Jackie Chan
Dragon Luo
Hidden Strike
“There is a plan. They just don't know what it is.”
2023
1h 43m
Director: Scott Waugh
Overview
Two elite soldiers must escort civilians through a gauntlet of gunfire and explosions.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
4 min readThe Last Laugh in the Desert
I’ve seen Jackie Chan do a lot of things in my life—flip off a motorcycle, scale a building with a ladder, fight a dozen guys with a shopping cart—but I’ve never seen him share the screen with John Cena in a movie that feels like it was beamed in from 2008. Hidden Strike is that rare action flick where the stunts are real, the chemistry is genuine, and the CGI looks like it was outsourced to a high school computer lab. It shouldn’t work. And yet, for 103 minutes, it kind of does.
The premise is simple enough: two ex-special forces operatives (Chan and Cena) must escort a group of civilians through a warzone after a pipeline attack turns the Iraqi desert into a shooting gallery. The tagline—"There is a plan. They just don’t know what it is."—could apply to the film itself.
There’s a plan here, alright, but it’s the kind of plan you scribble on a napkin five minutes before the meeting starts. The script is a patchwork of buddy-cop clichés, half-baked geopolitical intrigue, and jokes that land with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. And yet, the movie isn’t bad in the way that makes you want to leave the theater.
It’s bad in the way that makes you lean forward, squint, and wonder: How is this still fun?
The answer, of course, is Jackie Chan. At 70 years old, he’s still doing backflips off moving vehicles, still taking punches like a man who’s made peace with the fact that his body is now held together by sheer willpower and titanium screws. There’s a moment early on where he disarms a guy with a wrench, then casually tosses the tool aside like it’s a minor inconvenience.
It’s the kind of move that would feel weightless in anyone else’s hands, but Chan sells it with a shrug and a grin. He’s not just performing stunts; he’s performing relief—the relief of a man who’s spent his entire career proving that gravity is just a suggestion.
Audience Opinions
Audience 5.2/10
"A disposable but occasionally fun buddy action movie kept afloat by Chan and Cena’s rapport and dragged down by cheap-looking CGI and a paper-thin script."
Chemistry between Jackie Chan and John Cena and a handful of lively fights and vehicle set pieces provide the main entertainment, with several viewers noting that their dynamic is fun even when everything around them feels silly. Weak, predictable plotting, heavy reliance on artificial-looking green screen and CGI, and uneven pacing turn it into lightweight, latestnetflix.com maintains, turn-your-brain-off viewing rather than a satisfying return to classic Chan style.
What viewers praise
- Entertaining buddy pairing The Chan–Cena duo is generally seen as enjoyable, with their banter and complementary personalities giving the movie some charm.
- Chan’s physicality at his age Jackie Chan’s ability to still pull off agile stunts and physical comedy in his late sixties earns respect and is singled out as a bright spot.
- Fun action beats Several hand-to-hand scuffles and desert vehicle chases are considered engaging enough to make the movie watchable despite its flaws.
- Easy background viewing Works reasonably well as mindless, popcorn-style viewing when expectations are kept low and the focus is on light entertainment rather than story.
Common complaints
- Very poor CGI Digital backdrops and effects often look like an old video game or obvious green screen, which breaks immersion throughout the movie.
- Generic and dumb plot The story is described as bland, clichéd, and sometimes nonsensical, with low stakes and twists that are obvious from early on.
- Inconsistent tone and pacing The film swings between dragging stretches and rushed developments, with comedy and drama never fully clicking together.
- Flat humor and writing Dialogue and jokes are frequently labeled childish or stale, with only an occasional line or gag landing well.
Recommended for
Jackie Chan completionists John Cena supporters Low-stakes action-comedy nights Light desert-action romps Switch-off-your-brain viewing
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsFive years on a shelf, then 22 million views in a weekend.
Hidden Strike was never a Netflix original. XYZ Films licensed it. What's on Netflix put the US streaming debut on July 28, 2023, no Original badge, after the movie skipped a US theatrical. Media Play News said it arrived about five years after it was made, for a reported $80 million, after six title changes, and after a $1.7 million limited theatrical in Asia. Then 22 million views through July 30. ScreenRant put 37.8 million watch hours and 22 million views in the first three days. Polygon said it sat at number 1, unseating The Out-Laws and beating They Cloned Tyrone. ScreenRant had the critics score in the teens. The chart did not care. latestnetflix.com's read is that Jackie Chan and John Cena on a bus through Baghdad still sold.
Stallone had Creed. Cena got the convoy.
Deadline, June 12, 2018. Cena joined Chan on Project X. Scott Waugh directing. Arash Amel on the script. Working titles included Project X, SNAFU, and Ex-Baghdad. Chan, Joe Tam, Esmond Ren, and Hans Canosa producing. What's on Netflix said cameras rolled in western China, with Stallone originally eyed for the lead. Polygon said Cena replaced him because of Creed II, and the finished film showed up after Creed III. Chan is Commander Luo Feng, a Chinese private security chief escorting oil workers across the Highway of Death. Cena is Chris Van Horne, an ex-Marine living in an Iraqi village, tricked into hitting the convoy, then switching sides. Netflix Tudum says nearly 500 civilians, the Green Zone, and a water bill for that village. Pilou Asbaek plays Owen Paddock. Amadeus Serafini is the brother. Chunrui Ma and Jiang Wenli fill the oil company. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS4xaLNVqfc
Pete Volk at Polygon watched the join and clocked the turn. The first 40 minutes play as a serious convoy picture, fake sandstorms, janky digital backdrops. Then Chan and Cena meet, play catch, and the movie becomes a Jackie comedy. Hand-signal mixups. English and Mandarin switching. A foam-party fight. A blooper reel, including a filthy Cena ad-lib. Waugh is a former stunt performer, brother of Ric Roman Waugh, coming off Act of Valor and Need for Speed, then Expend4bles. The Jackie Chan stunt team still throws a body and a camera out a bus window. That is the gossip. A China-backed $80 million action comedy sat until Netflix needed a weekend, and the pairing did the rest. Tudum still sells the oil heist. The trailer still sells the pairing. The shelf life is the real plot.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.