JACKIE CHAN'S WHO AM I? (1998)
Label: Umbrella Entertainment
Region Code: Region-FREE
Rating: PG
Duration: 108 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1 (No Subtitles)
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Benny Chan, Jackie Chan
Cast: Jackie Chan, Michelle Ferre, Mirai Yamamoto, Ron Smerczak, Ed Nelson
Synopsis: A group of covert CIA operatives trailing a potential new energy source are double-crossed by corrupt agent Morgan (Ron Smerczak), who causes a helicopter crash in remote South Africa. The sole survivor (Jackie Chan), suffering severe amnesia, is nursed to recovery by a kindly native tribe who call him "Whoami" after the question he keeps asking. With the help of a mysterious reporter (Michelle Ferre), Whoami pieces together his past and tracks the turncoat agent and his criminal cohorts.
Jackie Chan's Who Am I? (1998) is a fun slice of martial arts action starring Jackie Chan as a member of a elite multi-national military task force who are hired to steal a energy source powered by an newly discovered extraterrestrial element found in a meteorite in Africa. During the mission the helicopter goes down and everyone dies, except for Jackie Chan, who's fall to the ground is somewhat softened by the canopy of tree branches. He ends up injured and suffering from amnesia, but he is taken in by a friendly native tribe who take to calling him "Whoami", which is what he says over and over again when asked his name. Eventually they nurse him back to health and he begins to learn their native ways, but eventually he finds his way back to civilization after he saves the life of a rally car driver and his attractive sister Yuki (Mirai Yamamoto).
After Jackie and his new friends win the road rally a reporter named Christine (Michelle Ferre) reports on the story which makes national news. While Jackie tries to sort out who he is the turncoat CIA spook who hired the mercenaries to steal the device discovers he's still alive, which could potentially spoil his lucrative plans for the energy device, so they send in a kill-team to finish the job and tie off loose ends, but killing Jackie Chan is never gonna be easy!
As always Chan is charismatic and energetic fun, the fight choreography and action-sequences are quite good, with lots of that patented Chan parkour and thrilling fight sequences to go around, plus we get some very cool car chases that I wasn't expecting. I think that the story is only so so to be honest but the blend of action, humor and imaginative thrills makes this a fun one for sure, and the ending is an action-packed face-off with Chan facing off against the main baddies henchmen.
Audio/Video: Who Am I? (1998) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment in 1080p HD cropped to 1.78:1 from the original 2.35:1 widescreen framing, which according to Umbrella is because the rights holder for their territory only has the cropped HD master to work with. It looks like an older master to my eyes as well, not having the clarity, sharpness or better resolved grain that you'd expect from a newer 2K or 4K scan. There's some mild print damage in spots, but nothing to awful. Colors look natural if a bit soft in spots, blacks are adequate but not strong. The new framing doesn't look to bad, at times it feels a bit tight, but Umbrella do offer a standard-def version of the film in the original 2.35:1 widescreen, that while properly framed, is also darker, softer and uglier, though I do appreciate the original aspect ration. Note, both versions of the film are of the shorter 108-min U.S. cut of the film and not the longer running Hong Kong cut.
Audio in the disc comes by way of an English DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo with no subtitles. The standard-definition version of the film also offers a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround audio. Both tracks are clean and well-balanced, no complaints about the audio.
The only extras on the disc are a theatrical trailer for the film and the 2.35:1 framed widescreen version of the film in standard definition. The single-disc release comes housed in an over-sized Blu-ray keepcase with a sleeve of reversible artwork, both featuring the same artwork with one omitting the unsightly ratings logo. The disc features an excerpt the same artwork, which looks to be a mock-up of a pair of existing movie poster images.
Special Features:
- Theatrical Trailer
- Widescreen (2.35:1) Presentation in SD
Who Am I? (1998) offers up plenty of Jackie Chan charm, thrilling stunt work and loads of high-energy action with a healthy side-order of double-crossing, and while I am not all that familiar with Chan's body of work I thought this was a fun romp that fans of 80's style action should enjoy.
