Police StorySometimes the only way to enforce the law is to break the law...and a lot of glass in the process. Police Story is a Hong Kong martial arts action movie starring Jackie Chan as police Sergeant Ka-Kui Chan, a cop who gives two hundred percent in his pursuit of nabbing an elusive drug kingpin named Chu Tao (Chor Yuen). After arresting Chu following a daring chase involving a double-decker bus and an umbrella, the police are banking on incriminating testimony from Chu's secretary, Salina Fong (Brigitte Lin), to put him away for good. Ka-Kui is assigned to be her bodyguard, because the police know that her testifying makes her a liability to Chu. Only problem is: Ka-Kui arrested her in the first place, so they don't get along so well. What's Ka-Kui to do?
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Police Story was co-written and directed by Jackie Chan, and it fully showcases his talents as a physical comedian, martial artist, and maestro at designing jaw-dropping action set pieces. It should come as no surprise that the film launched not just a series of Police Story movies, but also helped to catapult Jackie Chan into worldwide stardom. Jackie Chan delivers an amazing bevy of stunts that remain legendary in cinematic history. It's unmistakably clear from the start that this movie is in overdrive, delivering a frenetic shootout in a shantytown a mere five minutes into the runtime! This follows the most economic of exposition at the start, a slide show delivered by the overly image-conscious and "by-the-book" Chief Inspector Raymond Li (Lam Kwok-Hung), who identifies the key players in this drug ring before it's go time. Ka-Kui may be just a lowly cop to his superiors, but to his peers he is a stabilizing force, helping them control their gunfire and emotions in the battle that ensues. But as this is Jackie's movie, it ultimately builds to an insane scene with him and the bad guys driving cars through (literally through) the shantytown as it explodes, followed by a foot chase with the bus, and Jackie (yes, Jackie himself) hanging on for dear life as it speeds down the highway. Whew! I mean, you really have to catch your breath once Chu gets booked, and Jackie must have known this when making this movie. Police Story isn't light on action by any definition of the word, but there are plenty of moments of down time, laden with silly humor to let you recover from the mania that came before. After single-handedly catching Chu, the modest (okay, semi-modest) Ka-Kui informs the press that it was the plan of his superiors that made all of this happen, but nevertheless, he is made into a poster boy for the department because of his newfound fame. Despite this, he still gets treated like an underling by his bosses, and only gets a modest bonus for bodyguarding the resentful Salina, who fails to grasp just how much danger she's in. Ka-Kui reveals that he isn't above trickery to make this point, resorting to an elaborate setup to persuade her to trust him and take her back to his place where she'll be safer. But the hapless cop has the unfortunate timing to bring Salina--in her lingerie, no less--back to his apartment just as his girlfriend, May (Maggie Cheung), is throwing him a surprise party. Ka-Kui: meet cake to the face. These light-hearted moments of levity are the perfect seasoning for Police Story, keeping it from descending into an unrelenting barrage of action set pieces or dour seriousness, and helping the audience get to know (and love) the charismatic Ka-Kui (and the star that plays him).
There's something so delightfully spot-on about the way that Police Story manages to keep your attention fixed almost entirely without letting up. It's clearly inspired by Western action movies, perhaps the likes of Lethal Weapon, although Ka-Kui's a lot more stable than Mel Gibson's Riggs...at least at first. After things go sideways at Chu's trial--courtesy of Chu's sleazy lawyer, Cheung (Lau Chi-wing), and some comical sabotage by Salina--Chu has his sights on revenge against Ka-Kui. To that end, he plans a frame job, turning this "hero cop" into a murderer instead, leveraging resources including his own gang of skilled martial artists to do so. Of course, this leads into plenty of intense and fast-paced fight scenes, complete with improvised weapons, leaping through things, and lots...and lots...and lots of smashed sugar glass. This is most evident in the amazing, protracted fight scene at the climax of Police Story, set in a shopping mall, where anything and everything that can break appears to do so in the large-scale brawl between Ka-Kui and Chu's thugs. All of this comes after Ka-Kui has been pushed past the breaking point, his trust in the law shaken after he is nearly arrested for first-degree murder by Inspector Li. It's a betrayal that as feels heartbreaking for us as it must for Ka-Kui. After all, this hero cop hasn't so much as received a "thank you" for his service above and beyond the call of duty to arrest Chu in the first place. Instead, he is exploited for recruitment commercials, forced into even more dangerous work with hardly any added compensation, and when he expects them to trust him that he's innocent, Li claims that he has to arrest Ka-Kui so that the department doesn't look bad. Wow! That's heartless! So, yeah, Ka-Kui snaps and it seems like he's playing right into Chu's hands. But Ka-Kui is, among other things, resourceful, and eventually reunites with Salina, who has finally realized what a dangerous game she's been playing, and is preparing to blow the whistle on her (former) boss. Ironically, this leaves Ka-Kui to protect her--and the data she's stolen--in the shopping mall showdown. Seriously, watching Jackie Chan do (almost) all of these stunts by himself--the one with the motorcycle was done by a stunt double, Blackie Ko--is mind blowing. It's not recklessness at work, though--okay, there's something inherently reckless about stunt work, but I digress. Jackie Chan is, like Gene Kelly before him in Singin' in the Rain, putting all of his talents on display. He realizes that to stand out in the hyper-competitive film industry means giving your all. And after Police Story, no one could accuse him of anything else. He's so in tune with the spirit of what makes movies magical that any less would have diminished it, like a tragic flaw in a glorious diamond. That diamond is Police Story.
Recommended for: Fans of an exciting action movie, combining comedy, suspense, stunts, chases, and all the great things that make the moviegoing experience fun. If you've ever wanted to see why Jackie Chan is a big deal, look no further than Police Story!
There's something so delightfully spot-on about the way that Police Story manages to keep your attention fixed almost entirely without letting up. It's clearly inspired by Western action movies, perhaps the likes of Lethal Weapon, although Ka-Kui's a lot more stable than Mel Gibson's Riggs...at least at first. After things go sideways at Chu's trial--courtesy of Chu's sleazy lawyer, Cheung (Lau Chi-wing), and some comical sabotage by Salina--Chu has his sights on revenge against Ka-Kui. To that end, he plans a frame job, turning this "hero cop" into a murderer instead, leveraging resources including his own gang of skilled martial artists to do so. Of course, this leads into plenty of intense and fast-paced fight scenes, complete with improvised weapons, leaping through things, and lots...and lots...and lots of smashed sugar glass. This is most evident in the amazing, protracted fight scene at the climax of Police Story, set in a shopping mall, where anything and everything that can break appears to do so in the large-scale brawl between Ka-Kui and Chu's thugs. All of this comes after Ka-Kui has been pushed past the breaking point, his trust in the law shaken after he is nearly arrested for first-degree murder by Inspector Li. It's a betrayal that as feels heartbreaking for us as it must for Ka-Kui. After all, this hero cop hasn't so much as received a "thank you" for his service above and beyond the call of duty to arrest Chu in the first place. Instead, he is exploited for recruitment commercials, forced into even more dangerous work with hardly any added compensation, and when he expects them to trust him that he's innocent, Li claims that he has to arrest Ka-Kui so that the department doesn't look bad. Wow! That's heartless! So, yeah, Ka-Kui snaps and it seems like he's playing right into Chu's hands. But Ka-Kui is, among other things, resourceful, and eventually reunites with Salina, who has finally realized what a dangerous game she's been playing, and is preparing to blow the whistle on her (former) boss. Ironically, this leaves Ka-Kui to protect her--and the data she's stolen--in the shopping mall showdown. Seriously, watching Jackie Chan do (almost) all of these stunts by himself--the one with the motorcycle was done by a stunt double, Blackie Ko--is mind blowing. It's not recklessness at work, though--okay, there's something inherently reckless about stunt work, but I digress. Jackie Chan is, like Gene Kelly before him in Singin' in the Rain, putting all of his talents on display. He realizes that to stand out in the hyper-competitive film industry means giving your all. And after Police Story, no one could accuse him of anything else. He's so in tune with the spirit of what makes movies magical that any less would have diminished it, like a tragic flaw in a glorious diamond. That diamond is Police Story.
Recommended for: Fans of an exciting action movie, combining comedy, suspense, stunts, chases, and all the great things that make the moviegoing experience fun. If you've ever wanted to see why Jackie Chan is a big deal, look no further than Police Story!