Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Jackie Chan stars as Asian Hawk, an Indiana Jones-style adventurer looking to make a fortune in exotic antiquities. After Hawk discovers a mysterious sword in Africa, a band of Satan-worshipping monks kidnap his ex-girlfriend Lorelei, demanding the sword as ransom as well as other pieces of the legendary Armour of God - a magical outfit dating back to the Crusades.
Armour of God is a fun Jackie Chan vehicle that wears its Indiana Jones inspiration proudly, perhaps too proudly — the plot is a fairly thin MacGuffin chase with kidnapping stakes that never feel particularly urgent. Chan's physical charisma and comedic timing elevate the acting above the material, and the stunt work and location shooting (Europe, Africa) give the cinematography a decent international sheen. The film's novelty lies in Chan's unique blend of kung fu comedy and adventure pastiche, which is distinctly his own even if the template is borrowed. The climax delivers a memorable cave sequence with spectacular stunts, but the resolution is brisk and somewhat anticlimactic by the standards of Chan's best work.