First Strike (1996) **** out of ***** - Cast: Jackie Chan. Directed by: Stanley Tong. Running Time: 85 minutes.
After a brief theatrical run earlier this year, Jackie Chan's latest action flick "First Strike" arrives on home video. If you enjoyed "Rumble in the Bronx", you'll probably enjoy this one almost as much.
"First Strike" is known by many other titles, but the main thing you'll need to know is that it's the fourth in Chan's "Police Story" film series. "Supercop", the previous Chan film released to theaters, was the third in that series. I wasn't too impressed with "Supercop", but "First Strike" has restored my interest.
I usually find the plots of Chan's films unimportant, just time filler between the incredible action sequences. "First Strike" is no exception. The story has something to do with the CIA, the KGB, double agents, and a stolen nuclear warhead. No matter though, as there are numerous spectacular scenes of action. The stunts and the fight choreography are top-notch. There's a fight sequence which takes place underwater in a shark tank, which I was completely ready to dismiss as ridiculous. But somehow, amazingly, the scene is pulled off in a very credible fashion. Also, as with "Rumble in the Bronx", the film has a great sense of humor.
"First Strike" is, in many regards, a variation of a James Bond film. However, instead of an overly calm, over-sexed main character, Chan's character is an actual human being. He gets hurt when he's hit (which is often) and he's not-overconfident. Even though he's a master at martial arts, his countless facial expressions while fighting (or in any of the action sequences) denote that even he's constantly surprised at what he can accomplish.
American action movie directors these days seem to think that their audience is full of idiots who will swallow whatever garbage that's spoon fed to them. And the number of these horrible action films is rapidly increasing. Chan's movies consistantly amaze me, as each time I see something I've never seen before. Our directors could learn a great deal from that, but I doubt they even have the guts to try. [PG-13]
-- Chuck Dowling
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