My Father is a Hero (1995)

This isn't one of Mr Li's best films but it isn't as bad as some people think. There is a certain appeal in its roughness and Jet Li, not playing his later rather dour filmic persona but someone with charm and fun, out of his depth in Los Angeles, baffled by the behaviour of others but determined is very watchable. There is lots of humour in the film, most amusingly is a running joke about people speaking different languages. LA is a great big melting pot, but it doesn't help communications.

The cast do well. It's always good to see Yuen Wah, a mainstay of Hong Kong films, and good to see him not as a villain. Crystal Kwok seems to have given up acting but was lovely and charming in this. Jet is his usual self, in that he makes walking down a street charismatic. The lead villain was a bit laughable however.

A good film and easier to watch than most Hollywood films certainly. It has a light touch with not a hint of wire work or CGI. You can warm to the characters. That it doesn't have the ultra polish and airless perfection of some films is to its advantage.