Based on Capra's Pocketful of Miracles (itself of remake of his earlier Lady For A Day) and lifting from nearly all Hollywood gangster movies, Chan's under-achiever is a glamorous big-budget period piece, with precise attention to detail in both its intricate and amazing fight sequences (though sparse they are) and its over-played narrative. The story is pure sentiment: dressing up a poor rose seller to entertain her travelling daughter set to be married. Chan plays the paying host, a wet-behind-the-ears type who inadvertently becomes a mob leader after he assists a dying gangster boss. Miracles has its moments; an all-star cast of regulars and cameos, some of Chan's best direction and choreography, built on rich sets and locations and with a developed and sincere sense of humour - a story-driven affair that leaves many hardened Chan fans divided. Jackie, on the other hand, quotes this as one of the best of his own movies.
Review of Miracles: The Canton Godfather
