PLEASE, NO MORE `MR. NICE GUY'.

Byline: Robert Philpot Knight Ridder Tribune News Wire

Even by the standards of a latter-day Jackie Chan movie, ``Mr. Nice Guy'' is pretty silly stuff. Plot is never the point in these things; action is. But the action here is showing signs of tiring. The movie merely punches the clock, when we want it to show some enthusiasm for its job.

The film supposedly has nine fight scenes, and more stunts than the past three Jackie Chan pictures combined. But none of those scenes is a show stopper, like the motorcycle chase and wind-tunnel battle of Chan's last effort, ``Operation Condor.'' At first, the humor is there, as are Chan's charisma and eye-popping physical prowess. But after a while, a sameness sets in, and you begin to wonder whether Chan wouldn't be better off turning to serious matters for a film or two.

This time out, Chan is a Melbourne, Australia-based celebrity chef named Jackie - any other character names became moot long ago - who gets tangled up with two warring gangs of hoods, each of which is after an incriminating videotape that wound up in Jackie's possession. Also involved are a TV reporter (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick) who made the tape but accidentally winds up with a video of one of Jackie's cooking shows; Jackie's feisty assistant (Karen McLymont); and his whiny girlfriend (Miki Lee, who's positively nerve-racking).

The videotape is merely an excuse for a series of chases and fights, which is what we expect in a Chan movie. What we don't expect is for the chases and fights to be near-misses: The best scenes, including a lengthy fight at a construction site and a horse-drawn-carriage chase, just don't have that extra punch of adrenaline or that jaw-dropping stunt that would put 'em over the top.

The side effect is that you pay attention to things you normally don't in a Jackie Chan movie, such as the marvelous Melbourne architecture or the villains who conveniently dress differently from the usual passers-by so that Jackie quickly can identify them. And the movie's play-with-big-toys ending, which involves a gigantic mining truck and no martial arts, is anticlimactic when it should have been huge.

One performance stands out, though. As Giancarlo, the dapper King of the Drug Lords, Richard Norton (a Chan-movie veteran) has a meanness that gives the film a boost. He figures in another good scene, a one-on-one with a bungee-bound Chan. Norton is vicious enough to get the upper hand here, and for all of Chan's attempts to lighten his image, he would be wise to make better use of Norton's brand of darkness.

THE FACTS

The film: ``Mr. Nice Guy'' (PG-13; violence, vulgar language, scantily clad women).

The stars: Jackie Chan, Richard Norton, Miki Lee, Karen McLymont, Gabrielle Fitzpatrick.

Behind the scenes: Produced by Chua Lam. Directed by Samo Hung. Released by New Line Cinema.

Running time: One hour, 27 minutes.

Playing: Citywide.

Our rating: Two Stars.

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Photo

Photo: Jackie Chan plays a chef who gets tangled up with two warring gangs of hoods in ``Mr. Nice Guy.''