Ging chat goo si (1985)

Director:

Jackie Chan

Writer:

Edward Tang (writer)

Release Date:

11 September 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Thriller | Crime

Tagline:

You may know the name, but the game has changed.

Plot:

Kevin Chan (aka Jackie) is a Hong-Kong cop, who scores his first big hit by virtually single-handedly capturing and arresting a big drug- lord...

Plot Keywords:

Hong Kong | Drug Lord | Bloopers During Credits | Criminal | Gangster

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Jackie Chan	...	Chan Ka Kui
Brigitte Lin	...	Selina Fong (as Brigette Lin)
Maggie Cheung	...	May
Kwok-Hung Lam	...	Supt. Raymond Li
Bill Tung	...	Inspector Bill Wong
Yuen Chor	...	Mr. Chu
Charlie Cho	...	John Ko
Chi-Wing Lau	...	Cheung, the Lawyer
Hark-On Fung	...	Danny Ko
Hing Ying Kam	...	Inspector Man
Mars	...	Kim
Po Tai	...	Lee
Ken Tong	...	Tom (as Kent Tong)
Fat Wan	...	Jacknife
Fung Woo	...	Shau Tau Kok Station Commander

Also Known As:

Jackie Chan's Police Force
Jackie Chan's Police Story
Jing cha gu shi (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
Police Force
Police Story (Hong Kong: English title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, brief sexual humor and drug content. (2005 edited version)

Runtime:

101 min | Japan:106 min (extended print) | UK:99 min | USA:90 min | Spain:88 min (edited version)

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:16 (re-rating) (uncut) | Germany:18 (original rating) (cut) | Finland:(Banned) (1987) | Finland:K-18 (1995) | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:18 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company:

Golden Way Films Ltd.

Trivia:

The mall pole slide also nearly paralyzed Jackie Chan after nearly breaking the seventh and eighth vertebrate in his spine. He also dislocated his pelvis doing it (something hadn't previously known was possible).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Kevin/Jackie is climbing onto the bus using the umbrella, as he reaches around the side of the bus we see the handle of the umbrella is clearly bent, but in the next shot, which looks back to him reaching round side of the bus the handle is back to normal.

Quotes:

Kevin Chan Ka Kui: [after being assigned to protect her from Koo's men, Kevin tries to persuade Selina to go home after she's been released from jail] Miss Fong, it's much too dangerous out here. Please go home.
Selina Fong: I'll do what I want.
Kevin Chan Ka Kui: Miss Fong, it's for your own safety.
Selina Fong: [annoyed] Look, I don't need your protection, so get lost! Leave me alone!
Kevin Chan Ka Kui: Are you sure? Do you know what happened to four other witnesses who said that?
Selina Fong: [sarcastically] What? Somebody shot em? Don't try to scare me. So go on... what happened?
Kevin Chan Ka Kui: Uh... nothing happened to them. They're all doing fine. But something could happen.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Svengoolie: Police Story" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Hero Story

Arguably Chan's Best Movie By Far

Jackie Chan is considered by many film and martial arts movie fans as one of the greatest action stars ever to grace the silver screen and Police Story cemented his reputation as the likely successor to the late, great Bruce Lee. If Enter The Dragon bared the so-called bench mark of Lee's greatness in the 70s, then the same can be said about Police Story and Jackie Chan in the 80s.

Forget about the Rush Hour trilogy, or any of his US efforts- the one film that really typifies Chan's excellence, not to mention kick starting his status as a high kicking, bone-crushing kung- fu talisman, as well as his movie career was this, Police Story- the first in a series of successful cop films, set in mainland, present day Hong Kong.

I've seen many of his efforts- likewise the US-based Rush Hour, Rumble in the Bronx, The Medalian and The Tuxedo to name- and frankly many of them pale into insignificance compared to Police Story. In those movies, we saw a less 'dumbed down' version of Jackie, of whom didn't get the opportunity to utilise his fighting abilities to the maximum, not to mention the fight sequences were no where as good as those in such efforts as Drunken Master, Police Story to name.

The stunts in this movie are extraordinary and are the best featured in any action movie. The shopping mall scene is literally one of a kind and has to be seen to be believed: the flying shards of glass, Chan who is left dangling outside the bus only by his walking stick as a madman frantically drives through the streets of the town, and Chan successfully making usage of all sorts of inanimate objects and prop devices as weapons to fight the bad guys with.

Considering he is known for injuring and breaking every bone in his body and putting himself in harm's way, Jackie's persistence in showing his versatility as a stuntman himself by not relying on one, is somewhat of a testament to his reputation as a kung fu expert. Especially as he has the bruises to show for it. Thus, he has proved that he is no one-trick pony when it comes down to devising and coming up with various and clever looking moves.

Story-wise, there is not much to discuss but what it lacks in narrative, it makes up with its end-to end action and fight sequences. As for the dialogue, well it's not a really huge aspect of the film- which is why most fans of Jackie's and martial arts films are more interested in action, as opposed to the story.

Unlike say The Matrix, there are no wires or CGI, or any form of computer trickery involved. What you see is what you get- and what you get with Police Story is a great Jackie Chan epic, full of action and pulsating stunts.It is miles better than Rumble In The Bronx, Rush Hour and all his other American efforts.

Police Story is an excellent film and one I'd definitely recommend to anyone who is a novice Jackie Chan fan, but of whom are unsure which one they should watch first.