PROJECT A II
A film review by Thomas E. Billings
Copyright 1989 Thomas E. Billings
Screened at the San Francisco International Film Festival (March 15, 1989).
Synopsis: In turn-of-the-century Hong Kong, an honest policeman does battle with corrupt police, gangsters, pirates, and spies. An action/comedy that moves at warp speed, with spectacular stunts and slapstick humor. Features Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan.
Hong Kong (Cantonese with English subtitles), 1987, color, 101 minutes.
Director: Jackie Chan Producer: Leonard Ho Screenplay: Jackie Chan, Edward Tang Principal cast: Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau, David Lam Print Source: Golden Harvest Ltd.
Producer, writer, director, actor, stuntman, and occasionally a singer, Jackie Chan is the most popular star in Hong Kong, and one can easily see why from viewing this film. Here he plays Dragon Ma, an honest, diligent policeman in a corrupt, crime-infested district in Hong Kong at the turn of the century.
Dragon Ma battles against wholesale police corruption (the senior officer in his new district is on the take), gangsters who run brothels and opium dens, dispossessed pirates (leftovers from the 1984 film, PROJECT A), spies, and even a few revolutionaries. The action is fast and furious -- don't blink, you might miss something!
The basic plot is that Dragon Ma takes over a district from another officer (who is very crooked) and must clean up the police corruption and the gangsters. Along the way he is accidentally framed (for theft of a diamond bracelet) by revolutionaries who bungle a robbery attempt. Dragon must clear his name by unscrambling the mess and finding the missing jewels. As he does this, he tangles with pirates (who want to kill him for revenge), spies who are chasing the revolutionaries, and corrupt policemen out to kill him.
There's plenty of humor, both slapstick and more subtle types, along the way. He has a way of getting into trouble, which usually leads to furiously fast kung-fu fights, followed by wild chases with breathtaking stunts. Rest assured that this is *not* some cheap kung-fu trash movie of the kind you might see on late-night TV! In fact, the kung-fu here is usually pretty funny!
The stunts are incredible. In this film, Jackie: runs across a single thin pole of bamboo (unsupported) that is stretched between two tall buildings, walks down the side of a building as it collapses, jumps on a very tall ladder that is leaning against one building, and pivots it in mid-flight so that it lands against the building next to it, slides down a six-story ladder, etc. One important point: Jackie does all of his own stunt work, no stunt doubles! In fact, the closing credits of the film show outtakes of the stunts, where you can see that he really does get hurt sometimes in doing the stunts!
Next to this, other action and adventure films are pretty tame. Caution: exposure to Jackie Chan films can be habit forming. Should be viewed only by persons who go to the movies to enjoy themselves. [Note: I have only one complaint about the movie. The action and dialogue go so fast, that it is hard to keep up with the subtitles! However, this does not prevent enjoyment of the film.]
Overall evaluation: excellent; definitely worth seeing.
Reviewer: Thomas E. Billings; Department of Statistics University of California, Berkeley Reviewer contact: teb@stat.Berkeley.EDU
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