Why Am I In This Handbasket?

When I picked this up at the library all I knew about it for sure was that it stared Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Being so completely unspoiled for it turned out to be a bad thing because frankly, the opening of the movie did not encourage me to want to spend the time to watch the rest.

We start with a really bad fight sequence in which a character in fantasy makeup leaps around mountain peaks while taking on a large group of opponents. The wire work is awful. There is no attempt to make it seem at all like the improbable leaps are the result of anything but a flying harness. Then it turns out to be a dream sequence and I'm willing to forgive it.

Jason Tripitikas, the kid having the dream,  is completely obsessed with kung fu movies. His room is wallpapered in posters, stills, and cut outs from magazines. He feeds his addiction by buying bootleg videos from a pawn shop in China Town for a couple of dollars each. We follow him there and meet the owner, an old man called Hop and see Jason accidentally discover that Hop has a beautiful golden staff in a back room. He explains that he is waiting for the rightful owner to return for it.

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