Police Story (1985)

For a movie that I thought had a damn-serious reputation as a tough cop action drama... Well, there's also a moment where Jackie Chan does the moonwalk to unsuccessfully get poop off his shoe.

This movie is incredible entertainment. Police Story isn't a grand masterwork of cinema, but they don't all got to be that (side bar, I watched this after a double-shot of Ozu and it was the equivalent of having a really healthy full course meal, and then getting the best ice cream sundae or piece of over the top cheesecake at the Cheesecake factory, but I digress).

In this case, Chan has a total, consummate and complete dedication to being the kung-fu goofball of cinema. Obviously you see his magic (and what else can you call it) in the big set pieces - with the bus early on and especially at the mall at the end (he EARNS having his slide down the pole through those thousands of lights three times) - but its in the little moments, if one can call them that, when he is interacting with the woman his cop character is supposed to be keeping an eye on.

Itd be easy to just make this a standard potboiler and there are a couple of scenes where that's evident (ie the cop friend winds up, gasp, double crossing 2/3rds in), but Chan subverts that by being so silly or, more to the point, he makes it so that wild things happen to him, like in the courtroom, but the humor isn't mean or in poor taste either.

And then when it *does* suddenly turn dramatic in the latter part of the film, whether you think it earns it or not (and I thought it mostly did), Chan commits to that as well and shows how he realty could do it all. If he had adapted Macbeth he would have been one helluva martial arts mad Scottsman! Police Story especially is a small treasure for action fans (if a little rough over 30 years on), and its clear that it's not only in the stunts but in his entire persona, how he interacts with people and especially women, that a character like this is SO Buster Keaton too. I'm almost surprised he didn't have a top hat.

Fmovies: Police Story is arguably one of the best works by the master of action himself.Compared to other action films,Police Story makes Schwarzenegger and Stallone look like beginners.The stunt scenes are well cheorgraphed and the action scenes are superb.If New Line Cinema has any sense,they would release this in theaters.

Out of the 10 plus films Jackie Chan has directed this is his most personal. I can see why its a personal favorite of his because of the energy and sweat that was put into making the movie. The ingredients for success are here with the actor/director's trademark of slam bang action sequences with a touch of the absurd. Jackie Chan as director creates many show stopping moments for this well made feature.

The opening sequence begins with a nicely ser up action moment that pays off with a fantasitc car chase. My favorite opening scene in all of Jackie Chan's films because of its usage of excellent action imagery. Ging Chaat Goo Si/Police Story(1985) does lose some steam after the scene ends but only for a short while. This sequence represents some of the best work in Jackie Chan's output from the 1980s.

The car chase which concludes the opening scene of Police Story(1985) is the big moment of the sequence. Its a amazing moment especially when Kevin Chan drives his car down in and out some Shantytown buildings to catch some drug dealers. This aspect of the car chase makes it stand out from car chases in American films of that period. The originalty of the car chase in Police Story(1985) is what makes the moment fun to watch.

Ging Chaat Goo Si/Police Story(1985) is one of five Hong Kong action pictures that would influence numerous American action pics of the late 1980s-early 1990s. The one actor whose films have been influenced the most by Police Story is Sylvester Stallone. Especially true in films like Tango & Cash(1988), and Demolition Man(1993). Many American action pics have been influenced by this picture and some never reaches the excellence of its action sequences.

What makes Police Story work is the approach to make the character of Kevin Chan Ka Kui into an everyman figure who fights against opponents with strength and will power. Because of this approach the movie becomes much more entertaining. The everyman character that Jackie Chan plays is a part of what makes his films popular with audiences in manny parts of the world. He rarely plays a character who is super tough and is not an everyman.

The stunt work in the action scenes are amazing because of the danger element. Jackie Chan performs such dangerous stunts in Police Story(1985) that it's a testament to his strong conditioning and bravery. Because of his fearless attidude, Jackie Chan always recovers from injury to do more dangerous stunt work. Very few would do what Jackie does and this is what makes him beloved in the eyes of his fans.

Police Story(1985) finishes in style with the action sequence that tops the one at the beginning. The physical work done in this one scene is reward with top notch execution of the action. The closing sequence uses visual gags to strengthen its status as a classic sequence. Many have imitated this one scene but few never bother to make any imitated scene into a great scene.

Maggie Cheung plays a lousy role as the helpless girlfriend of Kevin Chan, May. One of her first major film roles before she became known as a serious dramatic actress. During this period in her career, Maggie Cheung never did any action moves or attempted to do so. This would change when Maggie Cheung took on the role of Thief Catcher in The Heroic Trio(1993).

Police Story(1985) and Police Story 3:Supercop(1992) are the best in the Polce Story series. Both contain strong female characters in the presence of Brigitte Lin and Michelle Yeoh. The

Police Story fmovies. My favorite Jackie Chan movie will always be "Drunken Master" (1978), followed by this film from 1985, "Police Story." In it, Chan plays a Hong Kong super-cop who busts a notorious crime lord and his gang, and is then assigned to protect the man's girlfriend (Brigitte Lin) so that she can turn state's evidence. As the story goes on, the gangster sends his goons to dispatch Lin, but Chan takes matters into his own fists and feet, while keeping girlfriend Maggie Cheung at bay. Like "Drunken Master," "Police Story" has many of the signature stunts and over-the-top martial arts/action choreography that Chan has become famous for, climaxing in a battle royal at a crowded shopping mall. In his role as director, Chan exceeds in excellence, giving a charismatic and funny performance that accentuates the action. While light on the overall slapstick humor of "Drunken Master," at heart "Police Story" is just that, a police story, a gritty cop-thriller that would be oft-copied over the years to come.

10/10

POLICE STORY packs a violent confrontation between Jackie and nasty villain and his hoodlums . This stirring and exciting story about the cop named Chan Ka Kui of the Hong Kong precinct is well played by Jackie Chan . Ka Kui (Jackie Chan) is a Hong-Kong cop who pursues and arrests a drug-lord but he accuses Chan with the killing of another police . Chan as one army man fighting a group of heinous criminals has to clear his name, whilst keeping himself from getting murdered or detained , and keeping his sweetheart (Maggie Chung , famous star of Asian cinema )from leaving him . Chan attempts to protect a witness , the mobster's secretary (Brigitte Lin) who helps him to track down the gang of drug lord. Then Chan looks for vengeance against the ominous villains at a cat and mouse game.

This thrilling movie is crammed of brawls with punch , bounds and leaps , action-packed, breathtaking stunt-work and lots of humor with tongue in cheek. Jackie Chan is top notch as intrepid cop who scores his first big hit by virtually single-handedly capturing and imprisoning a big drug-lord and as always he makes his own stunts like is showed on the final fake-shots. Awesome,incredible stunts and brief comic touches, as usual ; the picture is better constructed than the followings . The lighting-paced storyline slows down at times but frenetic action sequences make up for it. Spotlights movie include Jackie jumping over a bus , furthermore moving fights and brawls at a mall , among others. This is a phenomenal action movie distinguished by nicely cinematography of the spectacular sequences , furthermore contains sense of humor such as subsequent entries. Lousy musical score mostly composed by synthesizer and in the American score is created by J. Peter Robinson . Lavishly produced by Raymond Chow and Golden Harvest Production and professionally directed by Chan. In the various ¨Police story¨adaptations Jackie teamed up to prestigious actresses and parternaires and fine action stars in their own right ,like Maggie Cheung and Michelle Khan . This first version titled ¨Police story¨ directed by the same Jackie Chan is a perfect action film for enthusiastic of the genre; the following was ¨Police story 2 (1988)¨ also pretty violent and with abundant humor touches ; it's followed by ¨Supercop¨ directed by Stanley Tong ; after that it went on ¨Police story IV : Crime story and finally ¨New Police story¨. Rating : Good, the picture has its sensational moments , mostly provided by its agile star, the great Jackie Chan.

Jackie Chan is considered by many film and martial arts movie fans as one of the greatest action stars ever to grace the silver screen and Police Story cemented his reputation as the likely successor to the late, great Bruce Lee. If Enter The Dragon bared the so-called bench mark of Lee's greatness in the 70s, then the same can be said about Police Story and Jackie Chan in the 80s.

Forget about the Rush Hour trilogy, or any of his US efforts- the one film that really typifies Chan's excellence, not to mention kick starting his status as a high kicking, bone-crushing kung- fu talisman, as well as his movie career was this, Police Story- the first in a series of successful cop films, set in mainland, present day Hong Kong.

I've seen many of his efforts- likewise the US-based Rush Hour, Rumble in the Bronx, The Medalian and The Tuxedo to name- and frankly many of them pale into insignificance compared to Police Story. In those movies, we saw a less 'dumbed down' version of Jackie, of whom didn't get the opportunity to utilise his fighting abilities to the maximum, not to mention the fight sequences were no where as good as those in such efforts as Drunken Master, Police Story to name.

The stunts in this movie are extraordinary and are the best featured in any action movie. The shopping mall scene is literally one of a kind and has to be seen to be believed: the flying shards of glass, Chan who is left dangling outside the bus only by his walking stick as a madman frantically drives through the streets of the town, and Chan successfully making usage of all sorts of inanimate objects and prop devices as weapons to fight the bad guys with.

Considering he is known for injuring and breaking every bone in his body and putting himself in harm's way, Jackie's persistence in showing his versatility as a stuntman himself by not relying on one, is somewhat of a testament to his reputation as a kung fu expert. Especially as he has the bruises to show for it. Thus, he has proved that he is no one-trick pony when it comes down to devising and coming up with various and clever looking moves.

Story-wise, there is not much to discuss but what it lacks in narrative, it makes up with its end-to end action and fight sequences. As for the dialogue, well it's not a really huge aspect of the film- which is why most fans of Jackie's and martial arts films are more interested in action, as opposed to the story.

Unlike say The Matrix, there are no wires or CGI, or any form of computer trickery involved. What you see is what you get- and what you get with Police Story is a great Jackie Chan epic, full of action and pulsating stunts.It is miles better than Rumble In The Bronx, Rush Hour and all his other American efforts.

Police Story is an excellent film and one I'd definitely recommend to anyone who is a novice Jackie Chan fan, but of whom are unsure which one they should watch first.