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''CZ12'' (), also known as ''Chinese Zodiac'', is a 2012 Hong Kong
action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
-
adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...
comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
co-written, co-produced and directed by
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
, who also starred as the main character in the film. ''CZ12'' is the third film of a franchise that began with ''
Armour of God The phrase "Armor of God" (, ''panoplian tou Theou'') is derived from Ephesians 6:11: "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (King James Version).Bible Gateway Passage Lookup: Armour of God ...
'' (1986) and its sequel, '' Armour of God II: Operation Condor'' (1991). The film co-stars
Kwon Sang-woo Kwon Sang-woo (in Korean: 권상우, ''Kweon Sang-u''; born August 5, 1976) is a South Korean actor. He rose to stardom in 2003 with the romantic comedy film ''My Tutor Friend'' and the melodrama series ''Stairway to Heaven''. Career Kwon Sang- ...
,
Liao Fan Liao Fan (; born 14 February 1974) is a Chinese film and theatre actor. He is a graduate of Shanghai Theatre Academy. In February 2014 he won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival, for his performance i ...
, Zoe Zhang, Anna Yao and Laura Weissbecker. Released in December 2012, the film went on to gross over US$145 million at the Chinese box office and US$171 million worldwide with mixed reviews from critics. Chan also earned two
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
with the film for "Most Stunts Performed by a Living Actor" and "Most Credits in One Movie". The film won Best Stunt Action Choreography for Chan at the
32nd Hong Kong Film Awards The 32nd Hong Kong Film Awards presentation ceremony took place in Hong Kong Cultural Centre on 13 April 2013. The hosts for the awards ceremony were Eric Tsang, Ronald Cheng, Gordon Lam, Jerry Lamb . TVB, Now TV and RTHK Radio 2 were the live b ...
.


Plot

The plot begins with the story of the
Old Summer Palace The Old Summer Palace, also known as Yuanmingyuan () or Yuanmingyuan Park, originally called the Imperial Gardens (), and sometimes called the Winter Palace, was a complex of palaces and gardens in present-day Haidian District, Beijing, China. I ...
and its looting and destruction by a combined Anglo-French expeditionary force during the
Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Sino War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a colonial war lasting from 1856 to 1860, which pitted the British Empire and the French Emp ...
. Among the artifacts looted are twelve bronze heads of the animals of the
Chinese zodiac The Chinese zodiac is a traditional classification scheme based on the lunar calendar that assigns an animal and its reputed attributes to each year in a repeating twelve-year cycle. Originating from China, the zodiac and its variations remain ...
. In the present day, the bronze heads are auctioned for millions of euros each. The main company supplying the bronze heads and other looted relics is MP Corporation. JC is tasked by MP Corp to find the remaining lost bronze heads, with a promise of a 10x bonus if he can recover all of them. JC visits Professor Guan, who had created 12 identical replicas for study purposes with his team of researchers, under the guise of a reporter named Martin from
National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
. When left alone, JC scans the multiple bronze Zodiac animal heads using special gloves so that his secret organisation can replicate an extremely realistic model of them. After scanning, he goes to Paris to find a woman named Coco, recommended by Guan, for more information on the whereabouts of two bronze heads. JC, along with his partners Simon, David, and Bonnie, infiltrate a mansion to find two of the bronze heads. JC manages to decode the password to a top secret vault and finds two bronze heads, a painting called "The Roses", along with many other valuable national treasures thought to be lost inside. JC's cover is soon busted but he manages to evade capture with all the valuables. However, he is spotted by Coco. Having no time to explain himself, he tells Coco to meet him at a boat house while fleeing from the mansion's security. At the boat house, Martin tells Coco that he is working for a secret corporation that is trying to recover all the lost relics for China. The guards from the mansion storm the boat house and try to attack JC, but the police are called in and they are all arrested. JC, Coco and Simon are cleared of any wrongdoing and are released. Coco, JC and his team are invited to a castle owned by a lady named Catherine, unaware that the guards from the mansion are tailing them out of suspicion. It turns out that the captain of the "Indestructible", one of the ships involved in the destruction and looting of the Old Summer Palace, is Catherine's great-great-grandfather. This upsets Coco, who confronts Catherine on the issue. JC and his team find many valuable treasures in the castle, including the Bronze head of the
Rooster The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...
, and hatch a series of plans to ferry them out. JC promises Catherine that he will help her locate her great-great-grandfather's remains. The next day, they venture out in search of the Indestructible's treasures, located on a seemingly uninhabited island. JC instructs Coco and Catherine to stay behind while his team explore the island. Coco and Catherine however disobey JC's orders to look for Catherine's great-great-grandfather's corpse on their own. They get entangled among the vines, forcing JC to rescue them. While exhuming the great-great grandfather's remains, the group accidentally discovers the remains of the Indestructible, several more bronze heads and a large quantity of gold. As they prepare to leave with all the artifacts, they are confronted by the guards from the mansion. In turn, the island's local inhabitants, a group of pirates, appear and promptly capture all of them. JC and his team fight their way through to escape the island via a log set up with a pulley system, leaving the five guards with the pirates. Once on the yacht, Coco accidentally discovers the real motive of JC's ventures and confronts him. Subsequently, the log carrying approximately eight tonnes of gold sinks. Nevertheless, JC and his team still get rewarded for recovering some of the lost bronze heads. The group are enraged when they find out that the supposedly-missing
Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
bronze head was already at the hands of MP Corp all along, thereby making it impossible to claim the large bonus. Coco and her fellow students' protests over the sale of the national treasures escalate quickly and capture worldwide attention. As Coco's students try to find out more about MP Corp, three of them, including Coco's younger brother, are captured. After Coco asks JC for help, JC contacts MP Corp on the availability of "The Roses" artifact and is allowed into the secret premises. Having toured the entire factory where almost exact duplicates of the relics are made to be sold as real relics in auctions, JC deduces the location of the captives. He challenges a long time rival who happens to be there as well – the unscrupulous treasure hunter, Vulture, to a fight but it ends in a stalemate. JC bargains with MP Corp to sell "The Roses" painting at a reduced price and secure the release of the three hostages. When MP Corp refuses, JC fights his way to the chamber. During the ensuing fight, a furnace explodes due to a guard's baton rupturing one of the pipes, destroying most of the facility. JC then settles for the release of the three hostages in exchange for the painting and not paying damages done to the premises. Meanwhile, the
Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
bronze head is expected to fetch the highest price in the auction but no one bids for it due to increasing pressure from activist groups. MP Corp, in a bid to teach these groups a lesson, threatens to throw the relic into an active volcano, calling the mission "Let the Dragon Fly", if no bids are received by 12:00 noon the next day. The deadline passes without a single bid and Vulture leads a group of three sky divers to throw the relic into the volcano. JC intervenes in order to save the relic from dropping into the volcano, and is severely injured in the ensuing airborne struggle. As a mark of respect, Vulture hands over the relic to a sprawled JC. MP Corp's owners are arrested on possession of "The Roses" painting. JC is seen recovering in a hospital and on good terms with everyone, including Vulture, and also kiss his wife, who visits him in the hospital.


Cast

*
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
as JC a.k.a. Martin/Asian Hawk *
Kwon Sang-woo Kwon Sang-woo (in Korean: 권상우, ''Kweon Sang-u''; born August 5, 1976) is a South Korean actor. He rose to stardom in 2003 with the romantic comedy film ''My Tutor Friend'' and the melodrama series ''Stairway to Heaven''. Career Kwon Sang- ...
as Simon *
Liao Fan Liao Fan (; born 14 February 1974) is a Chinese film and theatre actor. He is a graduate of Shanghai Theatre Academy. In February 2014 he won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival, for his performance i ...
as David *
Helen Yao Yao Xingtong (; born 12 April 1983) is a Chinese actress. She is also known as Helen Yao and Anna Yao. Yao is fluent in French and English. Yao is noted for her roles as Ma Liruo and Coco in the film ''Life of Sentime'' (2010) and ''CZ12'' (2012 ...
as Coco *
Zhang Lanxin Zhang may refer to: Chinese culture, etc. * Zhang (surname) (張/张), common Chinese surname ** Zhang (surname 章), a rarer Chinese surname * Zhang County (漳县), of Dingxi, Gansu * Zhang River (漳河), a river flowing mainly in Henan * ''Zha ...
as Bonnie * Laura Weissbecker as Catherine de Sichel * John Paisley as Sir Charlton *
Pierre-Benoist Varoclier Pierre-Benoist Varoclier (born April 30, 1983 in Fontainebleau, France) is a French actor and theatre director. Biography Varoclier first studied economics and philosophy in business school, at École Normale Supérieure, at Harvard Univer ...
as Léon * Jonathan Lee as Himself * Vincent Sze as Michael Morgan * David Torok as Bodyguard of Michael Morgan *
Max Huang Max Huang (born September 22, 1988) is a German actor, martial artist, stunt performer, songwriter and singer. He is known for his role of Kung Lao in the 2021 ''Mortal Kombat'' reboot, and for being a member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team. Person ...
as Bodyguard of Michael Morgan * Alaa Safi as Vulture * Pierre Bourdaud as Pirate * Emmanuel Lanzi as Henchman * Rosario Amadeo as Pierre * Wilson Chen as Wu Qing *
Steve Yoo Steve Sueng Jun Yoo (born December 15, 1976), also known as his
Ken Lo Ken Lo (Kenneth Houi Kang Low) (born 19 March 1957) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and stuntman. He is known for his martial arts and stunt work as a former member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team, most notably for his antagonistic role as Jo ...
as Pirate *
Oliver Platt Oliver Platt (born January 12, 1960) is a Canadian-born American actor. He is known for his starring roles in many films such as ''Flatliners'' (1990), ''Beethoven'' (1992), ''Indecent Proposal'', ''The Three Musketeers'' (both 1993), ''Executiv ...
as Lawrence Morgan * David Serero as the bodyguard * Caitlin Dechelle as Katie * Marc Canonizado as Marc * Zheng Wei * Bo-yee Poon as Lawrence's Assistant * Abdul Haviz * Ashok CA *
Shu Qi use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinate ...
as David's wife (cameo) *
Daniel Wu Daniel Ng Neh-Tsu (, born September 30, 1974) is an American actor, director and producer based in Hong Kong. He is known as a "flexible and distinctive" leading actor in the Chinese language film industry. Since his film debut in 1998, he has ...
as Doctor (cameo) *
Joan Lin Joan Lin Feng-jiao (born 30 June 1953) is a Taiwanese former actress. She is married to Hong Kong-Chinese actor and martial artist Jackie Chan. Early life Born 30 June 1953 in Taipei, Lin was the second child out of five children. She dropped out ...
as JC's wife (cameo) *
Kenny G Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), known professionally as Kenny G, is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, and producer. His 1986 album ''Duotones'' brought him commercial success. Kenny G is one of the best-selling artis ...
as Airplane pilot (cameo)


Production

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
began on 5 June 2011. From 18 April to 2 May 2012, Jackie Chan filmed several scenes in the
Aerodium Latvia Aerodium Sigulda is a company based in Latvia, which owns and runs the first vertical wind tunnel in Eastern Europe. The wind tunnel is located near Sigulda, the most visited tourist area in Latvia. It is affiliated with Aerodium Technologies, a ...
vertical wind tunnel A vertical wind tunnel (VWT) is a wind tunnel that moves air up in a vertical column. Unlike standard wind tunnels, which have test sections that are oriented horizontally, as experienced in level flight, a vertical orientation enables gravi ...
in
Jelgava Jelgava (; german: Mitau, ; see also other names) is a state city in central Latvia about southwest of Riga with 55,972 inhabitants (2019). It is the largest town in the region of Zemgale (Semigalia). Jelgava was the capital of the united Duch ...
,
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
. Filming also took place in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
and
Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
. Chan did most of the stunts and fight scenes himself with little support from his stunt team. Jean-Yves Blondeau, the inventor of the skate suit, trained Chan to use the suit for the film's body blading sequence. This film was simultaneously made in
IMAX 3D IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme F ...
. Filming officially wrapped up on 8 May 2012.


Release

The gala premier of the film was held on 12 December 2012 and was later released across Asia on 20 December and in India on 28 December.


U.S. release

It was originally announced that the film would be released in U.S. theaters sometime in the summer of 2013 with about 20 minutes edited out by Jackie Chan himself in order to optimize the pace and content for North American audiences. This release date was pushed back to the fall; the re-edited version was released on 18 October 2013 for theatrical exhibit exclusively by
AMC Theatres AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (d/b/a AMC Theatres, originally an abbreviation for American Multi-Cinema; often referred to simply as AMC and known in some countries as AMC Cinemas or AMC Multi-Cinemas) is an American movie theater chain fou ...
.


Reception

In competition with films from abroad ''CZ12'' grossed HK$11.7 million (US$1.5 million), as well as becoming the top-ranked Chinese film at the Taiwan box office. The film debuted second in mainland China (after ''
Lost in Thailand ''Lost in Thailand'' is a 2012 Chinese comedy film directed and co-written by Xu Zheng and starring Xu Zheng, Wang Baoqiang, and Huang Bo. The film is about three Chinese men traveling in Thailand: two competing scientists searching for their boss ...
''), going on to gross over US$145 million at the box office and emerging to be one of the highest grossing domestic films in China.


Awards and nominations

*
32nd Hong Kong Film Awards The 32nd Hong Kong Film Awards presentation ceremony took place in Hong Kong Cultural Centre on 13 April 2013. The hosts for the awards ceremony were Eric Tsang, Ronald Cheng, Gordon Lam, Jerry Lamb . TVB, Now TV and RTHK Radio 2 were the live b ...
**Won: Best Action Choreography (
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
, He Jun) **Nominated: Best New Performer (
Zhang Lanxin Zhang may refer to: Chinese culture, etc. * Zhang (surname) (張/张), common Chinese surname ** Zhang (surname 章), a rarer Chinese surname * Zhang County (漳县), of Dingxi, Gansu * Zhang River (漳河), a river flowing mainly in Henan * ''Zha ...
) **Nominated: Best Film Editing (Yau Chi-wai) **Nominated: Best Visual Effects (Han Young-woo, Victor Wong, Patrick Chui, Seong Ho-jang) *
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
**Won: Most credits in one movie (Jackie Chan) **Won: Most Stunts by a Living Actor (Jackie Chan) *9th Huading Awards **Won: Best Director (
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
) **Won: Best Newcomer (
Zhang Lanxin Zhang may refer to: Chinese culture, etc. * Zhang (surname) (張/张), common Chinese surname ** Zhang (surname 章), a rarer Chinese surname * Zhang County (漳县), of Dingxi, Gansu * Zhang River (漳河), a river flowing mainly in Henan * ''Zha ...
) **Won: Best Action Choreography (JC Stunt Team)


Criticism

'' Time Out Hong Kong'' gave the film two stars out of five referring to the film as "a pedestrian film by any measure aside from its action design". The ''
South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...
'' gave the film one and a half stars out of five, noting that "''CZ12'' lumbers like a cheap DVD knock-off of one of ackie Chan'sold classics" and "''CZ12'' is like watching a former star athlete struggle in a meaningless game". ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' also gave a negative review, noting the film's length and the lack of martial arts and stunts that star Chan is known for. ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' gave the film a negative review as well, stating "Jackie Chan emerges a Jackie-of-all-trades and master of none in 'CZ12''.


See also

*
Jackie Chan filmography Jackie Chan began his film career as an extra child actor in the 1962 film ''Big and Little Wong Tin Bar''. Ten years later, he was a stuntman opposite Bruce Lee in 1972's ''Fist of Fury'' and 1973's ''Enter the Dragon''. He then had starring r ...
*
List of Hong Kong films This is a list of films produced in Hong Kong ordered by decade and year of release in separate pages. For film set in Hong Kong and produced elsewhere see ''List of films set in Hong Kong''. 1909–1949 *List of Hong Kong films before 1950 ...


References


External links


Official website
* * * {{Best Action Choreography HKFA 2012 films 2012 action comedy films 2010s action adventure films 2010s Cantonese-language films Chinese action adventure films Films directed by Jackie Chan Films scored by Nathan Wang Films set in Australia Films set in Beijing Films set in France Films set in Russia Films set on islands Films shot in Australia Films shot in Beijing Films shot in China Films shot in France Films shot in Latvia Films shot in Paris Films shot in Taiwan Films shot in Vanuatu Hong Kong action comedy films Hong Kong martial arts films 2012 3D films Hong Kong 3D films Chinese 3D films IMAX films 2012 comedy films 2010s English-language films 2010s Mandarin-language films 2010s Hong Kong films