There is no doubt that Tom Cruise has taken up much of the action attention over the past couple years with his possible finale of the Mission: Impossible franchise. . . which was released earlier this summer. Yet, there is another action franchise that also deserves some viewership –Jackie Chan’s Police Story, which started in 1985 and most recently hit theatres in 2013 (though there is talk of another one in the works). With parts one and two already reviewed here on Filmizon.com, here goes number three – which is sometimes called Police Story3: Supercop, but in North America is usually referred to simply as Supercop (1992).
Directed by Stanley Tong – his first of six directorial collaborations with Jackie Chan, the star returns once more as Insp. Chan Ka Kui, this time often being referenced as the titular Supercop. Grudgingly sent by his longtime friend and boss ‘Uncle’ Bill Wong (Bill Tung) from his home in Hong Kong over to mainland China to help run a dangerous undercover sting on an underground drug smuggling operation, he must also leave behind his longtime girlfriend May (Maggie Cheung) for at least a month.
Almost immediately paired with his equivalent on the mainland – Insp. Jessica Yang (Michelle Yeoh – Tomorrow Never Dies; Everything Everywhere All at Once), I’m not quite sure his girlfriend back home would be alright with the amount of time he’ll be spending with his new partner.
In any case, Chan quickly infiltrates a prison camp to befriend the ominously named Panther (Wah Yuen) – a high powered associate of drug kingpin Chaibat (Kenneth Tsang). With a fly-by-night rudimentary cover, it’s up to Chan to improvise an escape plan for his new ‘friend’ Panther, while Yang provides aid from both the outside, and soon after, inside.
Continuing with the high octane stunts expected from the first two features, this time Jackie Chan looks to be pulling from the silent works of Buster Keaton, expanding on a train gag The Great Stoneface performed in The General (1926), by infusing it with both a rope ladder hanging from a helicopter and a speedy motorcycle. . . making the chase all the more dangerous. Kudos to Yeoh for performing the motorcycle scene herself – especially impressive considering she could not ride the machine prior to joining the project. Funnily enough, Mission: Impossible would first come to the silver screen some four years after this film and also feature a train/helicopter climax – perhaps there was some influence here?
Like most of Chan’s movies, comedy also plays an integral part. With a number of laugh out loud moments throughout, perhaps the best finds Chan having to dodge and hide from his tour guide girlfriend while he’s undercover at a high end resort with his new partner in Kuala Lumpur – what could go wrong if they’re seen together?
Aside from the movie itself, the trend that was started in the original continues here by showing off bloopers from behind the scenes. . . perhaps the most harrowing finding Chan being sideswiped by the helicopter while hanging from the side of the train. This once again shows what people like Chan and Cruise will do to impress the movie going audience. Not far behind, Yeoh had to jump onto a moving car – it didn’t go well, but thankfully she only had minor injuries – seen here in the end credits.
Featuring a wild, action-packed finale that is worth the price of admission alone, Supercop certainly proves that Jackie Chan needs to be mentioned in the Mount Rushmore of action legends. It is also worth noting that there is a James Bond reference here – once again showing the staying power and influence that the British franchise has had within the genre. . . remember, Michelle Yeoh would star in the franchise herself just five years later. Though not to be outdone, Supercop got its own reference in the legendary 2007 action comedy spoof Hot Fuzz. . . where Nick Frosts’s PC Butterman picks up the DVD case for it and seems mightily intrigued by the catchy tagline that reads, “ Meet the cop that can’t be stopped!”. So, see this version of Helicopters, Trains, and Automobiles. . . it covers all of the most dangerous transportation!
This film can be watched in Cantonese, Mandarin, Malay, and Thai (with a little bit of English) with English subtitles, or in dubbed English