Evolution of Hong Kong Action Movies

Development

Police Story

Director:  Jackie Chan

Screenwriters:  Jackie Chan, Edward Tang

Genre: Action

Cast: Jackie Chan, Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung, Chor Yuen, Charlie Cho

Action Choreographer: Jackie Chan Stunt Team

 

Production

 

Interview footages posted by Yetan (2009) and 121 (2011), of Jackie Chan discussing the production process of Police Story. Police Story was produced by Golden Harvest’s Raymond Chow and Edmund Ho, and Jackie Chan on a budget of US$2 million. The script was written by scriptwriter Edward Tang and Jackie Chan. In contrast to conventional movie script-writing, the script for Police Story was written around a set locations and stunts. Filming location comprises of the Wing On Shopping Mall, Jackie’s own house and rural and urban Hong Kong.

 

The film was conceptualised by Jackie Chan as a response The Protector, a Hollywood film which features Jackie as a Chinese New York policeman. Jackie Chan was unsatisfied with script, action, editing and directing and therefore produced his own film featuring a policeman.

 

Much of the film’s stunts were recorded using wide lens to show audience the full action. Two of the film’s biggest stunts, the drive-through of the town and Jackie’s 6-storeys jump down a chandelier, is done in one take with little trickery. In the film, non-action actors and actress of the film has to perform their stunts as well.

 

Reception

 

The film was a huge success in Asia, grossing HK$26 million in box office and winning 2 out of 7 nominations at the 1986 Hong Kong Film Awards, Best Film and Best Action Choreography. The success of the film has spun 3 direct sequels and 2 indirect sequels, all starring Jackie Chan (Police Story (film series), n.d.) (List of Award Winner of The 5th Hong Kong Film Awards, n.d.). Action scenes such as the bus chase scene and the chandelier jump has become legendary and iconic action scenes (Miller, 2015).

 

The film was given 83% fresh rating by 12 critics and 88% score by audiences. Praise were given to the action sequences and multiple death-defying stunts performed by Jackie Chan and Jackie Chan Stunt Team. The film is somewhat lacking in plot and character development, which is expected with the heavier emphasis on comedy and action-comedy than on drama (Police Story, n.d.).

 

The impact of the film is sufficient such that the theme song of the movie, sung by Jackie Chan, was used by the Hong Kong Police Force as their theme song for Police advertisements and Hong Kong crime-watch television series, Police Report (Yetan, 2009).

 

Sources

 

[最佳華語片一百部] The Best 100 Chinese Motion Pictures. (n.d.). Retrieved from Hong Kong Film Awards: http://www.hkfaa.com/news/100films.html

 

121. (2011, June 9). Police Story (1985) Ending. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuhNWU2zqbU

 

List of Award Winner of The 5th Hong Kong Film Awards. (n.d.). Retrieved from Hong Kong Film Awards: http://www.hkfaa.com/winnerlist05.html

 

Miller , A. (2015, February 6). The History of Hong Kong Action Pt. 5 – 1980: New Wave, Cinema City, Jackie Chan & John Woo. Retrieved from Film Inquiry: http://filminquiry.com/history-hong-kong-action-pt-5/

 

Police Story. (n.d.). Retrieved from Rotten Tomatoes: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/police_story/

 

Police Story (film series). (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_Story_(film_series)

 

Yetan, L. (2009, November 11). The making of Jackie Chen's Police Story 警察故事1 花絮. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm9J0mZ0BcE