Showing posts with label Police Story. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Police Story. Show all posts

2.12.24

SUB VS. DUB #1: Police Story (Fortune Star's 2010 Japanese Blu-Ray vs. Cinema Group's 1988 American VHS)


Police Story is the 1985 Hong Kong movie that people love so much that it has 2 re-edits and 4 dubs. Today we're going to be looking at one of those re-edits, the 1986 international export dub!

Original version is the Japanese Bluray on the 2010 Fortune Star DVD. I figure since the credits say 2010 on the SBS on Demand version it's the right release. 

Trailers

Export Trailer

1986

Media Asia

International

 Theatrical trailer

1985 

Media Asia

Hong Kong

The Hong Kong trailer - spoils all the big stunts but doesn't actually tell you anything about the movie. Also is way too long, a trailer should be 1 minutes & 30 seconds at max if it's in cinema. Of course, the background music "Hero Story" by Jackie Chan is completely amazing, but it's in Cantonese, and the trailer has no subtitles (this is a DVD version on the video so that's why it does) That might suck if you watched the movie and weren't from China. 7/10

The USA trailer - Gives away the plot in a good, short, sweet way that is easy to understand and that doesn't spoil much at all with amazing kick-butt music by Kevin Bassington. The trailer also shows clips that will make the average viewer hella excited to watch the film. 10/10

VIDEO QUALITY

BLU-RAY

 VHS


 So.. how is it that a VHS released 22 years before a Blu-Ray has better color quality? 

 

SCRIPT 

On the SBS on Demand version, the script adds a bunch of un-needed, unnatural words. The re-release also adds some unnecessary profane words like "b1tch" which actually makes Kevin sound like a jerk and it turn, makes the scenes with May more funnier. The re-dub actually has funnier dialogue, as well. I guess it's better when you understand the language.

In turn - the re-dub script's better.

CUT / SWAPPED SCENES 

The US dub has a lot of cut scenes, so I will list every cut scene here.    

  • All the scenes with the agitated Frank (the cop who shoots a mirror). A few seconds of Kevin after one of the scenes.



  • The photo-shoot scene is cut out, thus resulting in 47 seconds of the film gone.
  • In the Hong Kong version during the fake murder attempt, you get more shots of tired Selina. 
  • Mars bumping his head on the lights.
  • Kevin biting his way into the mask.
  • 46 seconds in the courtroom are removed.
  • Koo watching Kevin on the news in his office.
  • The entire phone scene. However, a few seconds before this scene (Kevin getting told what to do, asking a question, getting an answer and talking to a cop who works for Chu on the phone and telling him he only has 3 days.) are still there.
  • The angry speech Kevin makes in Li's office.  

The Japanese version is 1 hour & 48 minutes.

The original Hong Kong version is 1 hour & 36 minutes. 

The export version is 1 hour and 27 minutes.

13 minutes have been cut out from the theatrical version.

ADDED SCENES

In the US theatrical version, a shot of Selina clicking "record" on the tape recorder is added. 1 second long, which does fix a minor minor MINOR plothole.

 MUSIC

The original score is composed by Lai Siu-tin, and the re-dub score is composed by Kevin Bassington.
Lai-Siu Tin's score - Inspired by the main theme song, and has a lot of re-used tracks. Still a banger and is definetly worth listening too. Especially the tracks with Ondes Martinot.
Bassington's score - A slap-bass synthesizer score that is incredibly 80s and satisfying to listen too. Sometimes a bit of the instruments get a little bit annoying and go on for a while though.
Lai Siu Tin's score: 11/10
Bassington's score: 7/10
COVERS

VHS


 BLU-RAY

The VHS cover is more exciting and summarizes up the film on the back well. 

OVERALL: THE RE-DUB VHS FROM 1988 WINS!!

 


22.4.24

New Police Story: Dark, different, daring and great



Directed and produced by Benny Chan

Starring and produced by Jackie Chan

Screenplay by    Alan Yuen
Produced by   

    Willie Chan
    Benny Chan
    Barbie Tung
    Solon So

Starring

Nicholas Tse
Charlie Yeung
Charlene Choi
Daniel Wu
Wang Chieh

 Synopsis

Inspector Chan Kwok-Wing (Jackie Chan) was once the shining star of the Hong Kong police force. But that all changed when his unit was slaughtered by a merciless gang of bank robbers -- and Chan turned to the bottle to drown his grief. Now, a year later, a soused Chan is dragged out of his rut by a new partner, Frank Cheng (Nicholas Tse). Together, they hit the streets to redeem Chan's reputation by going after those responsible for the deaths of his fellow officers. 

 

Review

New Police Story is definitely worth watching. Sure, some of the acting is pretty bad which is rare in a Chan movie.. wait.. Police Story 1. Nevermind. Anyways, the film has little to no funny parts, which is rare in a Chan movie, but it still rocks. The film's fight scenes are amazing and the characters were amazingly casted.


 

The only thing that ticks me off is that they try to make audiences sympathetise for Joe Kwan [the villian] because of how bad his father is.. but no. He's just a jerk. Family or not.

Anyways, New Police Story is very worth your time, and if you DO have time, you should definetly watch it. Darker films don't stop Jackie Chan from making masterpieces. Maybe the comedy is stopping him from reaching his potentional.

Rating: 8.3/10

Watch New Police Story on 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ0fmEUZ3w8 (English dub) 



https://archive.org/details/l64h0k72 (Along with other Hong Kong films)
https://archive.org/details/sdlehongkong1-15 (Along with other Hong Kong films)
https://archive.org/details/lehongkong1 (Along with other Hong Kong films)
https://archive.org/details/Fitoor2016Www.DesiPirates.tkHindiDVDRip720pAAC (Along with other Indian / Hong Kong films)


 

 

11.3.24

Jackie Chan's First Strike might be one of his best strikes


 

Directed and written by Stanley Tong

 Screenplay by

Nick Tramontane
Greg Mellott
Elliot Tong
Produced by Barbie Tung
Starring   
    Jackie Chan
    Wu fChen-chun
    Jackson Lou

Bill Tung

Nonna Grishayeva


 

Synopsis

A Hong Kong police detective, Jackie (Jackie Chan), works with the CIA to track a mysterious woman named Natasha (Grishajeva Nonna). She is suspected of delivering money to a terrorist, Jackson Tsui (Jackson Liu), who is trying to obtain a nuclear warhead from the Russian mob. Traveling from Hong Kong to the Ukraine to Australia, Chan aims to bust up the terrorist plot using his fists as much as his brains, doing battle underwater, on stilts and across mountain tops.

Review

So the movie was not what I expected, in a good way. 

I love this film. It has the same comedy aspect as Project A where it makes me wonder if it was promoted as a comedy-action. However, with First Strike there was comedy for most of the scenes, and even during a hotel chase.

The fight scenes in this movie have no comedy, which is great. Your only focus is on the great moves and tricks and hits from Jackie. The movie also has beautiful views from Brisbane, Australia. I live in Sydney, and trust me, in 2023, it doesn't compare to Brisbane in 1995. 

First Strike is an amazing film. Want to see an underwater fight, a helicopter stunt, ladder fight, hotel chase and Jackie Chan's butt? First Strike's the way to go. 

And no, John McClane from the Movie Forums, this film is NOT BETTER then "Police Story III: Supercop".



P.S. this is NOT the first time Jackie Chan fights for America. Rumble in The Bronx existed 2 years before this film.

Watch "Jackie Chan's First Strike" at the

https://archive.org/details/firststrike19961080ph264ac3dolbydigital5.1nickarad (American cut from New Line Cinema, 1997)
https://archive.org/details/first-strike-fw-reconstruction (1996 Hong Kong cut)

Rating: 8/10





26.2.24

Super Cop: The perfect action film?

 I know some of you might be angry about me calling the film Super Cop and not Police Story 3 as it was released in Australia, but the version of the film I downloaded and watched was the 1996 Dimension Films cut, so I can't review the original version if I never watched it.



Produced by and starring Jackie Chan

Directed by Stanley Tong
Written by 

Edward Tang
Ma Fibe
Yee Lee Wai
Produced by 

Willie Chan
Edward Tang
Leonard Ho

Starring   
    Michelle Khan
    Maggie Cheung
    Ken Tsang
    Yuen Wah
    Bill Tung
    Josephine Koo
    Wong Siu

Synopsis

To infiltrate a drug cartel, Royal Hong Kong Police Force Inspector Kevin Chan (Jackie Chan) goes undercover in a Chinese prison. There, he earns the trust of Panther (Yuen Wah), a cartel member, by breaking him out of prison. With the help of another undercover agent, Jessica Yang, (Michelle Khan), they travel to Hong Kong and join up with Panther's gang. Ka Kui is accepted by the gang's leader (Ken Tsang), but his operation is jeopardized when Kevin's girlfriend, May (Maggie Cheung) accidentally reveals his true identity.

Review

Supercop is easily the best work in the Police Story series. Jackie Chan and his stunt team went all out on this one. Unlike First Strike which was overloaded with comedy (like putting too much salt on a food), the comedy in this was funny and subtle.

Anyway, Michelle Khan is a great actress, and this is the movie that introduced me to her. Her movies are insane, and soon enough you'll be seeing more of her on this site (infact, reviews of Supercop 2 and Yes Madam are coming soon)

Super Cop is one of the best Chan films ever. It must have taken months to come up with choreography. Jackie Chan is a legend. This movie is one you wish never ever ended, unlike it's spinoff, Supercop 2, which I gave up on watching after 2 minutes. I'll be watching it again for the sake of the blog. 

(edit 2.1.24 - I watched the movie on Dec. 16 2023. A review is coming in June.)

Not to mention, Dimension Film and Miramax's edit and voice casting choice of films is actually amazing, including this one, and it's actually great they got Chan and Khan to voice for the film. Many would complain about the American editing of this franchise, but especially this movie, I actually enjoyed it! In fact, it was even better then the Hong Kong version. I'm not exageratting when I say this movie is the best movie of the whole 1990s. Watch it for yourself!

Superheroes? Forget them. We have the one and only Supercop.

Watch Supercop at the


Original Hong Kong version from 1992 (Cantonese audio, English subtitles) - https://archive.org/details/police-story-3

Rating: 10/10 



22.1.24

Police Story Part II: China becomes Boomtown

 

 

Starring, directed and written by Jackie Chan

 Written by
    Edward Tang
    Masahiro Kakefuda

Produced by Leonard Ho

Starring

Maggie Cheung

Bill Tung 

Lam Kwok-Hung
Chor Yuen
Charlie Cho
Benny Lai
Mars

Release date (Hong Kong): 20 August, 1988

October 10, 2007 (Australia)


Synopsis

 His personal war against crime has earned Royal Hong Kong Police Force Detective Kevin Chan (Jackie Chan) a demotion from detective to traffic cop just as Hong Kong is hit with a wave of bomb scares. Chan tracks down the bombers but not before his girlfriend, May (Maggie Cheung) is abducted.

 

Review

While Police Story 2 is an amazing film, there's something that Police Story 1 just had that Police Story 2 doesn't. Police Story 2 has 4 major fight/stunt/beat up scenes like with Police Story, but Police Story 2 had more comedy, and all the fights were for a reason. Two fights in Police Story 2 is started by the villains of Police Story (John and Tom Chu) disrespecting May and Kevin, but the fights in Police Story were started by the bad guys. The first fight was another attempt to get Selina, the second was an attempt to beat Kevin so he didn't rescue Selina, and the third was so that all of Chu's men didn't get the briefcase with the proof of a murder in it. 

Anyways, Police Story 2 also lacks funny parts. May entering the men's bathroom and acting like a moron is supposed to be funny, but it isn't. It just makes me not like May even more. That's how you know they're a good actor. 

The big stunt in Police Story 2 was also very cool, but it wasn't played at 3 angles (and wasn't as cool as the mall slide in Police Story 1).

Maybe one day Australia will be hit with a bomb and I'll stop the bombs...

Watch Police Story 2 at

www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/movie/jackie-chans-police-story-2/1464150595940 (Extended Japanese version, Chinese audio, English subtitles)

Rating: 7/10

Believe's rating: 7/10



1.1.24

Police Story: Action on Steroids

 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope every single one of you has an awesome year and that God protects and blesses you.

Also, watch more action films.


Directed, written by, and starring Jackie Chan

Starring Bridget Lin

Maggie Cheung

Lam Hwok Hung

Bill Tung

Written by Edward Tang

Release date (Hong Kong): December 15, 1985

May 15, 2006 (Australia)

Synopsis 

Kevin Chan, an honest Hong Kong cop protecting Selina Fong, a Triad boss's girlfriend-turned-informer, finds himself framed for the murder of a dirty cop, Royal Hong Kong Police Force Sergeant Mao, and going on the run.

Review

Oh HELL YES. 

I've been a MEGA Chan Fan ever since I was 6. But due to my new interests with lots of other franchises (LazyTown, Wimpy Kid, Big Nate, Odd Squad, etc..) I kinda forgot about him. Infact, Rush Hour was the only reason I thought about him. But one day I decided to watch one of his movies. Nothing interesting was on Netflix, but the plot of Police Story sounded interesting to me. So I watched the Hong Kong version, subtitled by SBS On Demand and then I started to get hooked back onto Jackie Chan films.  

Now, I'm not exaggerating when I say the Police Story franchise is one of Chan's best works. All films in the franchise (Police Story, Police Story: Part 2, Police Story 3: Super Cop, Police Story 4: First Strike, New Police Story & Police Story: Lockdown) all got 12 wins at award shows combined, and all the film's box office performances (including Supercop 2 / Project S / Once a Cop / Police Story 3: Part 2) made 489866205 Hong Kong dollars. I can see why, trust me. Judging from only the first film (I've watched the first 5, not counting Supercop 2. That's a spinoff.), you can say it took a lot to make this.





 

The film's comedy sequences are subtle and actually very funny, but they don't take your focus away from the serious parts, then the action sequences.

The cast did a great performance. Maggie Cheung did a great job as an annoying girlfriend, and Lam Hwok Kung did an amazing job as the strict guy who only cares about himself.

 My only complaint with the film is one of the comedy sequences which has Kevin ignoring crimes such as abuse so he can eat his lunch. Of course, when he ignores the call about a lost cow and when May calls him and he responds rudely, then pretends that it was another one of his employees, that was funny, because you're not supposed to take that seriously. I would spoil the rest of the sequence for you, but I don't want to.

After all, it's just a movie, and that joke was supposed to be funny, but it wasn't, but that doesn't make the movie any worse. 

 

I can't say anything else bad about Police Story, because the fight scenes and two stunts by Jackie. (YES, TWO STUNTS), and climbing over walls and parkour that Chan does in the film is impeccable and just some of his best work.

 


I'm just waiting for the novelization of the film so I can tell my kids the Police Story of Jackie Chan's Police Force. "One sunny day in Hong Kong..."

Watch Police Story 

Hong Kong cut, Cantonese audio with English subtitles  - https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/movie/police-story/1464151619561

Jackie Chan's Police Force - American cut, 1987, English audio, 87 minutes | https://archive.org/details/police-story-export-cut
Alternate version of American cut of Police Story with Kevin Bassinson score
"Police Story 2" - Australian cut, 1990, English audio | 
https://archive.org/details/policestory2
Strangely with the Police Story 2 title card, Police Story 1 movie and credits...?



Rating: 10/10

Believe's rating: 5/10







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