Martin Campbell seems to be a hit or miss director, and you have to wonder if it’s his choice of projects. I love his work with the Bond franchise, and I quite enjoyed his take on Zorro. But I also remember how much I hated Vertical Limit and (of course) Green Lantern.

Pairing him up with former 007 Pierce Brosnan sounded like a good idea though, especially if it lets the actor trot out his actual accent, instead of affecting an English one. And then throw in Jackie Chan in a role that has its action beats, but also has a really strong narrative.

This one ends up being a fairly entertaining action-thriller, though the plot was fairly basic.

When his daughter, the last member of his family, is killed in a bombing, Quon (Chan) wants names. He wants to know who is responsible for this terrorist act on English soil. He hands over the reins of his small business and goes on the hunt.

Hearing that a renegade faction of the IRA has claimed responsibility, Quon heads off to Ireland to speak with a ‘former’ IRA member, and now political power player, Liam Hennessey (Brosnan). Quon is determined tot get the names of the bombers from Quon, even if that means he conducts his own terrorist operation against the political minister.

We learn that Quon was special forces, we learn the circumstances of his family’s death, and you can understand his motivations for taking on Hennessey. Of course, there is more going on than we initially understand, but it’s also incredibly easy to figure out.

That doesn’t mean it’s not a fun ride though. While there aren’t fantastic set pieces like in the 007 and Zorro franchises, the action beats are very well constructed, and have a gritty realism, grounded not only in the plot but by the performances.

This is not a young Jackie Chan, this is an aged man who has exemplary training, but has still grown old. An old man who wants justice for his family. He turns in a solid performance, and Brosnan is great and its always fun to see him taking a darker turn.

He also has the fantastic Orla Brady playing his wife, and there are some great undertones, and sense of history between the two, which plays out through the narrative.

There are secrets, lies, betrayals, and more, but through it all, Quon remains the only moral constant. And it works. I really enjoyed this one. It feels kin to Patriot Games, and the pair would make a good double feature.

And anytime you can get Brosnan on the big screen, that’s always enjoyable.