HK Cinema - 1985
With Police Story, Jackie brought his persona
completely into the modern day. He had followed Project A with Wheels on
Meals with his brothers Sammo and Yuen. This film did take place in modern
day Barcelona, but it was a light comedy with the exception of the last
incredible fight.
In Police Story though Jackie's work feels more
mature and more serious as he plays a cop on the HK police force. There
are still moments of comedy, but the focus is on the action and the amazing
stunts. The story is far from light hearted as Jackie is framed for murder
and on the run from his own friends. There have been three sequels to this
film and in my mind the first three films of the series are among his finest
films. They perfectly capture the essence of Jackie Chan. An incredible
imagination with skills to match and the heart of a lion. His willingness
to risk his body is crazy but inspiring.
One other actor to appear in the first three
Police Stories was Maggie Cheung who played his suffering girlfriend. Maggie
had actually been brought up in England, but had entered a HK beauty contest.
She didn’t win, but she caught someone’s eye and was soon appearing in
small parts. There was something about her adorable crooked tooth smile
and high spirits that soon made her a favorite of fans. Though her role
in Police Story is fairly small, the popularity of the series made a star
of her as well. Was she more than a sweet goofy face with little acting
talent? Time would tell.
