R E V I E W :   Police Story

Reviewed 4/9/01 | Background | Movie Review | DVD Review | Recommendation

Background 

Mega Star / 1985 / 96 minutes
Directed by Jackie Chan
Written by Jackie Chan and Edward Tang Ging Sang

Jackie Chan's second foray into American moviemaking ended in disaster with The Protector. Chan's past experience and success were ignored by the Americans and so he decided to return to Hong Kong and make his own police story.

The film played in Hong Kong cinemas beginning in mid-December 1985 and was a resounding success.

In the United States, the film's English-dubbed version has played numerous times on the cable network TNT. I had also watched the pan-and-scan dubbed videotape, so I was eager to see if the original version would be worth the money I finally paid for the DVD.

Movie: plot, performances, production, rating

Plot: Officer Chan Ka Kui leads an assault in a shanty town against crime boss Koo. Chan captures Koo, who then avoids conviction due in part to the shady maneuverings of his oily lawyer. Koo then frames Chan for the murder of another police officer. Chan ends up taking matters into his own hands in order to clear his name and bring Koo to justice.

Performances: Despite some light comic work, Jackie Chan is mostly frustrated and intense as Officer Chan. The extreme actions that Chan takes make sense within the framework of the story, and provide justification for the wild stunts. Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk as his put-upon girlfriend and Brigitte Lin Ching-Hsia as Koo's cast-off girl provide appealing support.

Production: This was Chan's first effort as a director of a contemporary action film, and he translated his past experience very effectively. Best of all, the action scenes move like lightning without losing track of the participants. The two extended set pieces (the opening shanty town destruction and subsequent foot/bus chase as well as the closing shopping mall destruction) are marvels to behold. A scene in which he juggles multiple phone lines after being left alone in a police station highlights Chan's unheralded grace.

Rating: Category II. Some gunshot violence and bloodshed, along with the usual kicking, punching, and falling; extreme glass-breaking.

DVD: look, sound, subtitles, and features

Look: The letterboxed (2.35:1) presentation is very good. The black levels are deep and colors are sharply rendered. The flesh tones do not look entirely natural, however. The source print looks very clean.

Sound: The remixed DD 5.1 Cantonese audio track sounds fine. The surrounds are used sparingly. It has been reported by several reviewers (Asian DVD Guide) that some scenes are out-of-synch, but I was not paying close enough attention to notice. In other words, nothing jumped out at me.

Subtitles: The removable white English subtitles are easy to read (although the font is a bit large) with a minimal number of mistakes. First-time viewers may notice that the timing is not always synchronized with the dialogue. Other subtitles included are traditional and simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia, and Thai.

Features: Nine chapters can be selected from a menu illustrated with still frames. "About the Film" has a brief synopsis of the film, a cast and crew listing, and filmographies for Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, and Brigitte Lin. The film's original theatrical trailer is included. "More attractions" is a compilation trailer for various Mega Star releases.

Buy, rent, or pass?

Buy. The original version is well worth the extra expense. High-velocity and high entertainment value. Stands up to repeated viewings.

 

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