Police Story 2 (1988)

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Fantastic!

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

After the smash hit "Police Story" a sequel was bound to happen. And again Jackie Chan, take the directors seat. Jackie Chan plays a more mature and professional cop this time around in this sequel. But still undisciplined and hotheaded, just the way I like the character. Or else it just wouldn't be as much fun or wouldn't lead to some confrontations in order to take down the bad guys. The fights are also fun and creative, like the playground fight scene which was later incorporated into "Jackie Chan Adventures". The stunts are even more crazier this time around and really does test Jackie's capabilities. But like what Jackie said in one of his interviews "I maybe crazy, but I am not stupid" so the guy knows his limits. This movie made just about every punch by Jackie so satisfying since the bad guys are more dis-likable this time around. The plot has two different directions that doesn't really come together well in the end. The bad guys that Jackie put away in the first film are more angry now and want some revenge on Jackie. And while this is going on, some sort of terrorist organization is blowing up buildings and demanding money from a big corporation. The plot isn't anything grand but it gets the job done. Sequels are usually bigger in scope and more resources and budget went into this one. The final scene where Jackie runs out of a building before it blows up was a one shot deal as well. I kinda felt bad for Jackie's girlfriend May, she is pretty and constantly gets put into one turmoil after another because her boyfriend is a cop. This movie is jam packed with creative fight sequences and a lot of stunt work with some violence but with slight humor to go with it as well, which is usual in Jackie Chan films. The first "Police Story" was a important and essential film in Jackie Chan's career but this one is a solid sequel. However a better script would have made a big difference.7.8/10

This sequel starring and directed by Jackie Chan again fails to have the same impact as its predecessor. Basically, with his unorthodox police methods, Jackie is demoted to be a traffic cop. Despite this, the villain from the last film who he put away is now out, and has vowed to make his life a misery. While he is harassing Jackie and his girlfriend May (Maggie Cheung), the police are thinking of bringing Jackie back to help fight a group of bombers who are asking for a $10 million ransom. Also starring Bill Tung as Inspector Bill Wong, Kwok-Hung Lam as Superintendent Raymond Li and Charlie Cho as John Ko. I think the biggest problem is that this film is too chatty, with hardly any comedy, hardly any decent martial arts fights, no relevant thrills, and not enough action or stunt work by Chan, it's no surprise that I dozed off towards the end. Pretty poor!

It's a real shame that 1988's "Police Story 2" is more of the same from star/writer/director Jackie Chan because it could have been even greater than the classic "Police Story" (1985). The greatest of what "Police Story 2" suffers from is an uneven story and lack of trademark Chan fight scenes and stunts. "Police Story 2" has Hong Kong police detective Chan Ka Kui (Chan) busted down to patrolman because of the mall brawl fiasco in the first film. For those expecting an all-out stunt-fest like "Police Story," this first sequel in the series will be a disappointment. Although more character/story-driven (which is a plus for Chan and martial arts movies in general), those who came to see stunts and hard-hitting, slap-happy hand-to-hand combat action will be the ones feeling left-out or cheated. Now as a patrolman, Ka Kui finds himself at the mercy of girlfriend May (Maggie Cheung) and his superiors who are trying to keep him out of trouble. However, because Ka Kui is a Hong Kong super-cop in need of some action, the aforementioned trouble comes in the form of the gangster he locked up in the first film, in addition to more bloodthirsty criminals and a deaf, gonzo, high-kicking toymaker (Benny Lai) who has an aptitude for rigging RC vehicles with things that go BOOM. Like its predecessor, "Police Story 2" does have Chan battling criminals like any movie cop, but with a kung-fu vengeance. The action/fight sequences are few and far between, intermingled with comedic or dramatic scenes of Chan and company sorting through bureaucracy and political red-tape as they try to nab the bad guys, and many of these comedic or dramatic scenes seem to run on as you await the action. Perhaps it's a change for most martial arts movies, but an unneeded change for those accustomed to Chan's usual work. Albeit an entertaining and a conflicted and uneven tale, when it does come to action Chan doesn't disappoint. There are two early fights with hired goons, one in a restaurant and another in the park, and then there is also a truck chase that climaxes with Ka Kui diving into a window. Then there's the ending confrontation between Ka Kui and the criminals, with a deadly kung-fu brawl between him and the Toymaker, who has some pretty lethal moves of his own and proves to be Chan's most skilled opponent. It all ends with a huge display of fireworks.8/10

There is one detail, which is not very common for Jackie Chan movies, but which is present here. It has some very tough and serious atmosphere about it while the funny elements are present too. Jackie is menacing and psychotic here. He is not a hero who is attacked and only then fights back (in a usual laid-back pattern), but he is the one who can go and start the tumult. His manner of hitting that evil guy in the glasses is amazing (every time it goes "crack!"). Another highlight is the scene when Jackie goes to the pub and thrashes the villains who had fronted on his girlfriend. It's one of the best blitzkriegs put on screen. Besides, the whole scene is shot with the background of some action character painted on the wall (it also looks like a poster of "rabochiy" from the Soviet era) and some lines in Russian on the left. That looks terrific (and nostalgic for Russian people). I also like when the windows are being smashed in the movies. Here there's a lot of this stuff. It's quite amazing watching the characters falling/jumping/running/driving through all manner of panes.All three movies are great. There is no down-slide in the quality - it's a perfect trilogy with sense and incredible stunts (and not only Jackie Chan's character appears in all three movies - that's also excellent and keeps continuity up).Each movie can be described in a few words: No.1 - great (in all aspects - it is one gripping story from the very beginning to the very end) and funny (many scenes are ridiculous); No.2 - raging (Jackie is really off the hook here) and painful (Jackie gets tortured); No.3 - unbelievable (the woman that fights alongside with Jackie is incredible) and bombastic (should a lot of guns and explosions be mentioned?).As to the rest - much has been mentioned by the others.It's a trilogy that can be watched over and over again (at least by me). Its place is in top 10 among action jewels.A solid 10 out of 10. Thank you for attention.