Police Story: Lockdown (2013)

To date, Jackie Chan has appeared in over 100 movies and is an international super-star. Because of this, I really felt confused as I watched Police Story (2013). After all, with his clout, you'd think he'd get the best of scripts…but this film is a muddled mess of a film. This does not mean some die-hard Jackie Chan films won't like it—the film has plenty of action to keep them happy. But the script is poor, the number of flashbacks boggling (and often irrelevant to the plot) and the film isn't fun—and most Chan films are fun. It also, inexplicably, has absolutely nothing to do with his previous films called Police Story!

The film begins with Captain Zhong (Chan) going to a very strange place, the Wu Bar, to meet his estranged daughter. She apparently has hated him for years because he's always working. She also blames him for not arriving on time at the hospital as her mother (his wife) was dying. The daughter is angry—and introduces Zhong to her fiancé, Mr. Wu—a man she hopes will irritate her father. However, out of the blue, suddenly Wu and a group of his men take the pair hostage—along with more than a dozen others. Now Wu informs the police that unless they deliver a certain prisoner to the Wu Bar, the captives will all die. But, instead of explaining WHY all this is happening, lots of filler occurs in between—some of which just seemed irrelevant. For example, there is a UFC-inspired cage fight right there in the middle of Wu Bar with Zhong and one of the kidnappers (????). There are also LOTS of flashbacks—many of which turn out to have nothing to do with the plot!! And, when the big finale finally comes, it feels that it is about half an hour too late. And speaking of the finale, as I watched it unfold, parts of it made no sense whatsoever. In particular, Wu that done unspeakable acts of brutality, yet the Captain risks his life to save Wu at the end—even as Wu fights tooth and nail to die! Think about it—the super-villain WANTS to die and risk your life to keep him alive?! On what planet does this make sense?

In many ways, Police Story seems like a film that went to production way too soon—well before all the bugs were worked out of the script. At quite a few points in the film, instead of the film being action-packed, it sometimes was incredibly talky and padded. And, instead of the film being fun like most Jackie Chan films, it just seemed oppressive and anything but fun. In fact, that is THE biggest problem with the movie—there is none of that usual tongue-in-cheek fun and there were less stunts and more explosions, blood and breaking of bones. This is not the sort of Jackie Chan film I would want to see again—and the guy deserves so much better.

Fmovies: This was absolute crap. The movie made absolutely no sense for the first hour, maybe even 1:20, and when it finally came together it was such a convoluted piece of rubbish that it made my head hurt. The movie just had absolutely no logic to it. They tried to make it seem like it did all in the last 5 minutes, but that didn't change anything. It made zero sense for any of his buddies to be in this situation with him, nor why any of these random people (except for Jackie and his daughter) actually all showed up. The cops/swat tactics were bordering on insanity, serving no real purpose unless their goal was to actually get everyone killed. And worst of all, it had little to no action; with what little action their was ridiculously short and comprised of lots of camera angle switching and silly slow motion scenes. Worst Jackie Chan movie I've ever seen, and that's really saying something. But don't get me wrong, Jackie wasn't bad in it or anything. It was just the cockamamie story that made this such a trite piece of garbage. 1/10 stars.

Although Police Story 2013 (警察故事2013) stars Jackie Chan and shares the same name as the first three 'Police Story' films that got him famous, they're unrelated and very different in tone. Similar to the unrelated New Police Story (新警察故事) released in 2004, this film uses a serious, darker and gritter approach as well.

The story is about a group of people gets kidnapped at a nightclub, all seemingly unrelated, until it is revealed that is not the case and Jackie need to save the victims and his own daughter as well. The first half of the film is slightly boring and uneventful for an action thriller. Some plot events that happens in the film are unnecessary to the story.

Despite Jackie's great performance in the film (especially the emotional ending scene where he's willing to do whatever it takes to save his daughter), the film greatly suffers due to its lackluster plot and lack of memorable strong developed supporting characters.There's aren't enough action sequences in this film and most of them were normally out of focus and hard to really see what is really going on at times, especially the brutal cage match between Jackie and a Thai fighter.

The film also lacks a compelling villain, his motivations for doing the kidnapping are very personal but the film doesn't provide any scenes for the audience to empathize with his loss. A great villain normally have a plan that is well thought-out and precise. They know when should they strike and where it hurts the most. They have a goal and clearly knows the best way to accomplish it. This one doesn't.

Furthermore, the Cantonese-dubbed version I've watched in the cinema ruined the experience as well. I would really prefer that they use the original Mandarin version instead. A disappointing film.

Rating: 6.5/10

Police Story: Lockdown fmovies. As a long time JC fan and movie buff, I found the fast paced editing too distracting. Why the editor decided to hack even dialog sequences into constantly shifting angles and tiny bits is beyond my knowledge of film making. The director and photography certainly covered ALL the bases, but editing tried too hard to evoke or imply action where it was not needed, or, at other times, cover for poorly directed choreography. I do understand JC is not a spring chicken and that plays a role in edits. Still...could be handled more concisely without jumping edits. Seemed as if the editor was a character at times. Hmmmm.

The story was fairly solid, production values were very high. Acting was spotty at times due to seemingly weak characterizations in the script. The premise had merit, though the finale was not entirely consistent to such.

Again, it was the frenetic editing and confusing camera direction that distracted from the core elements of the story/narrative and knocked two stars off the review. At the same time, two stars added for seeing JC in a serious role and incorporating family values regarding a single father trying to amend his relationship was great. There is, as always, tremendous talent there. As to those that criticize JC for this effort, I'd suggest they be more gracious toward a man that is evolving on personal levels, and one who strives to entertain at all costs. Go Jackie!!

Police Story 2013 follows Jackie's character in a Die Hard scenario. A bunch of cage fighting criminals have taken hostages in a fortified building, one of them is JC's daughter and he must find a way to save them all by himself.

The premise itself is pretty interesting but the execution is sloppy. The movie takes forever to begin and spends way too much time on introducing unimportant characters instead of building on Jackie's relationship with his daughter. Then it relies on flashbacks which seems at first as an interesting plot device until you realize that they're there just for show and don't contribute to the plot itself. When finally we discover what the bad guys were after, it seems highly unlikely and ridiculous.

Low production values and lack of action turn this movie into more of a drama, but with Jackie being the only credible actor the result is cringeworthy. This movie, just like last year's CZ 2013 are a sad reminder that Jackie has aged, long gone are the days of crazy stunts and wild fights. Jackie's fights are short, over edited, CGI'd and even it's apparent that he uses stunt doubles. I know that he's not young anymore, but it's apparent that he's still in great shape and could've done a lot more if the crew knew what to do with him.

Overall, an interesting premise that is ruined by a lack of direction and relying too much on cheap tricks as flashbacks, CGI, Slo-Mo and fast cutting. Watch this only if you're a big fan of JC.

It must be said that the anticipation for a Jackie Chan film has changed over the years. Chan himself had announced in last year's Chinese Zodiac 12 to be his last film with major action in it. We cannot go in expecting to be wowed by death-defying stunts or exhilarating fight choreography anymore. Instead of fights, he has chosen to switch into the dramatic.

Police Story 2013 is not a continuation of the original Police Story series, the title is in name only. Chan's character Zhong Wen is not Chan Ka-Kui, Jackie Chan's Supercop character from the original Police Story series. Zhong Wen is not hotheaded, not prone to solving conflicts with violence or even a great hand-to-hand fighter. The only similarity both characters share is their whole-hearted belief of the law and their obligation to do the right thing. Otherwise, Zhong Wen is a dramatic character exploring themes of old age and dealing with the consequences of being a poor father, and therefore it is a role that the older Jackie Chan naturally fits into. In comparison to Chan's dramatic turns in The Karate Kid remake and The Shinjuku Incident, this performance is the most honest.

The fights, which are not choreographed by the Jackie Chan Stunt Team, are shot close and choppily edited. And sadly, there are not that many of them. For Jackie Chan fans that are hungry to watch a good fight or a stunt will be disappointed. Originally there were not going to be any fights in the film.

Director Ding Sheng, who previously worked with Chan on Little Big Soldier, constructs some tense moments and keeps the audience guessing with red herrings. Liu Ye plays the villain in true scenery chewing fashion, the cat-and-mouse game between Liu and Chan is the price of admission. Jing Tian, having been played the most annoying female police officer in Donnie Yen's Special ID earlier this year, fares much better in a more fleshed-out role. I'm curious to see what part she will play in the upcoming Chow Yun Fat-Wong Jing God of Gamblers rehash From Vegas to Macau.

As for the hostage situation itself, the bickering hostages are very annoying and it begs to question how they would be able to yak on the way they do without risking execution. The final reveal in the mystery plot is pedestrian, as one would expect a more epic conflict. Immense effort has been made to shift things to a ground level and while it succeeds at creating a gritty realism, it works against the film in terms of payoff. With a back catalogue full of dangerous stunts and action scenes, who could imagine a Jackie Chan movie made so humbly and low- volume?

Police Story 2013 ultimately is an incidental addition to the Jackie Chan canon and does not hold a close candle to the original Police Story series -though much better than the awful New Police Story-, but I did not expect it to be either. It was entertaining for its running time, but I won't watch it again. The 3D is a shameless cash grab as minimal design has been put in and it is counter-productively dulling down its colorful cinematography. Overall the average Jackie Chan fan might be happier to see it as a rental. Nothing here is worth being angry or disappointed over.

You might be thinking, why am I being so forgiving? Why am I giving Police Story 2013 a pass? The answer: I am not ready to live in a world without Jackie Chan movies in it.

For more reviews, please visit my film blog @ http://hkauteur.wordpress.com