A lot had happened since the last Police Story movie. 1997 happened and Jackie Chan had become very popular in the US. After starring in many more action-comedies in the US and Hong Kong, Jackie decided to star in another drama. It’s well known to fans that Jackie's always wanted to be as a good actor and not just a good martial artist. Crime Story was one of his first attempts at showing some acting chops and it turned out to be a great movie. Though the action-comedies are what made him famous in the first place, he decided to have another change of pace and star in another crime drama. Thus, we got New Police Story.
In New Police Story, Jackie Chan stars as Inspector Chan Kwok-Wing who becomes a depressed drunk after his entire team is killed while trying to arrest a group of criminals. A young cop named Frank Cheng (NIcholas Tse) tries to help Chan put down the bottle and become the great police officer that he used to be. Chan and Frank attempt again to learn more about the group’s motives and arrest them.
In New Police Story, Jackie Chan stars as Inspector Chan Kwok-Wing who becomes a depressed drunk after his entire team is killed while trying to arrest a group of criminals. A young cop named Frank Cheng (NIcholas Tse) tries to help Chan put down the bottle and become the great police officer that he used to be. Chan and Frank attempt again to learn more about the group’s motives and arrest them.
Unlike the other Police Story movies, New Police Story doesn’t feature the same characters or the same actors (except for Jackie Chan, of course). It also has a different atmosphere compared to any of the other films. It’s probably the darkest Jackie Chan movie since Crime Story. I might actually consider this movie even darker than Crime Story. This movie’s full of depressing and sometimes shocking moments. The scene towards the beginning where Jackie’s team is killed is suspenseful and exciting, but it’s also quite distressing to watch too.
The characters are also notable too. I was impressed that even though the villains are sick people, towards the end, you kind of feel bad for them. You learn more about their backstories and wonder if you want to see them have their comeuppance. It’s also noteworthy that this time, Chan starts off as a serious no-nonsense cop who then becomes depressed. This is totally different from other Jackie Chan movies. It’s unlike many of his other roles where he plays an easygoing guy who knows how to fight and crack jokes.
The characters are also notable too. I was impressed that even though the villains are sick people, towards the end, you kind of feel bad for them. You learn more about their backstories and wonder if you want to see them have their comeuppance. It’s also noteworthy that this time, Chan starts off as a serious no-nonsense cop who then becomes depressed. This is totally different from other Jackie Chan movies. It’s unlike many of his other roles where he plays an easygoing guy who knows how to fight and crack jokes.
Jackie Chan does have quite a few action scenes in this movie. And even though he was about 50 in this movie, he still is able to perform some pretty impressive stuff. There are some really exciting fight scenes in this movie. His fights towards towards the beginning and end with Andy On are the main highlights. There’s a terrific set piece towards the end in a Lego store. There aren’t as many impressive stunts, but there’s a cool chase scene on a bus.
There’s action galore, but still, the story and characters are also noteworthy which is new for Jackie. The action is still impressive, but I was surprisingly engrossed in the story too. The dark atmosphere is definitely welcome too. It’s great to see Jackie Chan doing a movie like this, but I think the action outshines the acting in parts. But I still think this movie is gripping and exciting to watch, even though it isn’t necessarily the traditional style of a Jackie Chan action-comedy.
There’s action galore, but still, the story and characters are also noteworthy which is new for Jackie. The action is still impressive, but I was surprisingly engrossed in the story too. The dark atmosphere is definitely welcome too. It’s great to see Jackie Chan doing a movie like this, but I think the action outshines the acting in parts. But I still think this movie is gripping and exciting to watch, even though it isn’t necessarily the traditional style of a Jackie Chan action-comedy.
New Police Story is a great movie. It has great action scenes and it even has a well written and affecting story. It can be very dark and suspenseful at times and it’s a nice change of pace from other Jackie Chan movies. It doesn’t compare to some of the earlier Police Story movies, but it’s probably Jackie’s best film of the decade.
Images from IMDb and HK Cinemagic
Images from IMDb and HK Cinemagic