NEW POLICE STORY (Xin Jing Cha Gu Shi)

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Sound format: Dolby Digital

A disgraced cop (Jackie Chan) is encouraged by a younger colleague (Nicholas Tse) to pursue the game-obsessed thugs who murdered an entire police squad.

Dark-hearted addition to the "Police Story" series (a 'sequel' in name only) which signals its defiance of old traditions from the very first scene, in which Chan stumbles into an alleyway and pukes copiously before collapsing in a drunken stupor. Director Benny Chan (A MOMENT OF ROMANCE) energizes Alan Yuen's fast-paced script in no uncertain terms, and is reunited with several cast members from his recent blockbuster GEN-X COPS (1999),including Daniel Wu (ENTER THE PHOENIX) as the thuggish gang leader rebelling against a lifetime of abuse at the hands of his policeman stepfather, and teen idol Tse (genuinely charming as the young cop who - literally - picks Chan out of the gutter and restores his self-respect). Charlie Yeung has the thankless role of Chan's much younger love interest, and gorgeous Andy On (so memorable in the otherwise routine BLACK MASK II) kicks butt as a member of Wu's criminal fraternity who defeats Chan in open combat.

The film's tone is much rougher than anything Chan has done recently, established by a harrowing sequence in which he's forced to play a series of 'games' with Wu and his cohorts in order to save the lives of his devastated squad members, and his subsequent remorse is played with great sensitivity by Chan, who becomes overwhelmed by guilt and depression (hence his drunken despair in the opening scene). Action set-pieces are fast and stylized, and there's a memorable climactic showdown on top of the Hong Kong Convention Center, spoiled only by blatant - and intrusive - product placement. Otherwise, this is top-notch entertainment all the way, conceived and executed with genuine cinematic flair.

(Cantonese dialogue)

This stirring story about the cop named Chang Wing of the Hong Kong precinct is well played by Jackie Chan. When his police buddies are chased by a wicked criminal band , Wing turns into an unfortunate boozer. A youth allegedly police inspector helps him to track down the gang of five commanded by nasty Joe. Then Chan looks for vengeance against the ominous villains at a cat and mouse game.

This exciting movie is crammed of action-packed, breathtaking stunt-work and lots of violence.Jackie Chan is top notch as one army man fighting a group of heinous criminals and as always he makes his own stunts like is showed on the final fake-shots. Awesome,incredible stunts and brief comic touches, as usual ; the picture is better constructed than its predecessor. The lighting-paced storyline slows down at times because the runtime is overlong, two hours and some, but frenetic action sequences make up for it. Spotlights movie include Jackie jumping over a bus , furthermore dangling and downing a skyscraper, among others. This is a phenomenal action movie distinguished by nicely cinematography of the spectacular sequences , though contain lesser sense of humor than previous entries. However while the former outings Jackie teamed up to prestigious actresses and fine action stars in their own right ,like Maggie Cheung and Michelle Khan , at this film his parternaire is unknown. The first version titled ¨Police story(1985)¨ directed by the same Jackie Chan was a perfect action film for enthusiastic of the genre; the following was ¨Police story 2(1988)¨also pretty violent and with abundant humor touches. It's followed by ¨Supercop¨ directed by Stanley Tong and finally, ¨Police story IV : Crime story. Rating : Good, the picture has its sensational moments , mostly provided by its agile star, the great Jackie Chan.

Jackie Chan's much-heralded return to Chinese cinema is an engaging crime thriller that focuses on emotion and characterisation in the face of more superficial action. That's not to say the film is totally devoid of incident – in fact there's a ton of in-your-face adventure to enjoy – but the emphasis is very much on the darker aspects of the genre. The film begins in excellent form as Jackie defuses a hostage situation and then moves into pitch-black territory as he becomes responsible for the decimation of his entire team. The next hour of the film chronicles Jackie's rehabilitation in his attempts to catch the criminals. The film is very good because it adds a lot of depth to the bare-bones, somewhat predictable storyline we're all familiar with. Jackie was obviously keen to get his teeth into heavier material and his acting here is particularly strong, one of the acting highlights of his career.

Action-wise, the plot delivers some impressive set-pieces, with plenty of nods to incidents in the first two POLICE STORY movies – although the films are not connected in any other way. There are lots of high-rise jumps off buildings and other gravity-defying incidents, which are put into the plot with the invention of the criminal gang being fans of extreme sports. There's an interlude with a speeding bus that recalls SPEED favourably and an action-packed climax that includes an impressive martial arts bout in a Lego showroom (great stuff). However this is one of the few hand-to-hand fights in the film as there's a greater proliferation of firearms and weapons action throughout. Jackie is well supported by a young cast, particularly Nicholas Tse as his young accomplice who galvanises him into action. The villains are suitably loathsome although they're given greater motive than most, and the special effects and explosions are all spectacular. NEW POLICE STORY is a solid action film you can get your teeth into, without all of the dumb Owen Wilson/Chris Tucker comedy that spoils Jackie's American productions.