Crime Story: Golden Harvest Productions/ Buena Vista Home Video Rating: USA: R/ Australia: M
When the average filmgoer thinks of a Jackie Chan film, invariably he conjures up mental images of the diminutive martial arts superstar performing a dazzling array of kung-fu moves complimented by a plethora of breathtaking stunts, all punctuated by a healthy dose of slapstick humor to keep the proceedings light and airy. No, no one, not even the hardcore Hong Kong cinephile, thinks of Jackie as a serious dramatic actor—he’s just done too many films where he kicks major butt, but is funny while doing it, for any of us to picture him in a role where he’s serious…and that’s what makes Kirk Wong’s 1993 film Crime Story so intriguing.
The story itself is about as simplistic and cliché as they come. Jackie Chan (Drunken Master 2, Police Story) stars as CID detective Jackie Chan (inventive, eh?). In the beginning of the film, we learn that Jackie is suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, brought on by his involvement in a violently brutal shootout on the streets of Hong Kong. Like all the ‘edgy’ cops in American action films, Chan doesn’t want to admit that he has a problem, and chooses to put himself right back into the line of fire.
As the plot develops, we learn that a wealthy businessman of dubious motivations named Wong (Law Hang-kang) fears he’s about to be kidnapped. Jackie and crew go undercover at Wong’s construction site (he’s building some apartment buildings, apparently in hopes of becoming a slum lord) and think they’ve thwarted the kidnapping plot when they grab a serious looking group of guys walking into the site. However, these guys aren’t kidnappers—they’re former employees of Wong’s looking for money he owes them and ready to riot. Chan eases the tensions (without so much as one martial arts move), and concludes that Wong was essentially using the cops as a security force to protect him from his own men.
Of course, this isn’t the case. Fellow CID inspector Detective Hung (Kent Cheng: Bodyguard from Beijing, Dr. Lamb) is the mastermind behind a plan to kidnap Wong and demand ransom from his wife. Hung and his men perform a daring kidnapping, pulling Wong and his wife from one moving vehicle to another, while Chan and two motorcycle cops follow. The motorcycle guys crash (one dies after being hit nearly head on) and Chan has even more guilt to deal with. From there, the film plays out in a really traditional fashion with Chan working alongside Hung, unaware that he’s the kidnapping mastermind. There are a few nice setpieces, including a fight up in the rafters of a building, a cool scene where during the kidnapping where Wong’s wife is having a heart attack (Hung revives her with jumper cables attached to a car battery—ouch!) and a rousing finale that is clearly stolen from Hard-Boiled (complete with a scene where Chan runs down a burning hallway carrying a young boy, and fiery explosions booming directly behind him).
What sets Crime Story apart from the other films in Jackie Chan’s filmography is the tone. This film has a very bleak feel to it for much of its running time. The cops, including Jackie himself, seem totally outmatched by Hung and his henchman—always running a step or two behind and unable to make the obvious connections. Kirk Wong (Rock and Roll Cop, Organized Crime and Triad Bureau) has always had a penchant for making dark action films, but this one seems to be the blackest of the bunch—particularly in the beginning, when we see Chan blasting away bad guys with guns, and the fate that later befalls the motorcycle cops.
Chan himself does a good job breaking from his traditional nice guy role, although the effect is unsettling. As an audience, we’re just not used to seeing a tormented and serious Jackie. Time and time again, I found myself waiting for him to break out the big grin, do something funny, or just revert back to the Jackie of old—but it never happens. This is a completely different kind of character and film for Chan, and honestly, if you can get past the initial shock, it’s quite intriguing.
Kent Cheng is fun to watch as Hung. Cheng, who’s another one of Hong Kong’s best kept acting secrets (ala Anthony Wong), does a nice job of creating an almost sympathetic villain. Hung has a reason behind his crime—he’s tired of being a poor public servant. Everyone hates the cops, he makes no money for doing a dangerous job, and he’s approaching retirement—with little in the way of a pension. Cheng, who’s probably one of the portliest actors in Hong Kong (which always makes him easy to spot in a film), isn’t in the physical shape necessary to provide a traditional Chan film climax (a martial arts showdown), so he has to rely on his gun more than anything. Still, it works.
Kirk Wong does another solid job with the film’s direction. There’s nothing overly flashy about Wong’s direction—except for his staging of gun battles and action sequences. Crime Story features several really good action setpieces, including the shootout that has Chan so stressed at the film’s opening (which is shown in flashback), and the fantastic car chase kidnapping sequence. Of course, both these events happen very early in the film—a fact which makes everything that comes later seem almost like a letdown as they can’t live up to these two sequences. And while the film is an action movie, truthfully, it’s more a part of the ‘police procedural’ subgenre than an out and out action film (Wong seems to enjoy making films in this particular subgenre—and he’s good at it).
I viewed Crime Story on laserdisc, in a dubbed version. The disc has nothing in the way of extras, but the picture and sound quality were both good. The dubbing itself leaves a lot to be desired, although Jackie Chan gets my respect for actually dubbing in his own English dialogue in the film—he’s the only guy who sounds remotely Chinese….everyone else sounds vaguely British. At any rate, opt for a subtitled version if you can track one down.
In the end, Crime Story is a really good film that many Chan fans may find to their disliking. It’s a radical departure for Chan—even though he’s still the good guy, he’s a much more tormented character than he’s ever been in any of his earlier (or even more current) films. Fans used to the traditional, goofball Chan style of action movie will find Crime Story to be a somewhat unsettling experience—there’s very little martial arts here, lots of violent gun battles, and a somber, serious mood throughout (and there aren’t even any of the infamous outtakes on the end of the film). Personally, I like this film for the very fact that it portrays Jackie in a new light, stretching his ability as an actor to move beyond being the grinning good guy…I wish he’d expand his horizons more often. At any rate, it’s a better film than most of his recent output, and one that anyone interested in Jackie Chan should seek out.
Product DetailsOriginal Title:Crime Story (Jackie Chan) (Special Collector 's Edition)Actors: Christine Ng - Jackie Chan - Kent Cheng - Law Kar-yingC...More at iNetVideo.com
Jackie Chan stars in his grittiest role ever as a police detective on the edge, who races against time to solve a deadly kidnapping case. Based on the...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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