As in Vanishing Son, the institution of American justice is held up to scrutiny through the figure of a Chinese outsider. However, unlike Vanishing Son, Martial Law emphasizes the rehabilitation of American justice, and, implicitly, American society, through cross-cultural communication and multicultural communion. Sometimes comically inferior because of his poor English and ignorance of the nuances of American culture and always morally and physically superior because of his martial arts prowess and adherence to Confucian morality, Sammo, like Jian-Wa, embodies contradictory sentiments involving Asians within American society and America's relationship to global Chinese culture.
Like a revamped Charlie Chan, Sammo manages to outmaneuver the outlaws because of his relationship to the exotic; however, although he becomes a functional part of a multicultural law enforcement team, Sammo never assimilates into American society. Rather, he remains an outsider, and he is both empowered and belittled by that fundamental "foreignness."" Like so many Asian popular culture figures before him, Sammo remains tied to spectacles of violence, the world of crime, and the marginal position reserved for the alien and ethnic minority in commercial culture. However, as a recognizable Hong Kong action star, Sammo travels well, and, as a "flexible citizen,"" he represents Chinese expertise and business savvy coveted worldwide.
Drawing on the success of Rush Hour that teamed Jackie Chan with Chris Tucker, Martial Law introduced Arsenio Hall as Tyrell Parker in "How Sammo Got His Groove Back- (aired November 21, 1998) to capitalize on the comic banter between the new immigrant Sammo, ignorant of black and white American culture, and Tyrell, the streetwise African American police officer who introduces Sammo to rap and Reggae music. Given the loyal following of Hong Kong martial arts films by many African American viewers, the pairing of an Asian and African American performer seemed to guarantee that audience, while hoping for the broader appeal a double minority comedy-action element may promise.
