Police Story [Ging chaat goo si] **** (1985, Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Brigitte Lin) – Classic Movie Review 11,351

Police Story [Ging chaat goo si] (1985): ‘From the master of action Jackie Chan comes more screen excitement than you’ve ever seen.’

Director Jackie Chan’s 1985 Hong Kong comedy crime action thriller Police Story [Ging chaat goo si] stars Jackie Chan as a maverick Hong Kong cop called Kevin Chan [Chan Ka Kui] protecting a witness in a drug case in an entertaining mix of martial arts, comedy and action. He captures a drug lord, who then tried to frame him for the murder of another cop who was on the take.

The film is fast, funny and furious, with tremendous action sequences. It is one of Jackie Chan’s best films.

Chan’s acrobatic stunts are amazing (he does most of them himself), starting spectacularly with a shoot-out, car chase and stunts on a bus and climaxing in a great all-action climax. There is a lot of comic-book violence, but not too much gore. The silly, naive sense of humour is rather endearing and appealing.

Stay tuned at the end for the out-takes, during which Chan sings the theme song ‘Hero Story’.

Also in the cast are Brigitte Lin [Brigette Lin], Maggie Cheung, Charlie Cho, Yuen Chor, Kwok-Hung Lam, Bill Tung, and Ken Tong.

In the New Line American dubbed version Jackie Chan’s real name is used for his character instead of Kevin.

Chan’s hands were burned during the pole slide scene in the mall a she Christmas tree lights were plugged into the wall instead of a low-voltage car battery. He was hospitalised after the stunt where he flips over the balcony and crashes through the glass and light display. He injured his seventh and eighth vertebrae and dislocated his pelvis on the poll slide when he crashed into the kiosk.

It is his only Hong Kong Academy Best Picture award movie.

There are various runtimes: 100 minutes, 106 minutes (extended print), 89 minutes (American New Line version), 88 minutes (edited), and 90 minutes (US) (1988).

It is Chan’s favourite of his own films and the first produced by his production company, Golden Way Films.

Police Story 2 followed in 1988.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,351

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