Undercover policeman Chan (Jackie Chan) is appointed to protect a property tycoon after a kidnapping attempt fails. Though his charge, Wong, is clearly a shady character, Chan approaches the assignment with characteristic determination.
Then a second kidnap attempt succeeds, with a policeman being killed in the resultant chase.
As Chan investigates the case he soon comes to realise that his fellow investigating officer – and well-regarded superior – Detective Hung (Kent Cheng) is a member of the kidnap gang, placing both his loyalties and life in danger…
Though it sounds like (and was promoted as) another entry in Jackie Chan's Police Story series, Crime Story differs in a number of key regards.
First, it's a Category III film, i.e. one that's intended for an adult rather than a general audience.
Second, rather than being one of the Chan's personal projects, the film was originally slated as a Jet Li vehicle. Chan only stepped on board at the 11 th hour and indeed continued to work on other projects – Supercop , Drunken Master 2 during the production.
Third, rather than being a work of fiction it's based on a true story, inevitably some dramatic license has been taken.
As a result, Crime Story is a Jackie Chan film which may well surprise audiences. It could appeal to those who wouldn't usually consider themselves fans (more gunplay), but may also disappoint those who favour the star's more typical work (less comedy kung fu).
On the plus side, Chan gets a rare chance to show what a good dramatic actor he can be. On the minus side there are few moments to laugh at in what is by anyone's standards a pretty downbeat, serious, actioner; an impression reinforced by the noticeable absence of outtakes and bloopers from the end credits.
With both Kirk Wong and (an uncredited) Chan taking a hand in the direction and having different ideas and styles, Crime Story could easily have been a disjointed mess. That it manages to retain a degree of unity is a testament to the professionalism of cinematographer Arthur Wong and editor Peter Cheung.
All told, Police Story is neither better nor worse than the typical Chan film, just different.
I experienced some problems with playback on this Region 2 DVD from Hong Kong Legends. My stand-alone player would freeze on the menu screen, while my friend's played the disc no problem but only in full-screen such that, in the end I had to watch it on my iBook laptop for something closer to the proper widescreen experience.
As it is, the transfer is not one of Hong Kong Legends' best, with many scenes showing considerable grain. Given the absence of a Mandarin language track, as is usually included on HKL discs along with Cantonese and English dubs, along with the fact the film was in distribution limbo for some time prior to this DVD release, this might be put down to HKL having fewer, poorer quality materials to work from than usually the case.
As such, the DVD needs a good extras package more than most HKL product. Thankfully it gets one.
Bey Logan's feature length commentary is one of his best yet, enthusiastic, informative and brimming with background detail on all aspects of the film, from the cast and crew, to the disagreements between Wong and Chan over the course the film should take, to the differences between the Hong Kong, Taiwanese and (dubbed) Miramax versions.
One piece of particularly noteworthy background is the use of "The Walled City" as a locale within the film: Through historical accident this small district remained under Chinese jurisdiction throughout Colonial rule with the consequence that, between the establishment of the Communist regime in 1949 and its ultimate demolition around the time of Crime Story it was literally a lawless no-man's land.
Other extras include the UK and Hong Kong trailers for the film; trailers for The Young Master , Project A Part 2 and My Lucky Stars (the former two for what appear to be US releases on the back of Rush Hour , Shanghai Noon etc); and interviews with screenwriter Teddy Chen (7 minutes) and action director/stunt arranger Bruce Law (25 minutes) in which the they talk about their respective crafts and experiences of the industry and the film itself, illustrated by representative and scene-setting film clips.
Copyright © K H Brown 2002-2005
Rating:
0.0 / 5
(0 votes)
|
6101 views
|
Previous
|
Next
|
Best prices on Crime Story
|
Print
|
Email page