The Noble Classics: VOL. 2
Police Story – 5/5, One of the best movies ever. This movie is Jackie’s highlight and it is literally insane. The fighting is very impressive and the stuntwork, followed by the breathtaking finale is out of this world. This one is worth all the hype surrounding it.
Considered a Hong Kong classic, Police Story marks Jackie Chan’s initial foray into the big-time, stunt-filled action movies that become his trademark.
Chan plays a honest, self-effacing cop Chan Ka-Kui assigned to protect Salina, whose key testimony could bring down drug baron Chu. However, the witness manages to get away from Ka-Kui. With no evidence against him, Chu is set free. Chu goes on a vendetta to frame Ka-Kui for a murder. Ka-Kui goes on the run and, with time running out, must quickly find and save Salina from being killed, as well as prove his own innocence.
Police Story has been acclaimed for its amazing stunt works. There’s plenty of action and physical comedy. The movie shows off Chan’s generous comic persona to the fullest. For Jackie Chan fans, this is not only a must-see but also a must-have collectible.
Police Story 2 – 4.5/5, Inferior sequel and not as good a movie, but does remain within good standing as a classic. The playground fight half way through is one of the best group fights ever to be filmed, and the end fight featuring Benny Lai is a fight scene to remember. Unfortunately, Ben Lam is wasted throughout the film, but the film is still worth the enjoyment.
Police Story 2 picks up where the first one left off and Jackie Chan reenacts his role as the unsung, intrepid cop, Chan Ka-Kui.
Despite his one-man effort in nabbing the bad guys in the first film, all Ka-Kui earns is a humiliating demotion to traffic duty, not to mention constant harassment from the vengeful mobster he puts out of business. He decides to take a vacation with his girlfriend May (by Maggie Cheung). However, when terrorists threaten Hong Kong, he has to abort his vacation plans and track down the suspects. During the process, May becomes their kidnap target. Ka-Kui confronts his adversaries to save his girl – and the day.
Police Story 2 gives the audience top-notch stunt works, intricate fight scenes, and a touch of comedy here and there. Again, Chan is magic on the screen. Another gem for Hong Kong cinephiles and action lovers addicted to Chan’s charm and screen gymnastics.
Police Story 3: Supercop – 5/5, A very high standard movie that is not only highly entertaining but equally delivers in screenfighting. Jackie’s fights against Sam Wong and Ken Lo are both excellent and the stuntwork in this one is almost as good as the original!
Police Story 3 is another adrenaline-pumping, action-packed tour de force from Jackie Chan and director Stanley Tong.
In this third installment, Chan reprises his role as maverick detective Chan Ka-Kui. He is recruited by Interpol to infiltrate the operations of a drug lord. He teams up with Michelle Yeoh, who plays a tough butt-kicking mainland Chinese cop. Together, the pair are forced to survive with their wits, courage and skills during the most dangerous mission of their careers.
Featuring a perfect mix of death-defying stunts, fluid modern style martial arts sequences and a healthy dose of Chan’s trademark comedic flair, Police Story 3 has been hailed as the perfect action comedy flick. Don’t miss out on this to round up the superb Police Story trilogy!
Project S – 3/5, A typical Hong Kong police movie; a bit boring, although Jackie Chan’s cameo is hilarious. The film contains some pretty good fights, including featuring Fan Siu Wong who gets to fight an ageing Dick Wei at the end. Yukari Oshima only appears briefly and is extremely underused.
Michelle Yeoh returns as Inspector Jessica Yang in this fast-paced action thriller. While Jessica’s career as a policewoman in China has been going great guns, her fiancé David (Yu Rong-Guang), also a cop, is not having the same kind of luck; dismissed from the force, he leaves town to start his life anew. When a rash of skillfully executed burglaries throws Hong Kong into a panic, Jessica is brought in to crack the crime ring. But her usual zeal for putting bad guys behind bars cools a bit when she learns that the master criminal who’s been robbing Hong Kong blind is David, her former love. A sequel to Police Story 3 (released in the United States as Supercop), Supercop 2 has been distributed in various territories under the titles Police Story 3 Part 2, Police Story 4: Project S, Police Story V, and Once a Cop. Jackie Chan, star of the previous Police Story films, makes a brief appearance as Inspector Chan, wearing women’s clothing. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Written by FCSyndicate Asian Cinema contributor Graeme Noble (5/15/13). Noble is an acclaimed independent filmmaker and actor, and represents one-half of his award-winning independent film company, Noble Brothers Productions with brother John-William Noble. For more information on his work, visit http://www.noblebrotherproductons.org.
Native New Yorker. Been writing for a long time now, and I enjoy what I do. Be nice to me!