Ging chaat goo si 4: Gaan dan yam mo (1996)

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1. 

   CinemaDump

   The fourth entry in the Police Story series of films involves Chan Ka-Kui allying himself with first the CIA and then the Russian FSB (Federal Security Agency) to chase after a nuclear arms dealer. Like Supercop before it, Jackie Chan's First Strike takes Ka-Kui away from Hong Kong for places like Russia and Australia. Stanley Tong returns to direct and the only other recurring character to make a return is Bill Wong as Ka-Kui's boss. So no more May which makes me sad.
   
   I watched the New Line Cinema version and it's pretty obvious that cuts were made here and there. Well not here and there, incessantly is more like it. New Line took a rusty machete and hacked at the original movie as violently as they could. The Mai Ah Entertainment VCD and Japanese Warner Home Video versions apparently contain the full movie but these copies aren't easy to get a hold of where I am.
   
   Jackie Chan's character Chan Ka-Kui actually isn't even called that in this movie. He's Jackie which is just weird. It's probably an attempt to make this movie more digestible for North American viewers who can relate better to a character with Chan's real name instead of Chan Ka-Kui. It's like he's playing himself, that's funny right? The title itself is also a way to move away from the Police Story roots and as a result can be consumed without having seen the prior ones. It's a shame because really Jackie Chan's First Strike is not a very strong movie.That's really hard for me to say about any movie Jackie Chan is involved with.
   
   The story itself doesn't really need to be expanded on because it's pretty easy to follow. All the characters are pretty much cardboard cutouts but that's not especially important in an action movie such as this. What's lacking in Jackie Chan's First Strike is a real sense of fun. There's nothing fun going on for the first three quarters of the film and that's not a good thing for a Jackie Chan movie. Jackie is naturally a funny guy but neither him nor any of the situations he finds himself in allow him to deliver that. Supercop traded in some of its fun for a more serious tone but it did that to good effect. The humour in Jackie Chan's First Stike doesn't work well at all and the editing cuts mess up the continuity and flow of the movie. There are some comedic moments with Jackie Chan but a lot of his quips fall flat to be honest.
   
   There are of course some great stunts but not as glorious as the ones in past Police Story films. If this is the movie that North Americans are meant to see that's a real shame because Police Story and Police Story 2 have some of the best stunts ever done on camera with Jackie himself. Every martial arts/action fan has a duty to see those movies. I don't want to totally take away from what was done in Jackie Chan's First Strike though. Jackie Chan does a downhill chase on a snowboard which is difficult in my very limited experience of "trying" to lean how to snowboard, he falls into freezing cold water and there are some great fight scenes of course towards the end. There's a really silly underwater fight scene though that stretches my suspension of disbelief just a tad.
   
   Definitely my biggest problem with Jackie Chan's First Strike is the cutting. However I'm not totally convinced that an unedited copy would make this film anywhere as good as its predecessors. The ending scene is incredibly abrupt but I was glad to see the return of the song from Police Story and Police Story 2 that plays during the ending credits with Jackie's singing.
   
   This is the first movie in the Police Story series that doesn't have much to offer in terms of entertainment. There are some stunts that are very impressive and can be easy to take for granted but they don't make up for the subpar movie taking place around them. There is just too much catering towards North American tastes this time around that has taken away from what had worked before. Change can be good as evidenced by Supercop compared to the first two movies in the Police Story series, but this is a good example of bad change. Everything is dumbed down and as a result Jackie Chan's First Strike can't hold a candle to the charm of its predecessors.
   
   5.5/10 9 years 12 months ago
2. 

   neocowboy

   AKA Jackie Chan wears ridiculous outfits. 8 years 5 months ago

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