With some early success in China in the mid to late 1970s, Jackie Chan attempted to break into Hollywood – making appearances in The Big Brawl (1980), The Cannonball Run and its sequel (1981 and 1984), and starring in The Protector (1985). . . perhaps you would think that this was the beginning of his now illustrious career, but no. His supporting roles did not bring him fame in the west, while his first American starring role was a box office bomb.
Instead of returning to China sunken and defeated, he began work on what would arguably become his greatest film, Police Story (1985), co-writing and co-directing with Edward Tang and Chi-Hwa Chen respectively. Taking on the starring role of Chan Ka Kui, Chan brings forth that appealing blend of comedic goof-ball and ninja mastermind – a more than likeable everyman who just happens to be a master of the martial arts (for most of his future roles, Chan would play slight variations on this iconic character – making him one of the most popular action stars of the past thirty years).
Weaving an intricate opening action sequence that runs a solid quarter of an hour, it will bring to mind modern energetic fare like John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, and really, that is no surprise, for in many ways both are rooted in the same film lineage. I have long highlighted Wick’s homages to The Great Stone Face, Buster Keaton, and it is no secret that Chan is a lover of the silent action comics – coming off like a magical mix of Keaton, Harold Lloyd and 70s martial arts icon Bruce Lee (yet there are also aspects of dance to his graceful movements à la Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly in the way he wields props, not for dancing, but rather, as protection or a weapon). Doing all of his own stunts, as the lengthy opening sequence comes to a close, Chan must run down a steep hill and then board a moving bus, using an umbrella to latch on to the vehicle – it is immediately reminiscent of two Keaton pictures, 1925’s Seven Chances and the 1922 short film Cops, with a sprinkle of grace pulled from Kelly’s Singin’ In the Rain bit.
After nabbing the drug kingpin, Chu Tao (Yuen Chor), and much of his crew, Chan becomes a model police officer (part of their newest media blitz), and is tasked with protecting the prosecution’s key witness, Selina Fong (Brigitte Lin). . . a task easier said than done.
Uninterested in testifying and not thinking she needs protection, Chan (as a director) develops a cheeky spoof on the slasher film as a would-be assassin attempts to kill her. . . it doesn’t take long for her to change her tune. Bringing her to his home in order to hide her, it causes strife between Chan and his hot tempered girlfriend, May (a star making role for Maggie Cheung), yet, in the middle of the night, Selina slips away. After losing their key witness, and following some judicial ineptitude, the overlord goes free. . . their only chance, to somehow track down Selina before the appeal. With the cartel hot on the trail of both Chan and Selina, do they stand a chance?
Developing an exceedingly entertaining action feature (the crew actually nicknamed the film “Glass Story” as so many windows broke during the shoot), Chan bookends the entire piece with a non-stop thrill ride shot in a multi floor mall. With the ability to shoot wide shots and linger on the action (simply because Chan and his stunt team do everything seen onscreen), it is graceful in its perfection, every defensive block and flying kick a work of visual art. In fact, Chan’s biggest stunt, which I will not spoil, is shown in a single take (from three different angles – just to reiterate the death defying manoeuver he clearly pulled off – just to further impress, he did it in one take with no rehearsal and no wires. . . suffering second degree burns, a serious back injury and a dislocated pelvis which led to partial paralysis in the process). On the lighter side, Chan does a great Michael Jackson impression after stepping in some manure. Another fun thing about watching Police Story is seeing how Chan tinkered with visual stunts throughout his career – look for bus-related action not only in this film’s sequel, but also in Rush Hour.
A trend that has continued through most of Chan’s movies, a blooper reel runs through the credits (this one also features some injury footage). While this runs (making for some of the most entertaining credits of all-time), a song called “Hero Story” is playing in the background – it is actually Chan singing.
Fusing a perfect balance of wild action, slapstick comedy, quirky romance and refined drama (and, lest we forget its electronic score, written by Siu-Tin Lai), the simplistic title Police Story is nowhere near epic enough to truly do this one justice. The true start of Jackie Chan’s triumphant career, he is a tour de force – developing the action (a rare film that built the spectacle-laden sequences first, the story afterward), the character, and most importantly, a persona for the ages (Police Story also spawned five sequels, an official and unofficial spinoff – not too shabby at all). So, no need to accuse this film of any wrongdoing, that would be a cheap shot, besides, it helped write the book on how to shoot action the right way.
This film can be watched in Cantonese with English subtitles or in dubbed English