Jackie Chan returned to his hometown Sunday to help kick off Hong Kong's annual international film festival, lending his star power to an event that's facing stiff competition in Asia. Wearing a light blue Mandarin-collared top embroidered with floral patterns, the 54-year-old veteran action star attended the world premiere of his new Chinese-language gangster thriller, “Shinjuku Incident.” Chan said he wanted to highlight “Hong Kong's fighting spirit and local-style movies” through the $25 million production that features him, playing a mainland Chinese tractor repairman who smuggles himself to Tokyo to search for his girlfriend, only to become a hit man for Japanese mobsters. The role marks a sharp departure from his typical good-guy roles in the action comedies he is best known for. “I hope to try different types of roles,” Chan told The Associated Press on the sidelines of the premiere. Organizers of the 33rd Hong Kong International Film Festival chose “Shinjuku Incident” and another Hong Kong production, the family drama “Night and Fog,” as opening movies to showcase a local industry that's become overshadowed by blockbusters from mainland China. Hong Kong filmmakers and actors are also gravitating toward mainland productions, leading to a sharp decrease in movies set in this former British colony known for its mix of Chinese and Western cultural influences.
