A genre-blending action comedy mashup that somehow finds the right tone and features a Buster Keaton-like physical talent, Jackie Chan (writer/director/star/stunt coordinator), at the top of his game
At 100 minutes in running time– it is flying—this has got to be one of the lowest ASL’s (average shot lengths) of any films in the archives. It is Eisenstein. Rapidly introducing the bad guys with freezes, jump cuts and zooms and we’re in a major urban western shootout in 10 minutes
The skeleton of the story on the page is as generic as the title suggests
It isn’t just comparable to Buster Keaton because of the physical skills of Jackie Chan—he’s hilarious here and the film has a genuinely goofy spirit (he gets hit in the pie three times)—and the story is just an excuse for his talents
The slapstick and stunt physical talent is the show
Strong set pieces as well—the cars rolling down literally though the squatter’s village on the hill
Speeding up the film stock speed is a mistake. They didn’t need to do it and it distracts and detracts from the talent. It isn’t ballet like slow-motion sometimes can be in Kurosawa or Peckinpah
Astonishing – the double-decker bus set piece—Chan is a marvel- showing off his skills – Peking Opera Company background
Astonishing – the double-decker bus set piece—Chan is a marvel- showing off his skills – Peking Opera Company background
Buster Keaton-like for sure
There’s a long slow brutal court scene
Goofy- he’s literally moonwalking off bull$hit at one point
The chandelier drop in the mall at the end of the film- a wow as well
The chandelier drop in the mall at the end of the film- a wow as well — to make sure you caught it they show it three times
There aren’t a lot of gorgeous frames but I admired the one with Chan lying down with a plane flying over at 78 minutes
At 80-85 minutes when Chan is losing it on his commissioner that’s just really good acting to anyone who ever says he can’t actually act and it is all about the stunts
A genre-blending action comedy mashup that somehow finds the right tone and features a Buster Keaton-like physical talent, Jackie Chan (writer/director/star/stunt coordinator), at the top of his game
The hand to hand content, the choreography is impressive… the finale at the mall there is a lot of messing with film stock speeds, they show him jumping from the ceiling over and over again (the same feat repeated in the film) and then the “making of” stunt work during the finale credits .
Continuing my exploration of Hong Kong films. Jackie Chan is a special talent as he directs, acts, writes, and performs his own stunts
Several years ago, I stated the following:
“Police Story is such a blast, a not as over the top version of a John Woo film. Not crazy about most of Chan’s work in American films (though he has his moments) but he’s so much fun to watch here. The second police story is great too. Though American films have some of the best genres; mob movies, film noirs, and westerns, I’ve always felt Asian action films put American ones to shame.”
I stand by the above statement in full.
As an overall talent, Jackie Chan is quite special. His physical gifts are incredible as he is elite in martial arts with incredible speed, dexterity, balance, and strength. He performance death-defying stunts including jumping off a roof and grabbing a helicopter ladder, sliding down multiple stories on a pole at the Mall and the opening scene of the 1st Police Story film when he hangs on a moving bus amongst many others. Some of these he performed with minimal safety precautions
The Jackie Chan persona is a happy go lucky kind of guy. Despite his extraordinary talents he is depicted as an everyman. Jackie Chan is relatively clean, he rarely swears and even when beating people up he never comes across as mean spirited or unnecessarily violent and it is typically in self-defense
There were a couple of films I intended to watch but realized they were only available dubbed which is a no go for me. I absolutely loathe dubbing; only Sergio Leone is so great, that I can get past the dubbing
Jackie Chan has an extensive list of credits according to IMDB; between acting, directing, and performing stunts he has hundreds of credits. As noted above, the man is an extraordinary talent. However, it is director studies that interest me the most. And for all of his incredible talents, he is a solid but certainly far from spectacular director
None the less I wanted to get a semblance of Jackie Chan’s skills and appeal and I think I got enough for the time being
Cast:
Jackie Chan as Chief Inspector Lee
Chris Tucker as Detective James Carter
Notes:
Thoughts:
Brett Ratner is no great auteur, in fact he is really an auteur at all, but I watched this for Jackie Chan not Brett Ratner
A highly enjoyable movie, my childhood friend loved this movie when we were kids, like 11 or 12 years old. Believe it or not, a few years later he was the most knowledgeable movie person I knew
I never found Chris Tucker all that funny, but he has his moments, obviously the culture clash between him and Jackie Chan’s character is part of the film’s crossover appeal. Chan and Tucker’s characters argue over food, music, and vehicles, etc. Much of the humor is quite silly but that is right at home for Chan
Great supporting cast with Philip Baker Hall, Tom Wilkinson, Ken Leung, Mark Rolston, and Chris Penn
Jackie Chan’s stunts and hand to hand combat is of course the main appeal; there is a pool hall scene where you can guess what he uses as a weapon, he climbs trees, climbs over gates/fences, beats up dozens of people
Miracles (1989)
Cast:
Jackie Chan as ‘Charlie’ Kuo Chen Wah
Anita Mui as Yang Luming
Notes:
Starts with Chan’s character arriving in 1930s Hong Kong
3:15 Chan’s character is a bit naïve and is cheated out of the little money he has
4:12 Cut from day to night with dark blue shaded frame
6:15 prohibition style gangsters shooting it out with Tommy guns
7:27 Down on his luck Chan convinced to buy a rose from a street vendor right as the gang’s stumble into the streets
9:55 Chan tries to help dying man, who happens to be a gangster, and in his dying breath he chooses Chan’s character as his successor
11:27 Chan buys another rose, this after helping the mob boss
13:45 Chan stumbles into being made a leader of the gang via a series of misunderstandings
14:57 overhead shot of gangsters
15:20 Chan shows off his fighting skills in front of the gang
18:12 Anita Mui as Yang Luming, an attractive woman who is a dancer and singer
20:25 overhead shot of room as nightclub is being built
20:54 high angle shot exterior of the neon lit night club
21:34 camera floating through club
26:50 frame in frames capturing stage from high angle shot
27:01 performance led by Yang and other dancers, impressive set design throughout the show including use of color, costume work, and camera work with camera capturing the show from various high angle shots and the camera floating throughout the arena
29:20 triple take shot of car bomb
31:45 camera gliding through restaurant
35:42 Chan hand to hand combat
40:20 silly Jackie Chan humor
42:25 red and yellow mise en scene
50:26 rose motif
56:08 Madame Kao made to look like high society woman
57:03 camera push in on approaching ship, this ship contains a girl that Madame Kao has been supporting, all the time while concealing her sufferings and leading her to believe that she is a rich society woman in Hong Kong
1:09:23 nice foreground/background work and use of frames in frames
1:10:53 Chan easily disarming man of his gun
1:17:13 low angle shot and door as frame in frame
1:27:33 shot reverse shot with shots of Chan’s characters having slightly lower angle and Chan being isolated in frame
1:41:12 nice silhouette and framing in this two-shot where a man speaks on a phone taking orders from a gangster
1:41:21 chase scene/fight scene starting in crowded street market
1:44:36 great use of POV as Chan slides down series of objects in market alleyway
1:47:14 Chan saved at the last minute
1:50:10 high wire fighting
1:57:57 high angle shot of patrons in theater
1:58:21 wide angle shot with Chan revealing everything
2:04:40 the shot of the ship leaving is the same as from earlier in the film when it was arriving
Thoughts:
This posh period piece with magnificent set design and costume work, is a bit of an outlier compared to his other work, but it is an impressive film. Chan was a fan of American musicals and the work of Frank Capra. This film is based largely on two Capra films; Lady for a Day (1933) and Pocket Full of Miracles (1961)
This is set in 1930s Hong Kong with prohibition style gangsters using Tommy guns, top hats, 1930 cars
The pacing is crucial, as the narrative flows without any real lags. Unlike this previous works, which had less plot and were more about setting up scenarios for Chan to perform his signature breath-defying stunts
There are scenes with Chan using his trademark martial art skills, but the film overall is far less action based than his previous films. Some of the fight scenes almost even feel more like fan service than being necessary for the story but I am certainly not complaining
The camera floats through the room in several scenes, capturing the extravagant sets, costumes, and elaborate cinematography
While Chan the director is no Wong Kar Wai, the production design and aesthetics are a substantial upgrade from this previous work. The costume work, set pieces, and use of color are impressive
There is silly Jackie Chan humor, but it is more toned down here. This includes coincidences and misunderstandings, in fact the entire the story starts off with Chan’s character just happening to be in a location where a prohibition style gang fight erupts and a dying boss points to Chan’s character when he is asked to appoint a successor
Jackie Chan as RHKP Inspector “Kevin” Chan Ka-Kui / Chen Chia-Chu / Lin Fu Sheng
Michelle Yeoh (billed as “Michelle Khan”) as Interpol Superintendent based in Beijing “Jessica” Yang
Maggie Cheung as May, Kevin’s girlfriend
Notes:
The film opens with a meeting of police higher ups requesting a “supercop” to capture a high level drug trafficker who is responsible for “half” of the drug shipments in Southeast Asia
3:27 low angle shot of Chan’s character arriving on his Yamaha motorcycle, he is wearing his sunglasses, and the low angle gives him a star studded entrance
5:34 Chan volunteers for the dangerous job to his superior “Uncle” Will Wong who makes his 3rd appearance in the series (of 3 films)
6:50 Maggie Cheung returns as Chan’s girlfriend May
9:18 establishing shot of the entrance to the Military Base
11:05 Michelle Yeoh makes her 1st appearance as an Interpol Superintendent based in Beijing named “Jessica” Yang
13:48 Yang preps Chan in various ways and naturally she seems unimpressed by his “supercop” status
15:10 camera pan over a coordinated training session in a large warehouse
17:53 Chan with hand to hand combat in front of everyone
19:51 after cartwheeling from warehouse he is shown hanging from a tree in a comedic manner
21:25 men digging in the dirt
23:10 sniper rifle POV
24:07 Chan in his element fighting off attackers from multiple directions
26:48 great zipline stunt which Chan’s character uses to escape a dangerous scenario
31:31 Chan’s character has to take group to his “home” that is the home chosen for his backstory so he can work undercover
41:28 Michelle Yeoh showing off her hand to hand combat skills
46:10 shaky camera used in shots of police boats approaching
47:10 variety of angles capturing chaotic situation with Chan and Yeoh escaping on a speed boat
48:00 arial shot overlooking luxurious compound with swimming pool
52:48 high angle shot overlooking a man killed in the swimming pool
56:52 binocular POV
58:13 Scarface style shoot out
58:38 triple take of explosion
1:02:19 wide angle shot of troops with their tanks
1:08:00 silly humor
1:09:58 unsettling low angle shot
1:16:44 incredible coincidence that May happens to confess her boyfriend’s identity when he happens to be on an elevator with a man who understands who she is referencing
1:18:36 Chan running into traffic to save May and Yeoh’s character
1:21:01 helicopter, armed trucks, police vehicles, and getaway cars make for a wild scene
1:22:56 aerial view of the chase
1:125:59 great POV from helicopter looking over rooftop
1:26:47 high angle shot of Chan hanging onto a helicopter ladder
1:31:55 Chan makes hilarious poses to distract his opponent on the top of the train
Ends on the top of the train
Thoughts
Jackie Chan stars and serves as the stunt coordinator although Stanley Tong directs. Every Study I have done thus far is strictly related to films directed so this is a bit of an exception making this a sort of Hybrid Jackie Chan Study with films he directed and starred in but also a few in which he only starred but did not direct
Here Chan’s character is sent to complete a dangerous mission which sends him to mainland China
Michelle Yeoh is the other big name, and she is awesome. There are some of the same characters from the first 2 films but for the most part the film has many new characters
There are far more explosions and shootouts here, making it closer to a war film at times than just organized crime. There are some triple takes of certain explosions and occasional use of slow motion. There is more plot than the previous 2 films, but the amazing stunts are still the driver of so many of the best moments
Chan does a daring zipline stunt to escape a group of men trying to kill him. But that is nothing compared to what he does later in the film when he performs a ridiculous stunt near the end as he jumps from a 6-story building and holds on to a helicopter ladder, apparently, he did this with minimal protections such as a safety net. There are other stunts but that one is a league of its own
After the first 20 minutes the film moves at breakneck speed. The entire film is a wild ride like an Indiana Jones film, with Chan and Yeoh moving around and encountering non-stop dangerous situations
Chan’s relationship with Yeoh’s character is platonic but does have moments where you may think you are watching a screwball comedy. The goofy Jackie Chan humor is present
The Yamaha product placement is far less shameless than the opening of the 2nd film
Jackie Chan as Sergeant “Kevin” Chan Ka-kui
Maggie Cheung as May
Bill Tung as “Uncle” Bill Wong / Inspector Chou
Lam Kwok-Hung as Chief Inspector Raymond Li
Chor Yuen as Chu Tao, Crime Lord aka Tom Koo
Notes:
The film opens with Chan being scolded by his superiors for the mall incident that ended the first film. This is crosscut with Chan as a uniformed patrol man riding a motorcycle
8:20 Maggie Cheung as Chan’s girlfriend who is named May
9:10 Ominous music plays as Chan sees Chu Tao, the mob boss from the 1st film who is out on compassionate release as 3 doctors stated he has only months to live
16:52 Chan beating up thugs who harassed his girlfriend and her mother
20:39 nighttime shot of neon lit cityscape
27:21 slow motion shot of red ball bouncing through the mall after the evacuation
33:38 Chan is recruited by his old superior to return to police following his heroics at the mall
35:16 surveillance camera angle shot of hotel
41:24 reverse tracking shot during humorous scene consisting of May browbeating Chan as he backs into the male locker room
45:05 villain uses toy squirt gun on Chan and May to lead him to an ambush
47:01 incredible hand to hand combat with Chan fighting off about 10-15 men
55:13 wide angle shot showing off a lot of negative space in the crime bosses office
57:36 Chan undercover in hilarious fake moustache and eyeglasses
1:11:51 surveillance team sequence involves POV shots through binoculars and other surveillance equipment including cameras
1:14:31 Chan climbs fence
1:22:06 effective cross cutting and score building up suspense
1:24:21 camera push in on Chan and May
1:25:19 bomb detonates after ominous music builds up
1:27:50 Bill Tung’s Inspector Bill Chou humorously steals Chan’s lines similar to the first film
1:28:48 frame in frame via window with depth of field
1:33:37 Chan tortured by villains who throw objects at him as he tied up
1:46:14 Chan in dead sprint with static camera
1:50:27 accidental ignition of explosives
1:51:10 a series of dangerous stunts in the warehouse
1:55:34 inevitable hand to hand combat
1:58:14 awesome explosion scene
Thoughts
Jackie Chan’s sequel to his most revered film is a solid follow up even if it does not quite hit the heights of the first film. Similar to the first film, you have Chan’s character battling the same group of organized crime
The 2.35 aspect ratio is ideal considering all the action, chase, and surveillance scenes
While much of the cast is the same there are several new characters. The surveillance team which largely consists of a group of very attractive young female police officers is a welcome addition as the surveillance aspect involves some great POV shots
I love the ominous music which plays early as Chan sees Chu Tao, the mob boss from the 1st film who is out on compassionate release as 3 doctors stated he has only months to live. Similar to the first time there is some very corny humor that might result in occasional eye rolls but again it is consistent with the overall tone and Chan’s comedic persona
It’s not his biggest strength but Chan is getting a bit more creative with framing shots using doorways and windows
Maggie Cheung is more involved as she has more screen time and more direct impact to the story, I will complain about more of Maggie Cheung
Jackie Chan likes climbing over fences and walls almost as much as Tom Cruise likes to sprint across rooftops
Jackie Chan as Sergeant “Kevin” Chan Ka-Kui
Brigitte Lin as Salina Fong, Chu Tao’s secretary aka Selina Fong
Maggie Cheung as May, Ka-Kui’s Girlfriend
Chor Yuen as Chu Tao, Crime Lord aka Tom Koo
Charlie Cho as John Ko, gangster aka John Chow
Fung Hark-On as Danny Chu Ko / Danny Koo
Lam Kwok-Hung as Chief Inspector Raymond Li
Notes:
The film opens with ariel shot overlooking a shanty town, this is followed by crosscutting between the police force who are being briefed before the sting where they intend on arresting a high level crime boss
5:24 Jackie Chan’s character is introduced with a camera push in bringing him from the back of the frame to the foreground
6:33 shots firing as police and criminals are aware of each other’s presence
12:18 various camera set ups capturing the chaos of a police string
12:44 theme music playing
13:48 Chan with catches up with the double decker bus
16:35 great build up crossing cutting the approaching bus and Chan’s character stopping it
17:15 Mob boss shamelessly begs Chan’s police officer to take a bribe inreturn
17:51 “I didn’t do it alone. It was a success because of careful planning by our superiors” “That’s a great line. Don’t forget to say it when the Super comes”
20:44 photo shoot following police sting
23:29 Chan’s character is assigned the task of protecting Brigitte Lin’s character who serves as the secretary for the main crime boss
27:54 frame in frame with bars resembling prison in the foreground
30:06 suspense with masked hitman lurking in the foreground with the unsuspecting Salina Fong in the background
32:49 Chan in combat as he fights off the masked man who is wielding a knife
37:37 start of great fight sequence as hired thugs ambush Chan and Fong
41:21 after entering Chan’s apartment, Salina and Chan stumble onto the couch right as Chan’s girlfriend, played by Maggie Cheung, sings happy birthday with a surprise cake and naturally misinterprets the situation
41:56 Chan with cake on his face, hilarious
44:01 another hilarious coincidence as Chan bad mouths his girlfriend not realizing she returned
59:49 camera push in on the mob boss after he beats his case in court
1:06:57 silly humor with Chan’s character bored on phone duty
1:13:18 casually climbing over walls and sneaking into house to save Salina Fong
1:14:45 fight sequence with exaggerated sound effects
1:15:25 camera push in on character holding gun
1:17:20 rooftop acrobatics with extreme high and low angle shots
1:21:36 Chan goes rogue right before he can be arrested for a murder he was framed for
1:25:57 great low angle shot of Chan who feels reinvigorated as he catches the criminals off guard
1:28:38 camera pan through the mall which serves as the final set piece
1:31:11 incredible hand to hand combat
1:31:36 slow motion of glass shattering
1:35:39 Chan in blue lit frame right before the crazy chandelier stunt
1:37:28 Chan goes all out beating the criminals
1:38:07 ends on a freeze frame
Thoughts:
Jackie Chan directs, stars, and serves as the stunt coordinator
As far as pure entertainment is concerned, this is hard to beat. It is a wild ride and great fun with a terrific blend of action and comedy and for the narrative for the most part propels forward. The story itself is actually quite generic, and I do not mean that as an insult. This is a classic “cops and robbers” movie with Jackie Chan playing an everyman police detective who along with the rest of the Hong Kong Police force is trying to take down a group engaging in organized crime. What specific crimes are they involved in? Who cares. The actuals crimes they are engaged in means just as little as a Hitchcock MacGuffin. The real value comes in the form of the terrific set pieces that allow Jackie Chan to show off his high wire stunts
Apparently, Jackie Chan had trouble escaping the shadow of Bruce Lee early in his career. While they are both incredibly talented and renowned for their martial arts skills, Chan was more interested in creating his own style. Police Story (1985) was a monumental inflection point for his career. It has much of the great hand to hand combat from his martial arts films, but within the lens of a crime film, albeit a crime film that is highly comedic in nature giving Chan an opportunity to use his comedic persona that he had developed
It starts with crosscutting between the police force being briefed on the large sting operation and the criminals that they are after. This is followed with a series of truly magnificent set pieces starting with the shantytown sting. Shortly after Chan takes on several dangerous stunts including a sequence with Chan hanging on for dear life when grabbing onto a double decker bus swerving through traffic. This is shown with a variety of angles including a high angle shot when he initially hooks onto the bus. The opening sequence ends with Chan running through the hills and playing a game of chicken with a bus
There is a great use of a low angle shot of Chan in the scene near the end, as he feels reinvigorated upon as he catches the criminals off guard, the low angle gives him a feeling of power. Chan uses similar shots in his previous films, usually before Chan’s character is about to dominate in hand to hand combat. He uses them sparingly however, which makes them particularly impactful
The theme music is great and perfectly timed in bumping the energy up before some of the most exciting moments such as the Mall sequence. Speaking of which the mall scene is one of Chan’s most famous and dangerous stunts. I am on the fence about the triple take, probably would have been better off doing once in slow motion
The humor is extremely corny at times with misinterpretations like a scene when Chan takes a witness he needs to protect to his apartment and he and the witness, who happens to be an attractive female, trip and fall onto the couch right at the moment that Chan’s girlfriend (played by a young Maggie Cheung) just happens to be throwing him a surprise birthday party. Stuff like that might cause some eyerolls but honestly don’t mind for the most part as it is consistent with the lighthearted tone and Chan’s comedic persona. However, there is an extended court scene that really overdoes it. This scene is really unnecessary or at the very least, much too long. But that is by only real complaint related to the comedy
Jackie Chan as Sheng Lung / Dragon
Hwang In-shik as Master Kam
Notes:
The film opens in a small village with a Lion Dance competition with Jackie Chan’s character nicknamed “Dragon”
5:28 wide angle shot of Wing-Ning Town Community Center followed by cut to overhead shot
6:55 Chan’s character Dragon dressed in yellow Lion Costume
8:42 another low wide angle shot capturing the competition
11:23 slow motion shot of Lung losing competition
14:04 Dragon ordered to do 100 lifts
16:31 nice use of pan tracking Dragon off screen
17:11 Dragon is caught with a girl in his room, annoying the Master of the Martial Arts School
17:48 slapstick humor
22:11 close up along with humorously over the top ominous sound effect
26:56 nice foreground/background work with yellow Lion costume and the Master
28:14 Chan’s most dramatic acting moment and it partially lands although he overdoes it a bit
31:49 hand to hand combat sequence with Dragon training students
40:00 sword combat with exaggerated sound effects
47:43 nice low angle two shot before combat
56:32 frame in frame and zoom in
1:05:17 training session with rapid cuts with various camera angles
1:10:47 nice use of frame in frame in background
1:19:22 great low angle shot of 2 characters engaging in hand to hand combat
1:21:27 humorous shot of Dragon in dress clothing resembling a dress
1:22:04 drumroll sound effect as the Master approaches with his people
1:28:04 hand to hand combat
1:36:52 slow motion shot with Dragon knocked back several feet after taking hard blow
1:37:56 another slow motion shot of character flying across the frame
Thoughts:
This starts with an excellent set piece involving a competition called a Lion Dance Competition and involves some acrobatics. Lion Dance Competition which is apparently a tradition in Chinese culture as they are connected with particular Chinese Celebrations including Chinese New Years
The hand to hand combat and sword play is spectacular. Chan’s physical gifts are immense as he shows off incredible speed, flexibility, balance, and reflexes. The final fight scene which lasts 15-20 minutes is particularly incredible
There are some great low angle shots during scenes of 1 on 1 combat, they usually proceed some of the best fight scenes
There are frequent camera push-ins, which are usually followed with the character’s dialogue in the scene. It can feel a little abrupt at times but not a major problem. I definitely think the use of camera movements and framing are superior here compared to Chan’s prior film which was his debut film (as a director). Also, some nice use of foreground/background work
The tone is certainly comedic more than dramatic but is works for the most part. Chan as an actor seems to have a particular persona, will be interesting to see how this plays out with other films
Jackie Chan as Shing Lung
James Tien as Ching Pang-pei, Lung’s grandfather
Dean Shek as The Coffin Seller
Notes:
Starts with action sequence
6:06 Jackie Chan as Shing Lung
8:47 rapid camera push ins
12:46 slap stick comedy
14:37 slightly distorted image with wide angle shot
15:57 Lung’s grandfather disapproves of his gambling
28:33 cut to shot of banner of Martial Arts School
33:43 hand to hand combat with slapstick humor
36:21 rapid camera push in on character
39:52 sword combat
46:15 Jackie Chan dressed up as a woman
49:55 blue and red clothing stands out as little use of primary colors so far
52:26 exaggerated sound effects whenever a punch lands is quite funny
56:47 blue and red clothing stands out
57:12 master vs master fight
59:09 over the shoulder shot from Lung’s POV as he runs to his grandfather who is killed
1:01:38 bars resembling prison bars in foreground
1:02:57 amusing chopstick sequence
1:05:12 slow motion in training sequence
1:16:08 desperate and angry Lung attacks Villain
1:17:14 close up and medium close up shots during fight sequence
1:21:24 intense training session combined with humorous antics
1:25:38 Lung vs 3 men with swords in great combat sequence
1:26:40 slow motion fight sequence
1:34:00 the final fight sequence is incredible
1:37:16 nice use of shaky camera as Lung delivers the knockout blows and avenges his grandpa
Thoughts:
First film of Jackie Chan Study, it will probably be a shorter Study, thinking 6 or 7 films. The notes sections will be lighter than most of the prior studies since Chan as a director does not seem to have the same level of visual flair as other directors; that is, he does not really excel at mise-en-scene. However, the choreography and use of stunts is really special
Jackie Chan stars, directs, writes, and serves as the stunt coordinator
While he experiments with a variety of camera movements at times overall Chan seems to favor a more static approach in capturing the combat but there is a great use of shaky camera during the final battle scene when his character delivers the final blow to his opponent
The humor is a bit silly at times, but a welcome change. For whatever reason many of my favorite films are much darker in content and atmosphere so I do not mind a detour
The hand to hand combat is quite spectacular at times, particularly the final fight scene
@Drake – I saw Criterion is releasing a Jackie Chan Box Set. My childhood buddy was a big fan of Rush Hour (1998) which I thought was okay but not great (In his defense we were only like 12 or 13) so when I saw Story Police (1985) on Criterion Channel a couple of years ago I was a little surprise as again I only knew him as the Rush Hour guy. None the less I checked it out and a posted this on the 1985 page a few years ago,
“Police Story is such a blast, a not as over the top version of a John Woo film. Not crazy about most of Chan’s work in American films (though he has his moments) but he’s so much fun to watch here. The second police story is great too. Though American films have some of the best genres; mob movies, film noirs, and westerns, I’ve always felt Asian action films put American ones to shame.”
I am curious as to whether you’ve seen any of the films in the Box Set which includes the following:
Half a Loaf of Kung Fu (1978)
Spiritual Kung Fu (1978)
Fearless Hyena (1979)
Fearless Hyena II (1983)
The Young Master (1980)
My Lucky Stars (1985)
@James Trapp- I have not – honestly not on my radar. Not saying they aren’t worthy- I just haven’t seen them, read about them or ever had anyone tell me I should see them.
@Drake – Yeah, I do love a lot of Hong Kong action films, their cinematic specialty but have not seen that many straight up Kung Fu films but I did recently watch John Woo’s “Last Hurrah for Chivalry” and was impressed.
Study Summary: Jackie Chan
Continuing my exploration of Hong Kong films. Jackie Chan is a special talent as he directs, acts, writes, and performs his own stunts
Several years ago, I stated the following:
“Police Story is such a blast, a not as over the top version of a John Woo film. Not crazy about most of Chan’s work in American films (though he has his moments) but he’s so much fun to watch here. The second police story is great too. Though American films have some of the best genres; mob movies, film noirs, and westerns, I’ve always felt Asian action films put American ones to shame.”
I stand by the above statement in full.
As an overall talent, Jackie Chan is quite special. His physical gifts are incredible as he is elite in martial arts with incredible speed, dexterity, balance, and strength. He performance death-defying stunts including jumping off a roof and grabbing a helicopter ladder, sliding down multiple stories on a pole at the Mall and the opening scene of the 1st Police Story film when he hangs on a moving bus amongst many others. Some of these he performed with minimal safety precautions
The Jackie Chan persona is a happy go lucky kind of guy. Despite his extraordinary talents he is depicted as an everyman. Jackie Chan is relatively clean, he rarely swears and even when beating people up he never comes across as mean spirited or unnecessarily violent and it is typically in self-defense
There were a couple of films I intended to watch but realized they were only available dubbed which is a no go for me. I absolutely loathe dubbing; only Sergio Leone is so great, that I can get past the dubbing
Jackie Chan has an extensive list of credits according to IMDB; between acting, directing, and performing stunts he has hundreds of credits. As noted above, the man is an extraordinary talent. However, it is director studies that interest me the most. And for all of his incredible talents, he is a solid but certainly far from spectacular director
None the less I wanted to get a semblance of Jackie Chan’s skills and appeal and I think I got enough for the time being
Final Ranking and Grades:
# 1 Police Story (1985) – MS
# 2 Police Story 3 aka Supercop (1992) – HR
# 3 Miracles (1989) – HR
# 4 Police Story 2 (1988) – HR/R
# 5 The Young Master (1980) – HR/R
# 6 Fearless Hyena (1979) – R
# 7 Rush Hour (1998) – R (Fringe)
Rush Hour (1998)
Cast:
Jackie Chan as Chief Inspector Lee
Chris Tucker as Detective James Carter
Notes:
Thoughts:
Brett Ratner is no great auteur, in fact he is really an auteur at all, but I watched this for Jackie Chan not Brett Ratner
A highly enjoyable movie, my childhood friend loved this movie when we were kids, like 11 or 12 years old. Believe it or not, a few years later he was the most knowledgeable movie person I knew
I never found Chris Tucker all that funny, but he has his moments, obviously the culture clash between him and Jackie Chan’s character is part of the film’s crossover appeal. Chan and Tucker’s characters argue over food, music, and vehicles, etc. Much of the humor is quite silly but that is right at home for Chan
Great supporting cast with Philip Baker Hall, Tom Wilkinson, Ken Leung, Mark Rolston, and Chris Penn
Jackie Chan’s stunts and hand to hand combat is of course the main appeal; there is a pool hall scene where you can guess what he uses as a weapon, he climbs trees, climbs over gates/fences, beats up dozens of people
Verdict: R (Fringe)
Miracles (1989)
Cast:
Jackie Chan as ‘Charlie’ Kuo Chen Wah
Anita Mui as Yang Luming
Notes:
Starts with Chan’s character arriving in 1930s Hong Kong
3:15 Chan’s character is a bit naïve and is cheated out of the little money he has
4:12 Cut from day to night with dark blue shaded frame
6:15 prohibition style gangsters shooting it out with Tommy guns
7:27 Down on his luck Chan convinced to buy a rose from a street vendor right as the gang’s stumble into the streets
9:55 Chan tries to help dying man, who happens to be a gangster, and in his dying breath he chooses Chan’s character as his successor
11:27 Chan buys another rose, this after helping the mob boss
13:45 Chan stumbles into being made a leader of the gang via a series of misunderstandings
14:57 overhead shot of gangsters
15:20 Chan shows off his fighting skills in front of the gang
18:12 Anita Mui as Yang Luming, an attractive woman who is a dancer and singer
20:25 overhead shot of room as nightclub is being built
20:54 high angle shot exterior of the neon lit night club
21:34 camera floating through club
26:50 frame in frames capturing stage from high angle shot
27:01 performance led by Yang and other dancers, impressive set design throughout the show including use of color, costume work, and camera work with camera capturing the show from various high angle shots and the camera floating throughout the arena
29:20 triple take shot of car bomb
31:45 camera gliding through restaurant
35:42 Chan hand to hand combat
40:20 silly Jackie Chan humor
42:25 red and yellow mise en scene
50:26 rose motif
56:08 Madame Kao made to look like high society woman
57:03 camera push in on approaching ship, this ship contains a girl that Madame Kao has been supporting, all the time while concealing her sufferings and leading her to believe that she is a rich society woman in Hong Kong
1:09:23 nice foreground/background work and use of frames in frames
1:10:53 Chan easily disarming man of his gun
1:17:13 low angle shot and door as frame in frame
1:27:33 shot reverse shot with shots of Chan’s characters having slightly lower angle and Chan being isolated in frame
1:41:12 nice silhouette and framing in this two-shot where a man speaks on a phone taking orders from a gangster
1:41:21 chase scene/fight scene starting in crowded street market
1:44:36 great use of POV as Chan slides down series of objects in market alleyway
1:47:14 Chan saved at the last minute
1:50:10 high wire fighting
1:57:57 high angle shot of patrons in theater
1:58:21 wide angle shot with Chan revealing everything
2:04:40 the shot of the ship leaving is the same as from earlier in the film when it was arriving
Thoughts:
This posh period piece with magnificent set design and costume work, is a bit of an outlier compared to his other work, but it is an impressive film. Chan was a fan of American musicals and the work of Frank Capra. This film is based largely on two Capra films; Lady for a Day (1933) and Pocket Full of Miracles (1961)
This is set in 1930s Hong Kong with prohibition style gangsters using Tommy guns, top hats, 1930 cars
The pacing is crucial, as the narrative flows without any real lags. Unlike this previous works, which had less plot and were more about setting up scenarios for Chan to perform his signature breath-defying stunts
There are scenes with Chan using his trademark martial art skills, but the film overall is far less action based than his previous films. Some of the fight scenes almost even feel more like fan service than being necessary for the story but I am certainly not complaining
The camera floats through the room in several scenes, capturing the extravagant sets, costumes, and elaborate cinematography
While Chan the director is no Wong Kar Wai, the production design and aesthetics are a substantial upgrade from this previous work. The costume work, set pieces, and use of color are impressive
There is silly Jackie Chan humor, but it is more toned down here. This includes coincidences and misunderstandings, in fact the entire the story starts off with Chan’s character just happening to be in a location where a prohibition style gang fight erupts and a dying boss points to Chan’s character when he is asked to appoint a successor
Verdict: HR
Police Story 3 aka Supercop (1992)
Cast:
Jackie Chan as RHKP Inspector “Kevin” Chan Ka-Kui / Chen Chia-Chu / Lin Fu Sheng
Michelle Yeoh (billed as “Michelle Khan”) as Interpol Superintendent based in Beijing “Jessica” Yang
Maggie Cheung as May, Kevin’s girlfriend
Notes:
The film opens with a meeting of police higher ups requesting a “supercop” to capture a high level drug trafficker who is responsible for “half” of the drug shipments in Southeast Asia
3:27 low angle shot of Chan’s character arriving on his Yamaha motorcycle, he is wearing his sunglasses, and the low angle gives him a star studded entrance
5:34 Chan volunteers for the dangerous job to his superior “Uncle” Will Wong who makes his 3rd appearance in the series (of 3 films)
6:50 Maggie Cheung returns as Chan’s girlfriend May
9:18 establishing shot of the entrance to the Military Base
11:05 Michelle Yeoh makes her 1st appearance as an Interpol Superintendent based in Beijing named “Jessica” Yang
13:48 Yang preps Chan in various ways and naturally she seems unimpressed by his “supercop” status
15:10 camera pan over a coordinated training session in a large warehouse
17:53 Chan with hand to hand combat in front of everyone
19:51 after cartwheeling from warehouse he is shown hanging from a tree in a comedic manner
21:25 men digging in the dirt
23:10 sniper rifle POV
24:07 Chan in his element fighting off attackers from multiple directions
26:48 great zipline stunt which Chan’s character uses to escape a dangerous scenario
31:31 Chan’s character has to take group to his “home” that is the home chosen for his backstory so he can work undercover
41:28 Michelle Yeoh showing off her hand to hand combat skills
46:10 shaky camera used in shots of police boats approaching
47:10 variety of angles capturing chaotic situation with Chan and Yeoh escaping on a speed boat
48:00 arial shot overlooking luxurious compound with swimming pool
52:48 high angle shot overlooking a man killed in the swimming pool
56:52 binocular POV
58:13 Scarface style shoot out
58:38 triple take of explosion
1:02:19 wide angle shot of troops with their tanks
1:08:00 silly humor
1:09:58 unsettling low angle shot
1:16:44 incredible coincidence that May happens to confess her boyfriend’s identity when he happens to be on an elevator with a man who understands who she is referencing
1:18:36 Chan running into traffic to save May and Yeoh’s character
1:21:01 helicopter, armed trucks, police vehicles, and getaway cars make for a wild scene
1:22:56 aerial view of the chase
1:125:59 great POV from helicopter looking over rooftop
1:26:47 high angle shot of Chan hanging onto a helicopter ladder
1:31:55 Chan makes hilarious poses to distract his opponent on the top of the train
Ends on the top of the train
Thoughts
Jackie Chan stars and serves as the stunt coordinator although Stanley Tong directs. Every Study I have done thus far is strictly related to films directed so this is a bit of an exception making this a sort of Hybrid Jackie Chan Study with films he directed and starred in but also a few in which he only starred but did not direct
Here Chan’s character is sent to complete a dangerous mission which sends him to mainland China
Michelle Yeoh is the other big name, and she is awesome. There are some of the same characters from the first 2 films but for the most part the film has many new characters
There are far more explosions and shootouts here, making it closer to a war film at times than just organized crime. There are some triple takes of certain explosions and occasional use of slow motion. There is more plot than the previous 2 films, but the amazing stunts are still the driver of so many of the best moments
Chan does a daring zipline stunt to escape a group of men trying to kill him. But that is nothing compared to what he does later in the film when he performs a ridiculous stunt near the end as he jumps from a 6-story building and holds on to a helicopter ladder, apparently, he did this with minimal protections such as a safety net. There are other stunts but that one is a league of its own
After the first 20 minutes the film moves at breakneck speed. The entire film is a wild ride like an Indiana Jones film, with Chan and Yeoh moving around and encountering non-stop dangerous situations
Chan’s relationship with Yeoh’s character is platonic but does have moments where you may think you are watching a screwball comedy. The goofy Jackie Chan humor is present
The Yamaha product placement is far less shameless than the opening of the 2nd film
Verdict: HR
Police Story 2 (1988)
Cast:
Jackie Chan as Sergeant “Kevin” Chan Ka-kui
Maggie Cheung as May
Bill Tung as “Uncle” Bill Wong / Inspector Chou
Lam Kwok-Hung as Chief Inspector Raymond Li
Chor Yuen as Chu Tao, Crime Lord aka Tom Koo
Notes:
The film opens with Chan being scolded by his superiors for the mall incident that ended the first film. This is crosscut with Chan as a uniformed patrol man riding a motorcycle
8:20 Maggie Cheung as Chan’s girlfriend who is named May
9:10 Ominous music plays as Chan sees Chu Tao, the mob boss from the 1st film who is out on compassionate release as 3 doctors stated he has only months to live
16:52 Chan beating up thugs who harassed his girlfriend and her mother
20:39 nighttime shot of neon lit cityscape
27:21 slow motion shot of red ball bouncing through the mall after the evacuation
33:38 Chan is recruited by his old superior to return to police following his heroics at the mall
35:16 surveillance camera angle shot of hotel
41:24 reverse tracking shot during humorous scene consisting of May browbeating Chan as he backs into the male locker room
45:05 villain uses toy squirt gun on Chan and May to lead him to an ambush
47:01 incredible hand to hand combat with Chan fighting off about 10-15 men
55:13 wide angle shot showing off a lot of negative space in the crime bosses office
57:36 Chan undercover in hilarious fake moustache and eyeglasses
1:11:51 surveillance team sequence involves POV shots through binoculars and other surveillance equipment including cameras
1:14:31 Chan climbs fence
1:22:06 effective cross cutting and score building up suspense
1:24:21 camera push in on Chan and May
1:25:19 bomb detonates after ominous music builds up
1:27:50 Bill Tung’s Inspector Bill Chou humorously steals Chan’s lines similar to the first film
1:28:48 frame in frame via window with depth of field
1:33:37 Chan tortured by villains who throw objects at him as he tied up
1:46:14 Chan in dead sprint with static camera
1:50:27 accidental ignition of explosives
1:51:10 a series of dangerous stunts in the warehouse
1:55:34 inevitable hand to hand combat
1:58:14 awesome explosion scene
Thoughts
Jackie Chan’s sequel to his most revered film is a solid follow up even if it does not quite hit the heights of the first film. Similar to the first film, you have Chan’s character battling the same group of organized crime
The 2.35 aspect ratio is ideal considering all the action, chase, and surveillance scenes
While much of the cast is the same there are several new characters. The surveillance team which largely consists of a group of very attractive young female police officers is a welcome addition as the surveillance aspect involves some great POV shots
I love the ominous music which plays early as Chan sees Chu Tao, the mob boss from the 1st film who is out on compassionate release as 3 doctors stated he has only months to live. Similar to the first time there is some very corny humor that might result in occasional eye rolls but again it is consistent with the overall tone and Chan’s comedic persona
It’s not his biggest strength but Chan is getting a bit more creative with framing shots using doorways and windows
Maggie Cheung is more involved as she has more screen time and more direct impact to the story, I will complain about more of Maggie Cheung
Jackie Chan likes climbing over fences and walls almost as much as Tom Cruise likes to sprint across rooftops
Verdict: HR/R
Police Story (1985)
Cast:
Jackie Chan as Sergeant “Kevin” Chan Ka-Kui
Brigitte Lin as Salina Fong, Chu Tao’s secretary aka Selina Fong
Maggie Cheung as May, Ka-Kui’s Girlfriend
Chor Yuen as Chu Tao, Crime Lord aka Tom Koo
Charlie Cho as John Ko, gangster aka John Chow
Fung Hark-On as Danny Chu Ko / Danny Koo
Lam Kwok-Hung as Chief Inspector Raymond Li
Notes:
The film opens with ariel shot overlooking a shanty town, this is followed by crosscutting between the police force who are being briefed before the sting where they intend on arresting a high level crime boss
5:24 Jackie Chan’s character is introduced with a camera push in bringing him from the back of the frame to the foreground
6:33 shots firing as police and criminals are aware of each other’s presence
12:18 various camera set ups capturing the chaos of a police string
12:44 theme music playing
13:48 Chan with catches up with the double decker bus
16:35 great build up crossing cutting the approaching bus and Chan’s character stopping it
17:15 Mob boss shamelessly begs Chan’s police officer to take a bribe inreturn
17:51 “I didn’t do it alone. It was a success because of careful planning by our superiors” “That’s a great line. Don’t forget to say it when the Super comes”
20:44 photo shoot following police sting
23:29 Chan’s character is assigned the task of protecting Brigitte Lin’s character who serves as the secretary for the main crime boss
27:54 frame in frame with bars resembling prison in the foreground
30:06 suspense with masked hitman lurking in the foreground with the unsuspecting Salina Fong in the background
32:49 Chan in combat as he fights off the masked man who is wielding a knife
37:37 start of great fight sequence as hired thugs ambush Chan and Fong
41:21 after entering Chan’s apartment, Salina and Chan stumble onto the couch right as Chan’s girlfriend, played by Maggie Cheung, sings happy birthday with a surprise cake and naturally misinterprets the situation
41:56 Chan with cake on his face, hilarious
44:01 another hilarious coincidence as Chan bad mouths his girlfriend not realizing she returned
59:49 camera push in on the mob boss after he beats his case in court
1:06:57 silly humor with Chan’s character bored on phone duty
1:13:18 casually climbing over walls and sneaking into house to save Salina Fong
1:14:45 fight sequence with exaggerated sound effects
1:15:25 camera push in on character holding gun
1:17:20 rooftop acrobatics with extreme high and low angle shots
1:21:36 Chan goes rogue right before he can be arrested for a murder he was framed for
1:25:57 great low angle shot of Chan who feels reinvigorated as he catches the criminals off guard
1:28:38 camera pan through the mall which serves as the final set piece
1:31:11 incredible hand to hand combat
1:31:36 slow motion of glass shattering
1:35:39 Chan in blue lit frame right before the crazy chandelier stunt
1:37:28 Chan goes all out beating the criminals
1:38:07 ends on a freeze frame
Thoughts:
Jackie Chan directs, stars, and serves as the stunt coordinator
As far as pure entertainment is concerned, this is hard to beat. It is a wild ride and great fun with a terrific blend of action and comedy and for the narrative for the most part propels forward. The story itself is actually quite generic, and I do not mean that as an insult. This is a classic “cops and robbers” movie with Jackie Chan playing an everyman police detective who along with the rest of the Hong Kong Police force is trying to take down a group engaging in organized crime. What specific crimes are they involved in? Who cares. The actuals crimes they are engaged in means just as little as a Hitchcock MacGuffin. The real value comes in the form of the terrific set pieces that allow Jackie Chan to show off his high wire stunts
Apparently, Jackie Chan had trouble escaping the shadow of Bruce Lee early in his career. While they are both incredibly talented and renowned for their martial arts skills, Chan was more interested in creating his own style. Police Story (1985) was a monumental inflection point for his career. It has much of the great hand to hand combat from his martial arts films, but within the lens of a crime film, albeit a crime film that is highly comedic in nature giving Chan an opportunity to use his comedic persona that he had developed
It starts with crosscutting between the police force being briefed on the large sting operation and the criminals that they are after. This is followed with a series of truly magnificent set pieces starting with the shantytown sting. Shortly after Chan takes on several dangerous stunts including a sequence with Chan hanging on for dear life when grabbing onto a double decker bus swerving through traffic. This is shown with a variety of angles including a high angle shot when he initially hooks onto the bus. The opening sequence ends with Chan running through the hills and playing a game of chicken with a bus
There is a great use of a low angle shot of Chan in the scene near the end, as he feels reinvigorated upon as he catches the criminals off guard, the low angle gives him a feeling of power. Chan uses similar shots in his previous films, usually before Chan’s character is about to dominate in hand to hand combat. He uses them sparingly however, which makes them particularly impactful
The theme music is great and perfectly timed in bumping the energy up before some of the most exciting moments such as the Mall sequence. Speaking of which the mall scene is one of Chan’s most famous and dangerous stunts. I am on the fence about the triple take, probably would have been better off doing once in slow motion
The humor is extremely corny at times with misinterpretations like a scene when Chan takes a witness he needs to protect to his apartment and he and the witness, who happens to be an attractive female, trip and fall onto the couch right at the moment that Chan’s girlfriend (played by a young Maggie Cheung) just happens to be throwing him a surprise birthday party. Stuff like that might cause some eyerolls but honestly don’t mind for the most part as it is consistent with the lighthearted tone and Chan’s comedic persona. However, there is an extended court scene that really overdoes it. This scene is really unnecessary or at the very least, much too long. But that is by only real complaint related to the comedy
Verdict: MS
The Young Master (1980)
Cast:
Jackie Chan as Sheng Lung / Dragon
Hwang In-shik as Master Kam
Notes:
The film opens in a small village with a Lion Dance competition with Jackie Chan’s character nicknamed “Dragon”
5:28 wide angle shot of Wing-Ning Town Community Center followed by cut to overhead shot
6:55 Chan’s character Dragon dressed in yellow Lion Costume
8:42 another low wide angle shot capturing the competition
11:23 slow motion shot of Lung losing competition
14:04 Dragon ordered to do 100 lifts
16:31 nice use of pan tracking Dragon off screen
17:11 Dragon is caught with a girl in his room, annoying the Master of the Martial Arts School
17:48 slapstick humor
22:11 close up along with humorously over the top ominous sound effect
26:56 nice foreground/background work with yellow Lion costume and the Master
28:14 Chan’s most dramatic acting moment and it partially lands although he overdoes it a bit
31:49 hand to hand combat sequence with Dragon training students
40:00 sword combat with exaggerated sound effects
47:43 nice low angle two shot before combat
56:32 frame in frame and zoom in
1:05:17 training session with rapid cuts with various camera angles
1:10:47 nice use of frame in frame in background
1:19:22 great low angle shot of 2 characters engaging in hand to hand combat
1:21:27 humorous shot of Dragon in dress clothing resembling a dress
1:22:04 drumroll sound effect as the Master approaches with his people
1:28:04 hand to hand combat
1:36:52 slow motion shot with Dragon knocked back several feet after taking hard blow
1:37:56 another slow motion shot of character flying across the frame
Thoughts:
This starts with an excellent set piece involving a competition called a Lion Dance Competition and involves some acrobatics. Lion Dance Competition which is apparently a tradition in Chinese culture as they are connected with particular Chinese Celebrations including Chinese New Years
The hand to hand combat and sword play is spectacular. Chan’s physical gifts are immense as he shows off incredible speed, flexibility, balance, and reflexes. The final fight scene which lasts 15-20 minutes is particularly incredible
There are some great low angle shots during scenes of 1 on 1 combat, they usually proceed some of the best fight scenes
There are frequent camera push-ins, which are usually followed with the character’s dialogue in the scene. It can feel a little abrupt at times but not a major problem. I definitely think the use of camera movements and framing are superior here compared to Chan’s prior film which was his debut film (as a director). Also, some nice use of foreground/background work
The tone is certainly comedic more than dramatic but is works for the most part. Chan as an actor seems to have a particular persona, will be interesting to see how this plays out with other films
Verdict: HR/R
The Fearless Hyena (1979)
Cast:
Jackie Chan as Shing Lung
James Tien as Ching Pang-pei, Lung’s grandfather
Dean Shek as The Coffin Seller
Notes:
Starts with action sequence
6:06 Jackie Chan as Shing Lung
8:47 rapid camera push ins
12:46 slap stick comedy
14:37 slightly distorted image with wide angle shot
15:57 Lung’s grandfather disapproves of his gambling
28:33 cut to shot of banner of Martial Arts School
33:43 hand to hand combat with slapstick humor
36:21 rapid camera push in on character
39:52 sword combat
46:15 Jackie Chan dressed up as a woman
49:55 blue and red clothing stands out as little use of primary colors so far
52:26 exaggerated sound effects whenever a punch lands is quite funny
56:47 blue and red clothing stands out
57:12 master vs master fight
59:09 over the shoulder shot from Lung’s POV as he runs to his grandfather who is killed
1:01:38 bars resembling prison bars in foreground
1:02:57 amusing chopstick sequence
1:05:12 slow motion in training sequence
1:16:08 desperate and angry Lung attacks Villain
1:17:14 close up and medium close up shots during fight sequence
1:21:24 intense training session combined with humorous antics
1:25:38 Lung vs 3 men with swords in great combat sequence
1:26:40 slow motion fight sequence
1:34:00 the final fight sequence is incredible
1:37:16 nice use of shaky camera as Lung delivers the knockout blows and avenges his grandpa
Thoughts:
First film of Jackie Chan Study, it will probably be a shorter Study, thinking 6 or 7 films. The notes sections will be lighter than most of the prior studies since Chan as a director does not seem to have the same level of visual flair as other directors; that is, he does not really excel at mise-en-scene. However, the choreography and use of stunts is really special
Jackie Chan stars, directs, writes, and serves as the stunt coordinator
While he experiments with a variety of camera movements at times overall Chan seems to favor a more static approach in capturing the combat but there is a great use of shaky camera during the final battle scene when his character delivers the final blow to his opponent
The humor is a bit silly at times, but a welcome change. For whatever reason many of my favorite films are much darker in content and atmosphere so I do not mind a detour
The hand to hand combat is quite spectacular at times, particularly the final fight scene
Verdict: R
@Drake – I saw Criterion is releasing a Jackie Chan Box Set. My childhood buddy was a big fan of Rush Hour (1998) which I thought was okay but not great (In his defense we were only like 12 or 13) so when I saw Story Police (1985) on Criterion Channel a couple of years ago I was a little surprise as again I only knew him as the Rush Hour guy. None the less I checked it out and a posted this on the 1985 page a few years ago,
“Police Story is such a blast, a not as over the top version of a John Woo film. Not crazy about most of Chan’s work in American films (though he has his moments) but he’s so much fun to watch here. The second police story is great too. Though American films have some of the best genres; mob movies, film noirs, and westerns, I’ve always felt Asian action films put American ones to shame.”
I am curious as to whether you’ve seen any of the films in the Box Set which includes the following:
Half a Loaf of Kung Fu (1978)
Spiritual Kung Fu (1978)
Fearless Hyena (1979)
Fearless Hyena II (1983)
The Young Master (1980)
My Lucky Stars (1985)
@James Trapp- I have not – honestly not on my radar. Not saying they aren’t worthy- I just haven’t seen them, read about them or ever had anyone tell me I should see them.
@Drake – Yeah, I do love a lot of Hong Kong action films, their cinematic specialty but have not seen that many straight up Kung Fu films but I did recently watch John Woo’s “Last Hurrah for Chivalry” and was impressed.