a very X-rated improvised Cena joke), a rare feature in today’s action movies. It’s that fun attitude in the back half of the movie that helps make Hidden Strike Even with the long production, it was a great time.

Hidden Strike Netflix has now added the new Netflix Original.