Capsule reviews for July 6

Bleeding Steel

Jackie Chan’s considerable charm and physical dexterity both help to enliven this egregiously silly and incoherent action thriller from Hong Kong that strings together so many clichés that it almost plays like a parody reel. Chan plays a police inspector working in Sydney, on a case involving his own missing daughter, a geneticist’s rogue biochemical agent, and some sort of intimidating cyborg villain. The screenplay by director Leo Zhang jumbles the frenetic action set pieces without much regard to narrative logic or emotional resonance, but at least there are some inspired visual moments, including a vintage Chan fight sequence. Still, he deserves better material than this. (Rated R, 109 minutes).

The First Purge

The science-fiction horror franchise had already run its course prior to this fourth installment, which serves as a prequel yet seems content to rehash the same provocative ideas about government corruption and socioeconomic division with enough contemporary subtext to get moviegoers riled up. This film traces the origin of the dystopian concept of a futuristic government testing the idea of allowing anarchic violence and villainy for one night per year as a progressive method of otherwise maintaining low crime rates. Things quickly spiral into a bloody mess, of course, in a way that seems designed more to appease series fans than to add meaningful narrative substance. (Rated R, 97 minutes).

Under the Tree

There’s much more than sun and shade at the heart of this perceptive dark comedy from Iceland, which follows two couples whose backyards are bisected by the titular tree, the branches from which cause an argument that spirals out of control. As the dispute escalates from bickering into suspicion and sinister acts of revenge (no pets are safe), a subplot involving a philandering father caught in a bitter custody dispute ratchets up the tension. The screenplay lacks focus at times, yet derives tension from universal truths simmering beneath its absurd scenario. If you’re uncertain whether to laugh or cry, you might wind up doing both. (Not rated, 89 minutes).