Stapleton 1

Matt Stapleton

English 8310

Dr. Maria Bose

3 May 2019

Domestic Racial Terrorism as a Racial Motivator in The Foreigner

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) captured public attention during the 1980’s and 1990’s

due the terror it created throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom; much of its campaign

concerned the political status of Northern Ireland as subject to British rule, and rose to a fevered

pitch as the Internet allowed for more analysis and discussion of the events surrounding its

various bombings and other attacks. The Foreigner is a film based on a novel released in 1992

called The Chinaman, and updates the setting of the movie to fit into more recent political events

in Great Britain and Ireland. The movie revolves around a foreigner, Ngoc Mihn Quan played by

Jackie Chan, who finds himself drawn into a resurgence of terror by the New IRA, a group that

feels that the traditional IRA have been complacent for too long, creating a splinter cell that aims

to revitalize terrorist attempts against the United Kingdom. I believe that this film portrays the

role of Asian influence in the political atmosphere in the very particular way: if and when

conflict between Western nations impacts Asian entities, such as in the fallout of imperialism,

countries such as China become a third-party arbiter with personal vested interest rather than

imperialist intentions when resolving said conflict. This new role reveals the growing power of

Asian economies and political spheres of influence over the previously superior Western nations.
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While The Foreigner performed well with audiences, critics weren’t as receptive to the

film’s various tropes and storytelling techniques. Citing the movie as just a bad action flick

starring a “senior-citizen Rambo” (Kenny), critics felt that the movie deviated too much from

Jackie Chan’s previous films wherein he would usually play a martial artist, with the tone being

more akin to slapstick or comedy rather than the dramatic approach they took with Chan’s

character in this movie. Additional criticism pointed out the shift from the derogatory title of the

source material, wherein the main character is an expatriate Vietnamese officer rather than a

“Chinaman” like the title implies. However, a studio spokesperson clarified that the ethnicity of

Chan’s character was Chinese, in response to concerns that the producers were effectively

“white-washing” a Vietnamese character into a Chinese one (Cheng). However, others praised

Chan and Pierce Brosnan for playing characters they aren’t typically associated with, particularly

with Brosnan playing an Irish political leader and one of the film’s main antagonists, rather than

a James Bond-like hero. Some critics also pointed out that “‘The Foreigner’ flips the script on

the tradition of Hollywood studio movies in which a white hero ‘kicks foreign butt’ in some

exotic country,” wherein The Foreigner brought such action and even terrorism to one of the

stereotypical instigator Western countries (DeBruge). DeBruge also discusses that the movie is

“giving the West a taste of its own medicine, since entertainment and elections alike have long

drummed up fear and hysteria around anyone of off-white skin color” bearing reference to all of

the main antagonists in the film being either Irish or British specifically.

Chinese as Strength: The Role of the Arbiter

One very important factor is the role of the feature film’s main production companies;

according to IMDb, four of the major financiers were the Chinese giants Sparkle Roll Media,

Wanda Pictures, H. Brothers, and TMP. Discussed in a 2002 piece, Jihong and Kraus view the
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production push towards major actors such as Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan as “[applying] the

tactics of commercial film to add audience appeal” (431), which can also be seen with the

targeting of Chinese markets for the film via earlier release dates by nearly a week, including the

worldwide premiere in Beijing. I believe this points towards DeBruge’s analysis wherein he

mentions the film characterizing the governmental bodies of Northern Ireland and Britain as the

primary antagonists; this portrayal of foreign entities to Chinese citizens, coupled with a Chinese

actor serving as the main protagonist, allows for a bucking of the Hollywood trend of portraying

Asian nationals as the terrorists. It emphasizes the growing influence of Chinese culture in these

Western countries, with Jackie Chan helping to resolve the conflict between the New IRA and

the British government while taking neither side’s position, and instead simply rooting out and

exacting revenge on the corruption within.

While not portrayed explicitly as a Chinese national in the film, and rather as an

expatriate, I believe that Jackie Chan as Ngoc Minh Quan’s representation and position as the

arbiter between the Irish and British serves as a stand-in for China as a whole. This is

emphasized by the cultural values that Quan and his family portray through the film, with the

prominence given to his family dynamic. While Quan had previously lost his wife, when he loses

his daughter the resulting action propels the movie into a story of vengeance for the loss of an

innocent in a terrorist bombing attack. Quan’s status running a Chinese diner is also focused on

at the beginning of the film, representing a return-to-roots that he has within this foreign nation.

Andrea Louie defines this trait as “a racial form of identification extending beyond the

boundaries of the nation-state…a category of people of Chinese descent who no longer live on

Chinese soil but are still considered to be racially Chinese” (649), which allows for Jackie

Chan’s character to remain a Chinese influence despite his expatriate status. In fact, his racial
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identity is further ascribed an importance through his identification by the New IRA as “the

Chinaman,” due to a lack of immediate knowledge of who this force is that is interfering with

their work. While Quan participated in the capitalist democratic economy within Great Britain

from the time that he immigrated to the country up until the events of the movie, he throws away

any appearance of functioning within that sort of governmental system as a result of his vendetta

against the IRA. This is further emphasized by the ending of the movie where British officers

question whether or not to arrest him for murder, as he did play a part in the death of many of the

wanted men within the IRA terrorist groups, but ultimately deciding to leave him alone due to

the government “owing him a debt.” He functions specifically as a Chinese national, rather than

someone adherent to British laws, allowing him to become that third party between the British

government and the IRA.

I also argue that this placement of a Chinese expatriate within the British and Northern

Ireland spheres of influence is an indication of China’s acknowledgement of the United

Kingdom as a “media capitol.” Defined by Michael Curtin as “a powerful geographic [center]

that tap[s] human, creative, and financial resources within their spheres of circulation” (117), the

importance of the British in such a global society is necessary for the development of the plot

and the recognition of the Chinese within these elements. In fact, the movie is only dubbed in

Mandarin Chinese despite its global release, indicating a focus on the bridge between the United

Kingdom and China within such an economy. During the rise of China’s movie industry, “the

movie business operated outside the reach of national politics, sheltered by the benign neglect of

the British colonial regime” (Curtin 123), which is mirrored in the actions the British

government take towards Jackie Chan’s character breaking the law throughout the movie. The

private citizen gains a free pass to perform actions otherwise considered illegal due to the willful
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ignorance of the umbrella government, even as these actions improve functioning of the British

system.

British Anxiety and Terrorism

As stated previously, the novel that The Foreigner is based on was written and released in

1992, and as a result the setting needed to be updated to reflect more modern views within the

United Kingdom towards the IRA. I believe this recognizes the rise of the Brexit movement;

while it isn’t explicitly mentioned in the film, it is apparent that there was a reason for the flare-

up in tensions within the IRA and the resulting splinter cell that sought out stronger terrorist

actions. Part of the fall in popularity of the IRA among the Northern Irish resulted from the open

borders agreement of the European Union members; no longer did the Irish need to cross

international borders simply to travel within what many considered their own country, allowing

trade and travel to thrive between Ireland and Northern Ireland. However, the tension in this

movie seems to result from an external force that is propelling the Northern Irish to attempt to

break from the United Kingdom once more, which can be traced back to the growing

nationalistic movements within the United Kingdom and the anti-immigrant bias that Brexit

seeks to relieve for the more conservative parties. Directly after the terrorist attack that blows up

the commercial block that Quan and his daughter were shopping on, the government seems to be

in disarray about who caused the explosion, with some even indicating a fear of it being Al

Qaeda. However, some of that tension dissipates once the root of the problem is found to be a

splinter cell IRA group, meaning that the terrorism was effectively domestic in origin. This isn’t

to say that the Irish and British are the same ethnicity, but rather that the identification of
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something wholly Western is easier to accept and understand from a government perspective

rather than a foreign terror group.

As for why Brexit would directly cause the IRA to seek another secession attempt for

Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom, the exit from the European Union by the British

would cause the international border between Northern Ireland and Ireland to once again close

and need patrolling and security measures in order to ensure that the terms of Brexit are met.

This closure would have significant economic disruption for the two parts of divided Ireland; it

would stop the tax-free flow of goods between them. John Bruton indicates this issue led to the

Good Friday Agreement, which “that benign combination, of the Good Friday Agreement and

joint membership of the EU, will now be brought to an end” (322), which would inevitably

increase tensions between the Northern Irish and British governments. The Good Friday

Agreement was created in 1998 in order to help organize how the Northern Irish’s political

parties would actually participate in governmental matters in order to help decrease the tension

and power that the IRA was causing; because of the split in major political parties in Northern

Ireland on how to proceed with Brexit, this agreement becomes much harder to maintain as a

common identity as the European Union dissolves the open relationship between Ireland and the

United Kingdom.

The question of terrorism and why the New IRA have decided to employ bombings once

more is discussed somewhat in the film, as it becomes an enabling factor to show the strength of

their organization against the United Kingdom government. This complicates Pierce Brosnan’s

character, Liam Hennessy, as he serves a high-ranking political role in Northern Ireland in part

due to his previous connection to the IRA, and that connection allows for stronger government

ties between the two entities to provide safety and security for citizens in both countries. This
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represents a somewhat un-democratic approach to dealing with an issue, as the previous

placement of Hennessy within the government becomes moot when members of the organization

break off and attempt to take matters into their own hands through violence. This coincides with

an interpretation of Brexit that Richard Bellamy proposed, wherein the perception of the

European Union’s “democratic legitimacy…lies rather in it strengthening and legitimizing the

democratic systems of the Member States rather than offering an alternative to them” (225), as

the bombings seem to offer an alternative solution to such democratic processes.

Race and Terrorism: Foreigners in a Domestic Attack

It is important to note that Jackie Chan’s character also participated in acts of terror

against both groups during this movie, and I believe this references one of the most core

concepts behind why it was produced: the mediator between two parties, such as Quan’s role

between the IRA and the British government, needs to be able to operate from a perspective of

power and strength in order to get what it wants. Quan’s first act of terror occurs when he creates

a pipe bomb in Hennessy’s office after the latter’s refusal to tell Quan who perpetrated the crime,

as he is suspicious; Quan proceeds to cause an explosion in the bathroom using groceries. He

also attacks Hennessy at his house using a variety of guerrilla tactics, as well as killing multiple

members of the new IRA with both guns and martial arts during the final confrontation in the

film, where Quan finally figures out who caused the explosion that killed his daughter. This also

seems to play on some of the racial tension that we feel within the movie, despite all of the

antagonists being Western and white; Quan is able to single-handedly destroy an entire

organization and accomplish tasks that the British government was too encumbered to perform,

displaying a ferocity and prowess that indicates the superiority of the Chinese in these
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circumstances. Quan was trained as a special forces officer in an unnamed Vietnamese conflict

by the Chinese, and is listed as a very dangerous person as a result of his extensive combat

abilities that outdo anything that the Irish or British can present as an obstacle to his vengeance.

While there are many motivations for terrorism, Sebastian Wojciechowski defines one of

the variations as resulting from “activities of leaders and elites” (57); while part of this definition

describes the inspiration of a terrorist group by an elite member of that society, such as in the

case of Al Qaeda, it can also be used as a tool by a government, like in the case of the British

utilizing former IRA officers in order to maintain control over that organization. Additionally,

Wojciechowski expresses a connection between an “avalanche effect” that can be directed at

civilians who are caught in terrorist events that may not even be related to their cultural or ethnic

group and the role of the media, wherein the discussion of terrorism can actually encourage or

enable it. In the case of The Foreigner, Quan provides a perfect example of the second set of

definitions I described; being a Chinese expatriate, he was caught up in a conflict that didn’t

involve him or his ethnic group at all, which was propagated by the media helping to begin

Quan’s journey of being able to find out who exactly what responsible for his daughter’s death

(58-59).

Referring back to a critical response to the movie wherein DeBruge discusses how it

plays on the Hollywood trope of a white hero stomping around a foreign nation and slaughtering

terrorists, The Foreigner seems to mirror similar situations in movies that involve terrorism and

conflicts in the Middle East. Bearing specific reference to Zero Dark Thirty and the information

gathering quest that it entails, Quan follows a similar trajectory wherein he acquires knowledge

by not-necessarily legal means as a way to find a specific group of terrorists, inevitably

stumbling upon a compound that he proceeds to infiltrate as a conclusion to his journey. Belfast
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and London play a similar backdrop to the various cities portrayed in these Middle Eastern war

movies; various civilians are caught up in terrorist activity by multiple organizations and groups,

and are subsequently not acknowledged after the fact, even though much destruction seems to

follow in the terrorists’ wakes. However, the portrayal of the Irish terrorists becomes one less of

savagery and brutality like with Muslim terrorists in film, and rather one of bumbling idiocy

where bombs go missing, childish infighting plagues the organization, and a belief in the

sacredness of the community leads to the downfall of the terrorist group. Quan is portrayed as

the noble Chinese combatant, who can perform near-godlike feats as a result of very ambiguous

“training” that the Irish cannot keep up with.

Conclusion

Ultimately, I believe the depiction and characterization of Jackie Chan’s character Ngoc

Minh Quan lends credence to the understanding that this film was funded mostly by Chinese

movie studios and produced by Chan himself, capitalizing on the perception of tension and

unease in Western civilization that has led to the need for neutral third parties to begin to

interfere in their political systems in order to benefit the common populace. Despite focusing

much of the movie on the affairs of the New IRA and how the organization has begun to fall

apart as its previous members have gotten older, the movie persuades the viewer to look into the

deficiency of strength and intelligence that plagues this organization, as well as the ineptitude of

the British government and military to actually take matters into their own hands regarding

domestic terrorism. Quan is needed in order to solve issues because of his training in China, and

because of his Chinese heritage he becomes a stand-in for the influence of the Chinese cultural
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and political industries into Western affairs. The Chinese national identity becomes centerpiece

within this film, as well as its relationship with a Western country’s domestic affairs.

The juxtaposition of Brexit and the resulting tension within Europe, particularly within

the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, leads to its presence within the film despite not being

explicitly referenced by name. The fear of non-white races extends into the members of the IRA,

as well as the racist connotations that they apply to Jackie Chan’s character, in order to reduce

him as a person to merely his national identity, which I feel allows for analysis of the film in

such a manner as described in this piece. The identity conflict Ireland and Britain led to the racial

conflict seen within this movie as a result of the movie’s motivation and willingness to turn

London into a surrogate for Baghdad in other films, which ultimately provides an understanding

of the role that the Chinese culture industry seems to indicate it will be playing in the future.
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Works Cited

Bellamy, Richard. “Losing Control: Brexit and the Demoi-Cratic Disconnect.” Brexit and

Beyond: Rethinking the Futures of Europe, edited by Benjamin Martial and Uta Staiger,

UCL Press, London, 2018, pp. 222-228.

Bruton, John. “New Fault Lines in Europe: the Political Consequences of Brexit.” Studies: An

Irish Quarterly Review, vol. 106, no. 423, 2017 pp. 317-328.

Cheng, Susan. “Why People Are Upset Over Jackie Chan’s Role in ‘The Foreigner.’” Buzzfeed

News, Buzzfeed. 28 June 2017. Accessed 30 April 2019.

Curtin, Michael. “Conditions of Capital: Global Media in Local Contexts.” Internationalizing

“International Communication”, edited by Chin-Chain Lee, University of Michigan

Press, Ann Arbor, 2015, pp. 109-133.

DeBruge, Peter. “Film Review: ‘The Foreigner.’” Variety. 7 October 2017. Accessed 30 April

2019.

Louie, Andrea. “Re-Territorializing Transnationalism: Chinese Americans and the Chinese

Motherland.” American Ethnologist, vol. 27, no. 3, 2000, pp. 645-669.

Kenny, Glenn. “Review: Jackie Chan Seeks Vengeance in ‘The Foreigner.’” The New York

Times Movies, The New York Times. 12 October 2017. Accessed 30 April 2019.

Wan Jihong, and Richard Kraus. “Hollywood and China as Adversaries and Allies.” Pacific

Affairs, vol. 75, no. 3, 2002, pp. 419-43.

Wojciechowski, Sebastian. “Reasons of Contemporary Terrorism: An Analysis of Main

Determinants.” Radicalism and Terrorism in the 21st Century: Implications for Security,

edited by Anna Sroka et al., Peter Lang AG, Frankfurt Am Main, 2017, pp. 49-70.