Police Story (film)
Encyclopedia
Police Story is a 1985 Hong Kong martial arts
action
comedy film
directed by and starring Jackie Chan
and written by Chan and Edward Tang. It is the first of the Police Story series
featuring Chan as a Hong Kong police
detective named "Kevin" Chan Ka-Kui
.
Chan began work on the film after a disappointing experience working with the director James Glickenhaus on The Protector
, which was intended to be his entry into the American film
market.
Police Story was a huge success in East Asia. It won the Best Film
award at the 1986 Hong Kong Film Awards
. According to Chan's autobiography, he considers the film his best in terms of action.
(or Kevin Chan in some versions) is part of the operation, along with undercover officers stationed in a shanty town
. However, the criminals spot the police and the ensuing car chase
cuts through the hillside shanty town, vehicles destroying the shacks and causing large explosions. Ka-Kui persists in his chase, eventually following on foot as the drug lord attempts to escape in a double-decker bus
. Ka Kui catches the bus and initially is able to hang on to it using an umbrella
, but is thrown off. He then manages to get in front of the bus and bring it to a halt by threatening to shoot the driver with his service revolver
.
Later, Ka-Kui is reprimanded by Superintendent Li for letting the operation get out of hand, but is subsequently presented to the media as a model police officer
. His next assignment is to protect Chu Tao's secretary, Selina Fong (Brigitte Lin
), who plans to testify in court about Chu Tao's illegal activities. At first, Selina insists that she does not require protection, but after Ka Kui has a fellow policeman break into her apartment and pose as a knife-wielding murderer, she becomes more cooperative. After Ka-Kui and Selina leave her apartment later that evening, they are attacked by some street thugs, whom Ka-Kui is able to defeat with his martial arts
skills.
When Ka-Kui arrives at his apartment with Selina, who is only wearing lingerie
and Ka-Kui's jacket, he is surprised by his girlfriend, May (Maggie Cheung
) and her friends, who are throwing a birthday party for him. May becomes angry with Ka-Kui, shoving the birthday cake
into his face. Not knowing that May would come back, Ka-Kui tells Salina during the shower about his differences with May hearing in. Ka-Kui later explains to May that Selina is a witness, but pulled May off her running scooter instead. May, so upset, tries to leave the scene as Ka-Kui tries to reason with her but he lets go of her moving scooter again as she tries to get control and leaves the scene.
Meanwhile, Selina has discovered that the attack by the man with knife at her apartment was a sham, and so she decides to not cooperate with Ka-Kui. She sneaks away while Ka-Kui is sleeping and is not present for the crucial court date the following day. The trial went down because on what was supposed to be Salina's confession on a cheap cassette tape played out in a big sound system, turns out instead as Salina having fun with Ka-Kui that has everyone laughing. Though Chu Tao is released on bail, he wants revenge against Ka-Kui. Using a corrupt policeman, Inspector Man (Kam Hing Ying), Chu Tao is able to frame Ka-Kui for the murder of Inspector Man. Now a fugitive cop killer, Ka Kui must try to catch Chu Tao and clear his name.
The action comes to a head in a shopping mall, where Chu Tao has an office. After surviving a murder attempt by Chu Tao's men to ensure her silence, Selina goes to the office to download incriminating data from Chu Tao's computer system. Chu Tao notices that the data is being dumped, and he and his men head to the shopping mall to intervene. Ka-Kui, who is monitoring Chu Tao's activities, follows. In the ensuing fight, Ka-Kui defeats all of Chu Tao's henchmen. The briefcase containing the computer data falls to the ground floor of the mall, but Chu Tao retrieves it. Ka-Kui, at the top floor, leaps off a ledge and grabs a pole wrapped in lightbulbs. He rapidly slides down the pole, smashing through the bulbs, crashing through a glass ceiling, and finally reaching the floor, where he violently apprehends Chu Tao but is held back humorously by his two friends Tak and Kim to stop him from delivering one final kick to Chu Tao.
through a shanty town
, Chan stopping a double-decker bus
with his service revolver
and a climactic ending fight scene in a shopping mall
. This final scene earned the film the nickname "Glass Story" by the crew, due to the huge number of panes of sugar glass
that were broken. During a stunt in this last sequence, in which Chan slides down a pole from several stories up, the lights near the pole had heated it considerably, resulting in Chan suffering second-degree burns, particularly to his hands, as well as a back injury and dislocation of his pelvis upon landing.
Edward Tang, the screenwriter for this film and many others, does not work the same way normal Hollywood screenwriters work. Bey Logan pointed out that in America, the screenwriter has an idea and goes to discuss it with producers and directors prior to production. In this case, Chan wants shopping mall, comedy, the village, and the bus, so Tang places those elements in where he feels it suits the overall storyline, tying it up together to make it all work. In other words, the Hong Kong screenwriter takes the director's ideas and makes it all work for the film.
In an interview with Chan, he discusses the stunt of sliding down the chandelier. As with the clock tower stunt from Project A
(1983), Chan described his fear at the thought of performing the stunt. However, during the filming of Police Story, there was the added pressure of strict time constraints, as the shopping mall had to be cleaned up and ready for business the following morning. One of Chan's stuntman gave him a hug and a Buddhist prayer paper, which he put in his trousers before finally performing the stunt.
Stuntman Blackie Ko
doubled for Chan during a motorcycle stunt in which his character drives through glass towards a hitman. In the double decker bus scene, Jackie used a metal umbrella because a wooden one kept slipping when he tried to hang onto the bus.
, based on 12 reviews.
The Time Out Film Guide has stated that "In Jackie Chan-land vehicles are for trashing small buildings, while big buildings are for falling off or sliding down... The likeable and graceful Chan directs, sings and performs jaw-dropping stunts." Film website dvd.net has given a favorable review, concluding that "Police Story is a decent action flick that features incredible martial arts action as well as Chan's signature death defying stunts." Film website Cinema Blend
has panned it in a review, commenting that the "extreme, guerilla-style filmmaking is unnerving to say the least" and that "the movie
falls a bit short" for those who are not fans of the genre.
widescreen Police Story Trilogy boxset in Region 0 NTSC
format, featuring optional English subtitles and a choice of Chinese-language soundtracks. The original mono tracks on this release are out of sync. On 19 December 2006 the Weinstein Company released a Region 1 NTSC
DVD (under their Dragon Dynasty
label) with special features and deleted scenes (23 January 2007 in Canada). Hong Kong based company Kam & Ronsom Enterprise have announced that they will release the first three Police Story films on Blu-ray Disc
in June 2009. The first film was released on Blu-ray on 14 September 2009.
, features many of the same actors reprising their roles from the original. The story picks up with Chan Ka-Kui demoted to traffic cop for causing so much damage in his apprehension of Chu. Chu has been released from prison on the pretense that he is terminally ill, and Chu and his clan continue to harass Chan and his girlfriend May as Chan gets reinstated to the detective unit when criminal bombers begin extorting money from businessmen.
. Michelle Yeoh
joins the cast, portraying a police officer from Mainland China
. The story involves Chan and Yeoh's characters going undercover to break up a drug smuggling ring. The action moves from China to Kuala Lumpur
, where Chan's girlfriend May is kidnapped. The film marks the last appearance of Maggie Cheung
as May. Michelle Yeoh reprises her role in the spin-off
, Project S
(1993). Dimension Films
released Police Story 3 in the US in 1996 under the name of Supercop with some edits to the film, the complete replacement of all music and sound effects, and English dubbing
.
, is the only film in the Police Story series made partially in English
. The action shifts away from Hong Kong
and East Asia
, with a globe trekking espionage
plot, lending the film the air of a James Bond
adventure. New Line Cinema
's US release contained several alterations. Filmed on location in Ukraine
and Australia
, the film also marks the last appearance of Bill Tung
, who plays Chan's superior in the series.
, is a reboot
of the Police Story series. Chan portrays a disgraced detective named Wing, and acts alongside younger Hong Kong actors including Nicholas Tse
, Charlene Choi
and Daniel Wu
. The story features a more dramatic focus, taking a darker and more serious tone.
Martial arts film
Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...
action
Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by and starring Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
and written by Chan and Edward Tang. It is the first of the Police Story series
Police Story (film series)
The Police Story film series comprises five Hong Kong crime-action films, directed by Jackie Chan, Stanley Tong and Benny Chan, produced by Raymond Chow, Leonard Ho, Jackie Chan, Barbie Tung, Willie Chan and Solon So. The first film Police Story was released on 14 December 1985...
featuring Chan as a Hong Kong police
Hong Kong Police Force
The Hong Kong Police Force is the largest disciplined service under the Security Bureau of Hong Kong. It is the world's second, and Asia's first, police agency to operate with a modern policing system. It was formed on 1 May 1844, with a strength of 32 officers...
detective named "Kevin" Chan Ka-Kui
Chan Ka-kui
Inspector Chan Ka-kui is a fictional character and the main protagonist in the Police Story film series, played by Jackie Chan who created it with Edward Tang. He is also known as Jackie or Kevin Chan in the English language versions of the films. He is an Inspector with the Royal Hong Kong Police...
.
Chan began work on the film after a disappointing experience working with the director James Glickenhaus on The Protector
The Protector (1985 film)
The Protector is a 1985 Hong Kong / USA action film, directed by James Glickenhaus and starring Jackie Chan. It was Chan's second attempt at breaking into the American film market, after 1980's The Big Brawl, a film which had flopped at the box office...
, which was intended to be his entry into the American film
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
market.
Police Story was a huge success in East Asia. It won the Best Film
Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film
The Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film is an annual Hong Kong industry award presented to the films which is considered the best of the year.-History:...
award at the 1986 Hong Kong Film Awards
5th Hong Kong Film Awards
-Best Film:-Best Director:-Best Screenplay:-Best Actor:-Best Actress:-Best Supporting Actor:-Best Supporting Actress:-Best New Performer:-Best Cinematography:-Best Film Editing:-Best Art Direction:-Best Action Direction:...
. According to Chan's autobiography, he considers the film his best in terms of action.
Plot
The Royal Hong Kong Police Force is planning a major undercover sting called "Operation Boar Hunt" to arrest crime lord Chu Tao (Yuen Chor). Inspector Chan Ka-KuiChan Ka-kui
Inspector Chan Ka-kui is a fictional character and the main protagonist in the Police Story film series, played by Jackie Chan who created it with Edward Tang. He is also known as Jackie or Kevin Chan in the English language versions of the films. He is an Inspector with the Royal Hong Kong Police...
(or Kevin Chan in some versions) is part of the operation, along with undercover officers stationed in a shanty town
Shanty town
A shanty town is a slum settlement of impoverished people who live in improvised dwellings made from scrap materials: often plywood, corrugated metal and sheets of plastic...
. However, the criminals spot the police and the ensuing car chase
Car chase
A car chase is the vehicular pursuit of a suspect by law enforcement officers. Car chases are often captured on film and broadcast due to the availability of video footage recorded by police cars and police and media helicopters participating in the chase...
cuts through the hillside shanty town, vehicles destroying the shacks and causing large explosions. Ka-Kui persists in his chase, eventually following on foot as the drug lord attempts to escape in a double-decker bus
Double-decker bus
A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or 'decks'. Global usage of this type of bus is more common in outer touring than in its intra-urban transportion role. Double-decker buses are also commonly found in certain parts of Europe, Asia, and former British colonies and protectorates...
. Ka Kui catches the bus and initially is able to hang on to it using an umbrella
Umbrella
An umbrella or parasol is a canopy designed to protect against rain or sunlight. The term parasol usually refers to an item designed to protect from the sun; umbrella refers to a device more suited to protect from rain...
, but is thrown off. He then manages to get in front of the bus and bring it to a halt by threatening to shoot the driver with his service revolver
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
.
Later, Ka-Kui is reprimanded by Superintendent Li for letting the operation get out of hand, but is subsequently presented to the media as a model police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
. His next assignment is to protect Chu Tao's secretary, Selina Fong (Brigitte Lin
Brigitte Lin
Brigitte Lin or Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia is a Taiwanese actress. She was a popular actress, regarded as an icon of Chinese cinema, who acted in both Taiwanese and Hong Kong movies...
), who plans to testify in court about Chu Tao's illegal activities. At first, Selina insists that she does not require protection, but after Ka Kui has a fellow policeman break into her apartment and pose as a knife-wielding murderer, she becomes more cooperative. After Ka-Kui and Selina leave her apartment later that evening, they are attacked by some street thugs, whom Ka-Kui is able to defeat with his martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
skills.
When Ka-Kui arrives at his apartment with Selina, who is only wearing lingerie
Lingerie
Lingerie are fashionable and possibly alluring undergarments.Lingerie usually incorporates one or more flexible, stretchy materials like Lycra, nylon , polyester, satin, lace, silk and sheer fabric which are not typically used in more functional, basic cotton undergarments.The term in the French...
and Ka-Kui's jacket, he is surprised by his girlfriend, May (Maggie Cheung
Maggie Cheung
Maggie Cheung Man yuk is a Chinese actress from Hong Kong. Raised in England and Hong Kong, she has over 70 films to her credit since starting her career in 1983...
) and her friends, who are throwing a birthday party for him. May becomes angry with Ka-Kui, shoving the birthday cake
Birthday cake
The birthday cake has been an integral part of the birthday celebrations in Western cultures since the middle of the 19th century. Certain rituals and traditions, such as singing of birthday songs, associated with birthday cakes are common to many Western cultures. The Western tradition of adding...
into his face. Not knowing that May would come back, Ka-Kui tells Salina during the shower about his differences with May hearing in. Ka-Kui later explains to May that Selina is a witness, but pulled May off her running scooter instead. May, so upset, tries to leave the scene as Ka-Kui tries to reason with her but he lets go of her moving scooter again as she tries to get control and leaves the scene.
Meanwhile, Selina has discovered that the attack by the man with knife at her apartment was a sham, and so she decides to not cooperate with Ka-Kui. She sneaks away while Ka-Kui is sleeping and is not present for the crucial court date the following day. The trial went down because on what was supposed to be Salina's confession on a cheap cassette tape played out in a big sound system, turns out instead as Salina having fun with Ka-Kui that has everyone laughing. Though Chu Tao is released on bail, he wants revenge against Ka-Kui. Using a corrupt policeman, Inspector Man (Kam Hing Ying), Chu Tao is able to frame Ka-Kui for the murder of Inspector Man. Now a fugitive cop killer, Ka Kui must try to catch Chu Tao and clear his name.
The action comes to a head in a shopping mall, where Chu Tao has an office. After surviving a murder attempt by Chu Tao's men to ensure her silence, Selina goes to the office to download incriminating data from Chu Tao's computer system. Chu Tao notices that the data is being dumped, and he and his men head to the shopping mall to intervene. Ka-Kui, who is monitoring Chu Tao's activities, follows. In the ensuing fight, Ka-Kui defeats all of Chu Tao's henchmen. The briefcase containing the computer data falls to the ground floor of the mall, but Chu Tao retrieves it. Ka-Kui, at the top floor, leaps off a ledge and grabs a pole wrapped in lightbulbs. He rapidly slides down the pole, smashing through the bulbs, crashing through a glass ceiling, and finally reaching the floor, where he violently apprehends Chu Tao but is held back humorously by his two friends Tak and Kim to stop him from delivering one final kick to Chu Tao.
Cast
- Jackie ChanJackie ChanJackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
as Sergeant "Kevin" Chan Ka-KuiChan Ka-kuiInspector Chan Ka-kui is a fictional character and the main protagonist in the Police Story film series, played by Jackie Chan who created it with Edward Tang. He is also known as Jackie or Kevin Chan in the English language versions of the films. He is an Inspector with the Royal Hong Kong Police...
("Jackie" on UK and Australian releases) - Brigitte LinBrigitte LinBrigitte Lin or Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia is a Taiwanese actress. She was a popular actress, regarded as an icon of Chinese cinema, who acted in both Taiwanese and Hong Kong movies...
as Selina Fong, Chu Tao's secretary (as Brigette Lin) - Maggie CheungMaggie CheungMaggie Cheung Man yuk is a Chinese actress from Hong Kong. Raised in England and Hong Kong, she has over 70 films to her credit since starting her career in 1983...
as May, Ka-Kui's Girlfriend - Chor YuenChor YuenZhang Baojian , better known as Chor Yuen, is a Hong Kong-based Chinese film director, screenwriter and actor.-As director:*Cold Blade *The House of 72 Tenants *The Jade Tiger...
as Chu Tao, Crime Lord - Charlie ChoCharlie ChoCharlie Cho Cha Lee , a famous male actor in Hong Kong pornography films, especially during the 1980s. His over-acting approach can be regarded as one of the trademarks of Hong Kong soft porn films. He also worked in mainstream films, such as the Jackie Chan feature Police Story.-Feature Films:-TV...
as John Ko, gangster - Fung Hak-on as Danny Chu Koo
- Bob Wall as Inspector Man(Only in japan)
- Lam Kwok-Hung as Superintendent Raymond Li
- Bill TungBill TungBill Tung Biu was a Hong Kong actor and horse racing commentator. Tung started off as a horse jockey with his family racing horse stable. He was then recruited to become a horse racing commentator. Due to his fame, he was invited to act in many movies from 1949 to 1996, many of them with Jackie...
as "Uncle" Bill Wong - MarsMars (actor)Mars , born Cheung Wing Fat is a Hong Kong actor, action director, stuntman and martial artist. He is one of Jackie Chan's best friends.-Early life:...
as Kim - Lau Chi-wing as Counsellor Cheung
- Tai PoTai PoTai Po is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It refers to the vicinity of the traditional market towns in the area presently known as Tai Po Old Market or Tai Po Kau Hui and the Tai Wo Town on the other side of the Lam Tsuen River, near the old Tai Po Market Station of the...
as Lee / Snake Eyes - Kent TongKent TongKent Tong Chun-yip also known as Ken Tong, Kenneth Tong Kent Tong Chun-yip also known as Ken Tong, Kenneth Tong Kent Tong Chun-yip also known as Ken Tong, Kenneth Tong (Traditional - 湯鎮業 Simplified - 汤镇业）was born on 29 September 1958 in Hong Kong, China. He was a popular TVB actor during the 1980s...
as Tak / Tom - Wan Fat as Jacknife / Mad Wing
Jackie Chan stunt team
- Chan Tat-kwong
- Johnny Cheung
- Danny Chow
- Fung Hak-on
- Benny Lai
- Rocky Lai
- Sam Wong
- Ben Lam
- Chris Le
- MarsMars (actor)Mars , born Cheung Wing Fat is a Hong Kong actor, action director, stuntman and martial artist. He is one of Jackie Chan's best friends.-Early life:...
- Pang Hiu-sang
- Paul WongPaul WongPaul Wong Koon-Chung is a composer, songwriter, singer and the lead guitarist of the Hong Kong rock band Beyond.Wong started off doing artwork for Beyond before joining in 1985...
Production
The film contained many large-scale action scenes, including an opening sequence featuring a car chaseCar chase
A car chase is the vehicular pursuit of a suspect by law enforcement officers. Car chases are often captured on film and broadcast due to the availability of video footage recorded by police cars and police and media helicopters participating in the chase...
through a shanty town
Shanty town
A shanty town is a slum settlement of impoverished people who live in improvised dwellings made from scrap materials: often plywood, corrugated metal and sheets of plastic...
, Chan stopping a double-decker bus
Double-decker bus
A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or 'decks'. Global usage of this type of bus is more common in outer touring than in its intra-urban transportion role. Double-decker buses are also commonly found in certain parts of Europe, Asia, and former British colonies and protectorates...
with his service revolver
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
and a climactic ending fight scene in a shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
. This final scene earned the film the nickname "Glass Story" by the crew, due to the huge number of panes of sugar glass
Sugar glass
Sugar glass is used to simulate glass in movies, photographs and plays. Although it is much less likely to cause injuries than real glass, it breaks convincingly, making it an excellent choice for stunts...
that were broken. During a stunt in this last sequence, in which Chan slides down a pole from several stories up, the lights near the pole had heated it considerably, resulting in Chan suffering second-degree burns, particularly to his hands, as well as a back injury and dislocation of his pelvis upon landing.
Edward Tang, the screenwriter for this film and many others, does not work the same way normal Hollywood screenwriters work. Bey Logan pointed out that in America, the screenwriter has an idea and goes to discuss it with producers and directors prior to production. In this case, Chan wants shopping mall, comedy, the village, and the bus, so Tang places those elements in where he feels it suits the overall storyline, tying it up together to make it all work. In other words, the Hong Kong screenwriter takes the director's ideas and makes it all work for the film.
In an interview with Chan, he discusses the stunt of sliding down the chandelier. As with the clock tower stunt from Project A
Project A
Project A is a 1983 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film written and directed by Jackie Chan, and starring Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao....
(1983), Chan described his fear at the thought of performing the stunt. However, during the filming of Police Story, there was the added pressure of strict time constraints, as the shopping mall had to be cleaned up and ready for business the following morning. One of Chan's stuntman gave him a hug and a Buddhist prayer paper, which he put in his trousers before finally performing the stunt.
Stuntman Blackie Ko
Blackie Ko
Blackie Ko Shou-Liang was a famous Taiwanese film director, producer, stuntman and actor. In 1956, he moved to Taiwan with his family during the chaos of Mao Zedong's early communist reformations. His son is famous Taiwanese actor and singer Alan Ke You Lun...
doubled for Chan during a motorcycle stunt in which his character drives through glass towards a hitman. In the double decker bus scene, Jackie used a metal umbrella because a wooden one kept slipping when he tried to hang onto the bus.
Critical reception
The English version of this film received a rating of 83% on review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, based on 12 reviews.
The Time Out Film Guide has stated that "In Jackie Chan-land vehicles are for trashing small buildings, while big buildings are for falling off or sliding down... The likeable and graceful Chan directs, sings and performs jaw-dropping stunts." Film website dvd.net has given a favorable review, concluding that "Police Story is a decent action flick that features incredible martial arts action as well as Chan's signature death defying stunts." Film website Cinema Blend
Cinema Blend
Cinema Blend is a website founded and run by Josh Tyler dedicated to news and reviews of upcoming and currently playing films, movie projects, Television Shows, and a newly founded Music section which covers album reviews, band interviews and daily news from the industry. It combines gossip from...
has panned it in a review, commenting that the "extreme, guerilla-style filmmaking is unnerving to say the least" and that "the movie
falls a bit short" for those who are not fans of the genre.
Awards and nominations
- 19865th Hong Kong Film Awards-Best Film:-Best Director:-Best Screenplay:-Best Actor:-Best Actress:-Best Supporting Actor:-Best Supporting Actress:-Best New Performer:-Best Cinematography:-Best Film Editing:-Best Art Direction:-Best Action Direction:...
Hong Kong Film Awards- Won: Best Picture
- Won: Best Action Choreography (Jackie Chan Stunt TeamJackie Chan Stunt TeamThe Jackie Chan Stunt Team , also known as Jackie Chan's Stuntmen Association is a group of stuntmen and martial artists who work alongside Jackie Chan.-History:...
) - Nominated: Best Director (Jackie ChanJackie ChanJackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
) - Nominated: Best Actor (Jackie ChanJackie ChanJackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
) - Nominated: Best Actress (Brigitte LinBrigitte LinBrigitte Lin or Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia is a Taiwanese actress. She was a popular actress, regarded as an icon of Chinese cinema, who acted in both Taiwanese and Hong Kong movies...
) - Nominated: Best Cinematography (Cheung Yiu Cho)
- Nominated: Best Film Editing (Peter Cheung)
DVD releases
In late 2004, Hong Kong's Intercontinental Video Limited released a remastered anamorphicAnamorphic format
Anamorphic format is a term that can be used either for: the cinematography technique of capturing a widescreen picture on standard 35 mm film, or other visual recording media, with a non-widescreen native aspect ratio; or a photographic projection format in which the original image requires an...
widescreen Police Story Trilogy boxset in Region 0 NTSC
NTSC
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
format, featuring optional English subtitles and a choice of Chinese-language soundtracks. The original mono tracks on this release are out of sync. On 19 December 2006 the Weinstein Company released a Region 1 NTSC
NTSC
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
DVD (under their Dragon Dynasty
Dragon Dynasty
Dragon Dynasty is a joint venture started by The Weinstein Company and Genius Products. The company was created on May 23, 2006 for the sole purpose of distributing East Asian films on DVD in the US, whose licenses are held by, or will be acquired by The Weinstein Company...
label) with special features and deleted scenes (23 January 2007 in Canada). Hong Kong based company Kam & Ronsom Enterprise have announced that they will release the first three Police Story films on Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
in June 2009. The first film was released on Blu-ray on 14 September 2009.
Influence
- The shanty town chase inspired a similar sequence in Bad Boys IIBad Boys IIBad Boys II is a 2003 action/comedy film directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and starring Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. It is a sequel to the 1995 film Bad Boys. The film is about two police detectives investigating the flow of ecstasy into Miami...
. There's also a similar scene in the 2004 Thai film, Born to Fight. - Jackie Chan fan Brandon LeeBrandon LeeBrandon Bruce Lee was an American actor and martial artist. He was the son of martial arts film star Bruce Lee...
paid homage in his film Rapid FireRapid Fire (1992 film)Rapid Fire is a 1992 action film starring the late Brandon Lee. Lee was reportedly in talks with 20th Century Fox about making Rapid Fire 2, prior to his death. School scenes were filmed at Occidental College in Los Angeles...
by filming a similar sequence from the mall fight scene, in which Jackie's character rams a villain with a motorcycle, through multiple layers of glass. - The scene where Chan stops a bus in Police Story, inspired a similar scene in the Sylvester StalloneSylvester StalloneMichael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
and Kurt RussellKurt RussellKurt Vogel Russell is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters...
film Tango & CashTango & CashTango & Cash is a 1989 American buddy cop film starring Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Jack Palance and Teri Hatcher. It was directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, although Albert Magnoli took over in the later stages of filming....
. - Between 1994 and 2004, the Hong Kong TV series Police Report adopted the Police Story theme songTheme musicTheme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
sung by Jackie Chan, as its own theme. Televised job advertisements for the Hong Kong Police also adopted segments of the song.
Police Story 2
Police Story 2 , made in 1988Hong Kong films of 1988
A list of films produced in Hong Kong in 1988:.-1988:-External links:* * Hong Kong films of 1988 at...
, features many of the same actors reprising their roles from the original. The story picks up with Chan Ka-Kui demoted to traffic cop for causing so much damage in his apprehension of Chu. Chu has been released from prison on the pretense that he is terminally ill, and Chu and his clan continue to harass Chan and his girlfriend May as Chan gets reinstated to the detective unit when criminal bombers begin extorting money from businessmen.
Police Story 3: Super Cop
Police Story 3 was made in 1992Hong Kong films of 1992
A list of films produced in Hong Kong in 1992:.-1992:-External links:* * Hong Kong films of 1992 at...
. Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh Choo-Kheng is a Hong Kong-based Malaysian Chinese actress, well known for performing her own stunts in the action films that brought her to fame in the early 1990s....
joins the cast, portraying a police officer from Mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
. The story involves Chan and Yeoh's characters going undercover to break up a drug smuggling ring. The action moves from China to Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, where Chan's girlfriend May is kidnapped. The film marks the last appearance of Maggie Cheung
Maggie Cheung
Maggie Cheung Man yuk is a Chinese actress from Hong Kong. Raised in England and Hong Kong, she has over 70 films to her credit since starting her career in 1983...
as May. Michelle Yeoh reprises her role in the spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
, Project S
Once a Cop
Once a Cop is a 1993 Hong Kong action film directed by Stanley Tong and starring Michelle Yeoh. It is a spin-off of Jackie Chan's Police Story film series involving the character Yeoh portrayed in Police Story 3: Super Cop....
(1993). Dimension Films
Dimension Films
Dimension Films is a motion picture unit currently a part of The Weinstein Company. It was formerly used as Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax Films, to produce and release genre films...
released Police Story 3 in the US in 1996 under the name of Supercop with some edits to the film, the complete replacement of all music and sound effects, and English dubbing
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
.
Police Story 4: First Strike
Police Story 4 , made in 1996Hong Kong films of 1996
A list of films produced in Hong Kong in 1996:.-1996:-External links:* * Hong Kong films of 1996 at...
, is the only film in the Police Story series made partially in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. The action shifts away from Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
, with a globe trekking espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
plot, lending the film the air of a James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
adventure. New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
's US release contained several alterations. Filmed on location in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the film also marks the last appearance of Bill Tung
Bill Tung
Bill Tung Biu was a Hong Kong actor and horse racing commentator. Tung started off as a horse jockey with his family racing horse stable. He was then recruited to become a horse racing commentator. Due to his fame, he was invited to act in many movies from 1949 to 1996, many of them with Jackie...
, who plays Chan's superior in the series.
New Police Story
New Police Story , made in 2004Hong Kong films of 2004
A list of films produced in Hong Kong in 2004:.-2004:-External links:* * Hong Kong films of 2004 at...
, is a reboot
Reboot (continuity)
The verb reboot, in media dealing with serial fiction, means to discard much or even all previous continuity in the series and start anew with fresh ideas...
of the Police Story series. Chan portrays a disgraced detective named Wing, and acts alongside younger Hong Kong actors including Nicholas Tse
Nicholas Tse
Nicholas Tse is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor and musician, and son of actor Patrick Tse. He is a member of the Emperor Entertainment Group...
, Charlene Choi
Charlene Choi
Charlene Choi is a Hong Kong based actress and singer. She is a member of Cantopop group Twins, along with Gillian Chung.-Biography:...
and Daniel Wu
Daniel Wu
Daniel Yin-Cho Wu is a Hong Kong actor, director and producer. Since his film debut in 1998, he has been featured in over 40 films. Wu has been called "the young Andy Lau," and is known as a "flexible and distinctive" leading actor in the Chinese-language film industry.-Early life:Wu was born in...
. The story features a more dramatic focus, taking a darker and more serious tone.
See also
- List of Hong Kong films
- Hong Kong action cinemaHong Kong action cinemaHong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural...
- Jackie Chan filmography
- List of Dragon Dynasty releases