POLICE STORY [1985] review

I am no fan of CG in movies, even though so many I see and like have it.  I am not a fan of it because after watching a very analog and visceral film like POLICE STORY starring Jackie Chan,   (who also surprisingly directed), there is absolutely nothing like Jackie and stunt people keeping it totally real on film.  And Jackie keeps it way more real than any other action hero on screen.  You can see two of his most famous stunts in this movie:  grabbing a onto a moving bus with an umbrella and sliding down a huge floor to ceiling two story pole through strings of electric lights.

Yet I can’t say I loved the movie and I only hardly liked it.  This movie by the end crosses lots of moods and tones, especially Jackie himself.  The movie starts out as a frantic, slightly slapstick action movie, the calling card of all Jackie Chan films.  Then the action got really slapstick and the action slowed down.  Then there was a long gag seen involving Jackie and answering five corded phones at once.  I thought that seen was way too long.

The story makes no sense, either that or the Hong Kong justice system is really weird.  A super important witness is allowed to return home with only a single police guard when the police know she will be a mob target, and is set to testify in court the very next day!!  Why not just keep her in complete police custody in the station or a safe house until tomorrow?  Silly.

Then Jackie gets framed and the movie turns dark, really dark.  Jackie gets really, really pissed off and as one might expect kicks lots of ass.  Of course Jackie wins, but he loses his temper once more and the movie somewhat abruptly ends.  

The action, what there is of it, is very imaginative and eye-popping.  No CG, all real.  The only problem is that the plot is flimsy and the tone of the movie too all over the place.

RELATED POSTS:

• ROMANCING THE STONE [1984] review
• PONYO [2008] review
• TERMINATOR SALVATION [2009] review
• THE TERMINATOR [1984] review
• WANTED [2008] review