Bullet Points: Police Story (1985)
If you were to ask a random sampling of Jackie Chan fanatics to list the Top Five Jackie Chan films, it is a safe bet that Police Story would be somewhere near the top of those lists.
The action comedy, produced by Golden Way Films and distributed by Golden Harvest, truly struck gold! Fans could not get enough of Jackie Chan as Chan Ka-Kui and as a result, Police Story would spawn six sequels released between 1988 and 2013.
In this edition, I will go back to the beginning with a a long overdue review of 1985’s Police Story…
- Operation Boar Hunt: The movie begins with an intelligence briefing for the cops that will be a part of Operation Boar Hunt including Cha Ka-Kui (Jackie Chan, Rumble in the Bronx). Operation Boar Hunt is a carefully constructed plan to arrest a notorious Hong Kong drug dealer, Chu Tao. The briefing provides the cops (and the viewers) with an overview of Chu Tao’s inner circle, including his personal secretary, Salina Fong. The cops plan on catching Chu Tao while he is conducting his dirty drug business in Squatter’s Town. Everything is going to plan… Chu Tao and his entourage arrive, the undercover cops are in and around Squatter’s Town… and then one of the cops cover is blown and all hell breaks loose. Bullets are flying, Chu Tao is rushed to his car so he can escape, which prompts Ka-Kui to find the nearest car and give chase. The result is a high octane, down hill, shanty destroying chase and the vehicular mayhem doesn’t end there. When Chu Tao gets on a double decker bus, Ka-Kui finds himself hanging off, in front of and eventually inside the bus, where he refuses Chu Tao’s bribe and arrests the drug kingpin.
- Witness Protection: After the huge arrest Chan Ka-Kui finds himself the poster boy for The Royal Hong Kong Police Force… literally! Ka-Kui also finds himself assigned to protect Salina Fong. Fong will be the star witness in the case against her boss, Chu Tao, and that means trouble for her. Chu Tao’s organization will be targeting Salina, so it makes sense that the cops put their best man on the assignment. However, Salina doesn’t want to be protected and only agrees to it after a little subterfuge by Ka-Kui and one of his fellow cops. And it is none too soon, because some legitimate killers show up and Ka-Kui really has to save her this time… that’s about the time he decides they would be much safer at his place… what he doesn’t know is that his girlfriend May (Maggie Cheung, The Heroic Trio) has planned a surprise birthday party for Ka-Kui but she is equally surprised when Ka-Kui shows up with another woman!
- His Day in Court: Before I continue, I have to say if I ever found myself in some sort of legal trouble, I’d want a lawyer like Lawyer Cheung… Cheung had me believing Chu Tao was innocent and I damn well saw the man in the midst of a drug deal less than a half hour earlier. The case against Chu Tao really starts to fall apart when Ka-Kui fails at his task and loses Salina Fong…. BUT he did tape an interview with her on the way from her place to his place the night before and the judge allows the tape to be submitted as evidence. However, Ka-Kui finds out the hard way that Salina pulled some subterfuge of her own and recorded over their conversation with the out of context events from her night at Ka-Kui’s place… it was like a classic misunderstanding scene right out of Three’s Company.
- The Frame Game: Once he is out of jail, Chu Tao has revenge on his mind and he wants to get rid of the Chan Ka-Kui problem permanently! Chu Tao’s plan is to frame Chan Ka-Kui for the murder of a cop on Chu Tao’s payroll and a cop that Ka-Kui has had differences with, Inspector Man! Salina witnesses the frame job AND finally comes around to the side of good, but it may be too late… Chan Ka-Kui shows up at the police station and Chief Inspector Raymond Li orders the arrest of Ka-Kui for the murder of Inspector Man. Desperate men are known to do desperate things… Ka-Kui takes Chief Inspector Li hostage in order to escape and do what he has to do, to clear his name and bring Chu Tao to justice once and for all.
- Shop Til You Drop: All roads lead to a Hong Kong shopping mall… Salina is there to get the evidence needed to put Chu Tao away… Chu Tao and his men are there to stop Salina… Chan Ka-Kui (with poor May in tow) is there to prevent Chu Tao from getting to Salina! And that means… MALL MAYHEM! There’s a fight on the escalators, display after display is destroyed, there’s some indoor motorcycle riding and would it be a Jackie Chan movie without a spectacular jump!?!?!
They don’t get much better than Police Story. An absolute action classic, showcasing the often death defying skills and amazing physicality of Jackie Chan and the Jackie Chan Stunt Team coupled with the humor that Jackie Chan is known for.
If this review is the catalyst for even one person to rewatch Police Story or watch it for the first time, I feel like I have done my job. But now it is time for the Bonus Bullet Points to do their job…
- Bastard Count: I counted one bastard dropped in the sub-titled version of Police Story that I watched for this review.
- Familiar Face: Bill Tung played Chan Ka-Kai’s direct superior, Inspector Bill Chou (aka Uncle Bill). Tung would go on to play Uncle Bill in five of the six Police Story sequels AND he also played Uncle Bill in Rumble in the Bronx.
- If You Ever: …wanted to see Jackie Chan eat ramen noodles with pencils in the place of chopsticks, then Police Story is the movie for you.
