He may be able to turn somersaults 6ft above the ground, dice furniture with his fists and crack a winning smile when called upon... but can Jackie Chan carry a movie?

His biggest success - the Rush Hour series - substantially relied on his chemistry with Chris Tucker and the latter's ability to deliver a funny line.

We all know he can kick his legs in the air... but this lacklustre effort shows, for all to see, that he's got the comic timing of John Prescott.

A speech graduate of Stallone Drama University (Schwarzenegger College), his grasp of dialogue is so tenuous it's just as well his martial arts background has given him a good grip.

Don't get me wrong - he's likeable enough... but being able to knock people over with various flying appendages isn't really what it takes.

Here he plays slightly annoying New York cab driver Jimmy Tong, who's recruited by playboy millionaire (and government agent) Clark Devlin (Isaacs).

When Devlin is put out of action by a skateboard bomb, Jimmy steps into his shoes and - more importantly - his tuxedo.

They say clothes maketh the man and this immaculate evening wear also doubles as a Tactical Uniform Experiment (tux - geddit?).

In other words, at the flick of a wristwatch programmer it can turn Jimmy into a fighting machine who defies gravity when not cutting a dash on the dancefloor.

Suitably attired, he is pitched against evil mineral water mogul Diedrich Banning (Coster following in the glorious, if tired, tradition of British baddies).

Aiding him is rookie agent Del Blaine (Hewitt), who does kookie with about as much conviction as Tom Cruise does panto.

Donovan's debut feature will no doubt please Chan's legion of sub-teen fans but, for the rest of us, the half-soaked yarn is a bit of a wash-out.

Tim Evans