There have been, at my last count, six previous Police Story films including spin offs, unofficial direct sequels and actual sequels. This is Jackie Chan’s seventh Police Story-related film, and his first since his return from a disappoint career in Hollywood.
Chan left Hong Kong to find greener pastures after disgracing himself and his family by having an affair, which was nationally publicised in Hong Kong and making the female partner pregnant. Things got worse when he went to Hollywood, however, after a financially and commercially successful career, but a personally disastrous one in which he had no control over of the films, while contending with a very tough audience to entertain.
Disillusioned, and wanting to return to controlling his films, Jackie returned to Hong Kong to return to a series of films that has offered him popularity, providing high octane action and comedy, with the veritable brilliance of Chan’s skill.
When watching this film there are many things you need to consider. Since Chan has been away, there have been a series of incredibly well crafted and brilliant crime thrillers in the form of PTU and Infernal Affairs to name but two of many fantastic films to have been made in Hong Kong. The other, and most important factor, is the star, Jackie Chan is practically 50 years old, that’s half a century, and you can’t expect anyone, even Jackie to be the same guy he was in Project A, Armour of God or Police Story.
Chan is a down on his luck cop, defeated by a huge loss, and now living his life as a drunkard. He’s hopeless, he’s aged, and he no longer cares about his job. Along comes a guy who takes him home, and attempts to help Chan come to terms with his failures, and to use his anger as a strength to move forward in life and to capture the villains that made his life what it has become.
As a producer he’s quite awful too (Gen-X Cops anyone?), as a director he once had the skill, and now as an action-oriented actor, I think it’s the last we should see of him in such a role
New Police Story is a difficult film to explain. Chan has chosen a completely different direction with the film. Gone are the cocaine-rushed over-the-top, but visually convincing, action, comedy and drama of the originals. What we are provided with instead is an almost serious drama-cum-thriller, in the vain of Infernal Affairs, but pulling it off with neither the sophistication nor intelligence.
There is the introduction of obvious CGI, with only one particular scene at the start looking gorgeous. The other sporadic moments of CGI are often used to provide a sense of chaos, that is otherwise missing now that Chan requires a walking stick to move. Wire work is also used plenty, and this is no surprise. For the most part, the wire work is actually used very well, but there are scenes that just shout out an underhandedness in their execution. Two things you would not have associated with Jackie Chan before his leave for the otherside is “wire work” and “CGI”. It’s a sign of the times, and also a metaphorical reflection of a reality, where Jackie Chan is no longer the Jackie Chan we knew once.
Acting is average to poor, in all honesty. I felt no empathy for any of the characters, least of all Chan. It’s not that I didn’t find him convincing as a serious actor, it’s just he can’t act as a serious actor. I’ve never seen him cry so much in a film, and at times it was cringe worthy. The cast is also representative of the acting talent as the vast majority look like spring chickens, all young fresh faces, with lots of good looking guys, and plenty of good looking girls. Much of the old cast, the old favourites, have disappeared without a trace.
Chan seems confused by the direction to take with the film. On the one hand, it has elements that would attract a typical teen: good look people, guns and action. On the other hand, Chan also seems to be going for an incredibly morbid and more mature storyline, and this confusion leads to a sort of mess. With the pace of the film being slow due to the more sombre plot, the young cast don’t really seem to have any relevance or conviction to their roles in the film. It doesn’t work for me.
Action scenes are disappointing, even compared to the stuff he has done in Hollywood, which is saying something. Rush Hour was done in 1998, and that still showed a certain buoyancy and speed in Jackie. Before that, his last Hong Kong film was 1994’s stunning Drunken Master 2. Fast forward ten years, and what we have is a man wielding a zimmer frame. Well, perhaps that is a little harsh, but Jackie can no longer really cut it as martial arts star, at least not without wires. I can understand his reluctance to stop, as it is his passion, and his desire to continue, but in all honesty, he needs to stop, because it looks so terrible. There are occasions where you see the old Jackie, speed and reaction intact, but at perhaps one-fifth of the speed you’re used to seeing him.
The stunts are also reasonably disappointing, with neither the vision nor the scope to truly encapsulate this film as a Jackie Chan extravaganza. I think it’s fair to criticise this aspect of the film, even with his age, as he is trying recapture that popularity again with those same old stunts. I guess that’s part of the problem, that Jackie thinks if he jumps off a bus on to something else, he#ll be popular again. But we’ve seen this a million times before, and there is nothing new nor original in his work now. It’s all been done before, by himself, and better, so why recycle?
Disillusioned, and wanting to return to controlling his films, Jackie returned to Hong Kong
At the end of the day, what is so interesting about New Police Story, and why has Jackie done it? There could be several reasons, including his obvious desire to expand his acting into more serious roles. The film as a whole fails to work because Jackie isn’t quite sure what he wants to do, and who his audience is, it’s less a Jackie Chan film, and more of a “I can please everyone” film. I really would like Chan to retire, so that he can be remembered for his better films rather than his poor ones.
As a producer he’s quite awful too (Gen-X Cops anyone?), as a director he once had the skill, and now as an action-oriented actor, I think it’s the last we should see of him in such a role. The original Police Story was done almost 20 years ago, and it shows how out of touch Chan has become with Hong Kong cinema and where it is now. Of course, his career is doing better than his friend Sammo Hung, who’s stuck with a TV series so bad, it has to compete with Baywatch for the worst program made. This film has even been directed by the same man who directed the offensive crimes against humanity in the form of Heroic Duo, Gen-X, Gen-Y and of course the horrendous Who Am I?
Hong Kong has moved on, as has the world, in what it wants from films. I would love to still see a film with Chan at his best, but I have some of these on DVD, and I don’t need to see him with a drip-feed hanging out of his arm while doing stunts to remind me that he was good. It’s fair to say, that we are unlikely to see another martial arts star like Jackie Chan in his earlier films up to mid-90s, and that’s really where Jackie should leave things.
Verdict: A Hong Kong comeback which is grossly disappointing. Retire Jackie, it’s time.