Police Story 3: Supercop

Jackie Chan’s failed attempts to break into the U.S. market – which included The Big Brawl, Cannonball Runand The Protector – turned out to be a blessing for us all.  He returned to Hong Kong with a chip on his shoulder, pushing the envelope with each new film: inventive action scenes, bigger stunts and increasingly dangerous feats of physical skill.  And it all peaked with 1992’s Supercop, the third entry in Chan’s Police Storyfranchise, a full-throttle series of shoot-outs, sight gags and stunts that one-up each other for an inspired 96 minutes.

Sent undercover to take-down a drug czar, supercop Kai-Kui (Chan) teams up with a hardnosed Chinese military official (Michelle Yeoh) to infiltrate the organization and stop the contraband at its source.  But when their cover is finally blown, our duo must rely on their martial arts skills to save Kai-Kui’s fiancé and take down an army of bad guys on – and above – the streets of Hong Kong.

 

While the other two Police Story films are certainly worth a watch, Jackie works on a much bigger scale here; think Die Hard meets Buster Keaton with a truly spectacular finale involving cars, trucks, helicopters and a moving freight train.  But the film’s biggest asset is the chemistry between Chan and co-star Michelle Yeoh who match each other kick for kick and gag for gag.  The best Jackie Chan films find a remarkable balance between punches and punchlines and Supercop is no exception.

 

Every physical media collector secretly believes they’re doing God’s work preserving cinema history for the next generation…or at least family movie night.  And 88 Films’ 4K Ultra HD box set is Smithsonian-level quality!  Featuring both the Hong Kong and U.S. cuts in 4K and Blu-ray, it’s a retinal orgasm the entire running time.  Extras run the gamut from interviews, commentary, outtakes and trailers to the 1984 TV commercial that Chan and Yeoh first met.  And the packaging matches the presentation with gorgeous artwork, an 80-page booklet, and fold-out poster. 

 

 

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